Wisconsin Senate authorizes arrests of absent Democrats
Republicans declare the missing legislators ‘in contempt’ of Senate rules.
Wisconsin Senate Republicans on Thursday ratcheted up the pressure on Democrats who fled the state to avoid a vote to strip most public workers of collective bargaining rights, declaring the Democrats “in contempt” of Senate rules and authorizing their arrests to force them back to the chamber.
Republicans have fumed that Democrats have essentially shut down state government since they left for Illinois two weeks ago to deprive the chamber of the quorum it needs to vote on Republican Gov. Scott Walker’s proposal. Two Democrats returned to Wisconsin this week for negotiations with the Senate’s top Republican, but that appeared to go nowhere