Ind. House Democrats Make Urbana Their Home in Exile

The Democratic caucus of the Indiana House is holding court one state over.

Thirty-five state representatives left Indianapolis Tuesday. They're staying at a hotel in Urbana as they try to hold up bills they say would negatively impact organized labor and education.

Representative Craig Fry said they had few other options to block bills, including one that would prohibit union memberships or dues as a requirement for employment.

"It's been pretty obvious for about a week that we would have to do something pretty dramatic to make Republicans take notice," Fry said inside a conference room where the fugitive Democrats are holding caucus meetings. "Constitutionally this is all we can do, to deny quorum."

But Representative Charlie Brown said Democrats' anger goes beyond the so-called right-to-work bill. He said their walkout is also stalling bills to allow private-school vouchers and curtail collective bargaining rights for public-school teachers.

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels has said he won't order state police to round up House Democrats, and he had asked Republican House leaders not to bring up the right-to-work legislation. He also told reporters yesterday in Indianapolis that he respected the Democrats' decision as part of the political process, though he wants them to return immediately to vote on the legislation, but Brown is skeptical.

"It's sometimes difficult to understand and appreciate whether the governor is playing good cop or bad cop," Brown said. "It would appear as though he's sincere, but then who knows for sure. I will leave that interpretation and judgment up to greater minds than mine, as to whether we should take him at his word."

Neither Brown nor Fry will say how long they expect to stay in Urbana. Brown said in a couple of days they may have less-weighty issues to deal with, like clean clothes. He is also not sure whether the delegation would have to leave the hotel if rooms are reserved for a future event in town, such as an Illini basketball game.

(Photo by Tom Rogers/WILL)