WASHINGTON – The House passed a rule on Tuesday night to impose fines on lawmakers who ignore new security measures requiring them to go through security checks, including metal detectors, to enter the home floor.
Under the measure, lawmakers who refuse to comply will be fined $ 5,000 for the first violation and $ 10,000 for a second violation.
The new rule comes in the aftermath of the January 6 attack on the Capitol.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Said on Tuesday in a statement days after the attack, “Many House Republicans started disrespecting our heroes by refusing to adhere to basic precautions to keep members of our congressional community safe – also by dodging metal detectors, physically pushing past the police and even trying to bring firearms into the room. “
“It is incomprehensible why a member would refuse to follow these simple, common-sense steps to protect this body,” Pelosi said.
As a rule, members could appeal a fine to the House Ethics Committee. If a member does not pay the fine after a period of 90 days, the amount will be deducted from his or her pay slip. Lawmakers cannot use campaign or official funds to pay the fines.
Since the metal detectors were installed outside the House floor, a number of Republicans have protested and circumvented them, with some claiming the displays violate their constitutional rights.
Freshman Representative Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., Said on Twitter last month, “I am legally allowed to carry my firearm in Washington, DC and within the Capitol complex. Metal detectors outside the House would not prevent the violence we saw last week – it’s just another political stunt by Speaker Pelosi. ”
US Capitol Police also launched an investigation last month into a report that Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., Tried to bring a gun to the floor of the house.
Harris’s office responded to questions about the investigation in a statement saying that “the congressman always sticks to the house’s metal detectors and wanders around” and that he “never carried a firearm on the floor of the house.”
