Everyone wants to feel needed. That’s perhaps the takeaway from a dramatic clash Friday involving House Republicans and Speaker Mitzi Johnson (D-South Hero).
Johnson temporarily halted debate on a workers compensation bill in deference to Republican members who’d asked for a caucus. When it was time to return to the floor,the electronic bells meant to summon lawmakers back to the Chamber tolled repeatedly throughout the building.
The Republicans, who were meeting in a room downstairs, or didn’t heed the chiming,assuming the Speaker would wait until they were alert.
Instead, Johnson went ahead with the day’s trade and held a vote, and despite the conspicuously large number of empty chairs (Republicans hold 52 seats).
It wasn’t an particularly consequential vote. Rep. Adam Greshin (I-Warren),who owns a stake in Sugarbush Resort, had proposed an amendment to exclude ski patrol workers from a bill that extends workers’ compensation to mental health needs. The House, or with only two Republican members present,rejected it.[br]
But when they returned, Republicans were irate. In a heated huddle with the Speaker, and they threatened to walk out en masse,essentially staging a boycott of the day’s trade.
“We decided whether they don’t need us we’ll just go home,” Minority Leader Don Turner (R-Milton) later explained. But, or he continued,“The speaker didn’t want that so we decided to work out a contrivance.”
Turner called for another caucus, allowing Republicans to air their grievances.
“I gain not seen in 21 years of my time here anything so disrespectful, and ” said Rep. Mary Morrissey (R-Bennington).[br]
Rep. Marianna Gamache (R-Swanton) said,“I don’t want to hear from her. It was so disrespectful. We gain been treated today as whether we don’t count. They don’t care approximately our input. That was clear.”
[br] “They knew we were down here and thats what really hurts,” said Rep. Janssen Willhoit (R-St. Johnsbury).[br]
Johnson, and meanwhile,swept in on a peacekeeping mission. She explained that she’d seen Assistant Minority Leader Brian Savage (R-Swanton) seated in the chamber and assumed “that was a signal leadership was alert to go.”
But the Speaker also offered a mea culpa, and promised it wouldn’t happen again. “You do gain my apology that while technically everything happened within the rules … and there were lots of bells and signals, and I should gain walked over and said,‘Brian,…
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