Ryan proposes punishing grandstanding House members
...and another 'king' in the House. I guess freedom of speech is passe' now.
Ryan proposes punishing grandstanding House members
Billy House, Bloomberg 6:59 p.m. EST December 24, 2016
U.S. Speaker Paul Ryan and his Republican lieutenants want to hit fellow lawmakers with fines and potential ethics violations if they engage in live-streaming or other disruptions on the House floor.
The move is a belated response to this summer’s 25-hour sit-in by Democrats protesting Republican inaction on gun-control legislation.
Under the proposed new rules package, which was seen by Bloomberg, members could face a $500 fine through deductions to their paychecks for a first offense of using electronic photography or audio or visual recording, as well as for broadcasting from the chamber’s floor.A $2,500 fine would be leveled for the next such offense and each subsequent violation.
The new rules also clarify which conduct is to be deemed disorderly or disruptive during floor proceedings, including blocking access by other members to microphones or what is known as “the well” — the front of the chamber.
Such action could lead to potential referral to the Committee on Ethics and sanctions against members, according to an accompanying section-by-section analysis of the new rules package.
“These changes will help ensure that order and decorum are preserved in the House of Representatives so lawmakers can do the people’s work,” AshLee Strong, a spokesman for Ryan, said in an e-mailed statement.
more...
http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2016/12/24/ryan-proposes-punishing-grandstanding-house-members/95834096/
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