URBANA, Ill. — For the first time in a week there seemed to be some movement in a legislative interstate impasse Republican House Speaker Brian Bosma called the “Great Skedaddle” Monday, but it’s not over yet.
Indiana House Democrat Leader B. Patrick Bauer told reporters from a Comfort Suites in Urbana, Ill., he’s willing to return to the Statehouse in Indianapolis to negotiate with Bosma. He said it’s Bosma who isn’t willing to talk.
“I’m willing to negotiate anytime, anywhere,” Bauer said.
But Bosma spokeswoman Tory Flynn went so far as to offer a time and place for the meeting. She said Bosma would meet with Bauer at 10:30 a.m. — Indianapolis time — Tuesday at the Capitol if the Democrat is willing. Flynn said actual negotiations should happen openly on the House floor, though.
“The speaker is unwilling to make a back-room deal,” Flynn said.
Bauer’s return wouldn’t necessarily mean the House would have the two-thirds quorum it needs to do business. And their gestures came after the Indiana Republican Party ridiculed the Democrats in radio ads over the weekend. Rep. Charlie Brown, a Gary Democrat, also called Bosma a “wind bag” while talking to reporters in the lobby of the Comfort Suites on Monday.
“It may take a little more time,” Bauer said of a resolution.
Bauer praised Bosma for inviting union members onto the House floor for a discussion, though, which could be indicative of the kind of rhetoric shift Democrats say they’re seeking from the GOP.
“It’s the first time that he has engaged in dialogue with the people that fear for their jobs,” Bauer said.
The state House of Representatives hasn’t done any work since it recessed Feb. 21. Democrats slipped into caucus that night and into Illinois on Tuesday. They’ve been staying at the Comfort Suites ever since, effectively shutting down the chamber.
Families visited the hotel over the weekend, and the Democrats said some members held a prayer service there. Rep. Vernon Smith, D-Gary, said he told the Bible story of Nehemiah.
“We can’t stop,” Smith said. “We’re doing a great work.”
Senate President David Long, R-Fort Wayne, tried to quell the crisis last week by saying he’d send a so-called right-to-work bill to a summer study committee. But Democrats say they’re upset about other bills, too.
Several local lawmakers have said they’re worried about House Bill 1479, which would turn a poorly performing public school into a Turnaround Academy. A report from Indiana’s legislative services agency says the bill would also allow a special management team to lease a school building for $1 a year.
The Democrats continue to hear from supporters during their stay. Willie Wallace, the Gary-based president of AFSCME Council 62, visited the Democrats’ hotel Monday. He said members of his union would be visiting on a regular basis as long as the stand-off lasts.
“We want them to know they’re doing the right thing,” Wallace said.
However, Flynn said the Democrats’ walk-out has already cost Indiana taxpayers $100,000. House Democrats have said they won’t accept their daily $155 per diem while they’re in Illinois, but Flynn said those payments are made automatically.
“They’re going to have to write a check,” Flynn said.