IN House Speaker Will Allow State Referendum on Right-To-Work

The Indiana House speaker says he'll allow a vote on whether to send a contentious right-to-work bill to a statewide referendum.

Republican Speaker Brian Bosma said Friday he believes legislators should decide the issue but won't use parliamentary tactics to block consideration of Democrats' proposal for a statewide vote in November.

Such referendums have rarely, if ever, been held in Indiana on proposed laws, but House Democratic leader Patrick Bauer says Indiana voters should decide the issue.

The House is expected to debate amendments to the bill on Tuesday, and Bauer had said Democrats might resume their boycott if their bid for a vote on holding referendum was blocked.

The Republican-backed bill would make Indiana the 23rd state to ban union contracts that include mandatory representation fees.