(The Center Square) – During a late night run of bills Friday evening, Illinois House Republicans used a parliamentary procedure to expose staff voting the switches of absent Democratic legislators before session was abruptly ended.
All week last week, the House passed more than 400 bills. Friday was the deadline for House bills to pass.
Some Republicans in the super minority characterized the week’s action as being a “woke Dumpster fire.”
Late Friday, after a bill about generic drug regulation came up, Republicans used a parliamentary move to show that there weren’t enough Democrats in the chamber to advance the bill.
State Rep. Jed Davis, R-Newark, said his side saw “shenanigans” with Democratic staffers voting switches for absent lawmakers.
“The rep. needs to be voting, you can’t have staff scurry around for bill after bill,” Davis said on a social media post. “One thing to go get a piece of pizza. It’s another thing to be gone for bill after bill after bill and watch staff kind of scurry around and vote switches.”
Republicans then demanded a verification where floor leader Patrick Windhorst, R-Harrisburg, discovered there weren’t enough Democrats in the chamber to pass one-sided legislation.
After four Democratic votes in the affirmative were removed from a bill because the lawmakers were not in their seats for a vote verification, Republicans removed their verification request.
“Would you like to continue the verification,” asked state Rep. Marcus Evans, D-Chicago, acting as the speaker for Friday evening’s proceedings.
“We have insufficient votes, so,” Windhorst said.
Before debate could be started for the following bill Friday night, Republicans announced a caucus and marched off the floor. The Democrats then ended session. Lawmakers from both chambers return Tuesday.
Davis said what Democrats are doing is beneath the electorate.
“They’re trying to shovel this garbage through when they don’t even have the votes there and they’re trying to do it in such a manner that is manipulative at best and it is absolutely unacceptable,” Davis said.
