The House on Tuesday passed new rules that will impose hefty fines on lawmakers who refuse to abide by the security screenings now required to enter the chamber following the Jan. 6 uprising.
Fines of $ 5,000 for the first violation and $ 10,000 for the second violation are now in effect.
The metal detectors outside the room of the House were installed by a violent mob just days after the January 6 attack on the Capitol President Trump
Donald Trump Graham shoots down petition for Merrick Garland confirmation hearing Feb. 8 Trump attorney to file First Amendment case during impeachment trial Biden faces crossroads over virus lighting MOREsupporters who tried to dissuade Congress from certifying President Biden’s election victory.
But several House Republicans defiantly pushed past Capitol Police officers and sergeant-at-arms personnel into the House room without going through the metal detectors.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi
Nancy PelosiBiden, GOP Senators Approve More COVID-19 Talks After ‘Outstanding’ First Meeting McConnell Says Taylor Greene’s Embrace of Conspiracy Theories Is a ‘Cancer’ For GOP, Land On The Money: Schumer Vows Senate Will ‘Bold’ Coronavirus Bill accept, decline GOP offer | GOP senators, Biden sends positive vibes after a long WH meeting with MORE (D-Calif.) Then announced fines would be imposed on lawmakers – which would be deducted from their salaries – to enforce compliance.
“It is incomprehensible why a member would refuse to adhere to these simple, common sense steps to keep this body safe. It is sad that we have been forced to go ahead with a rule change that will impose fines on those who refuse to abide by these protections, but the People’s House must and will be safe so we can take our responsibility to help the people do, ” Pelosi said in a statement Tuesday.
The fines were tucked away in a measure passed along party lines that sets the floor discussion parameters for a budget resolution expected to pave the way for Democrats to adopt a coronavirus aid package without support from Republicans.
Under the new rules, any notification from the sergeant-at-arms of a fine against a legislator will be made public by the House Ethics Committee.
Members have the right to appeal fines within 30 calendar days or, later, within five legislative days. The House Ethics Committee then has the same time limit to consider the appeal.
Lawmakers will not be able to use campaign funds or budget funds from the convention bureau to pay the fines.
The metal detectors were installed after multiple GOP lawmakers, most notably Representatives Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) And Madison Cawthorn (RN.C.), both invoked inflammatory rhetoric prior to January 6 to promote and promote Trump’s false claims about election fraud. to discuss openly with guns on Capitol Hill.
And last week, CNN found out that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) Seemed to endorse the execution of prominent Democratic politicians, including Pelosi.
“We have people in this room who have posted disturbing rhetoric against members of this body. These words and actions raise serious security concerns,” said Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), Chairman of the House Rules Committee.
Democrats’ fears of GOP lawmakers carrying weapons were confirmed last month when Rep. Andy Harris
Andrew (Andy) Peter Harris Democrats are trying to make guns in the Capitol illegal – for everyone Rep. Bush says she is leaving Greene’s office for safety. (R-Md.) Almost entered the room of the House with a hidden gun caught only by a metal detector.
Harris’s office at the time said he and his family had recently faced security threats and indicated that the Maryland Republican is carrying a weapon for self-defense.
But the Harris incident further exacerbated tensions and even prompted some Democrats to openly express concerns about the potential of violence on the floor.
Members of Congress have long been partially exempt from the rules in force that prohibit people from carrying weapons anywhere in the Capitol complex. Lawmakers can store weapons in their offices or transport them – unloaded and securely packed – elsewhere on the Capitol grounds.
But they are prohibited from carrying weapons in the chambers of the House and Senate or adjacent areas.
Lawmakers are also given the privilege of bypassing security, aside from the metal detectors that are now outside the House room. All staff and visitors must pass through metal detectors to enter the Capitol complex.
Two House Democrats – California Reps. Jared Huffman
Jared William Huffman Democrats Trying To Make Weapons Illegal In The Capitol – For All House Democrats Try To Block West Coast, Arctic Offshore Drilling Tensions Rise After Gun Incident At House Floor MORE and Jackie Speier
Karen (Jackie) Lorraine Jacqueline Speier Overnight: Biden warns of sanctions after coup in Myanmar | Biden asks Supreme Court to cancel border wall arguments | Dem Calls for Social Media Screening of Troops Speier Calls for Social Media Accounts to Be Screened of Service Members Democrats Trying to Make Weapons Illegal in the Capitol – For Everyone MORE – Reintroduced legislation last week that would end the legislature’s exemption for weapons.
The new fines for non-compliance with the metal detectors are not the only penal measure that House Democrats have taken in recent weeks to enforce compliance with rules designed to ensure security.
The House last month imposed fines on lawmakers who fail to abide by rules in effect since July and demand masks in the room during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lawmakers who don’t wear masks will be fined $ 500 for the first violation and $ 2,500 for the second.
Democrats began imposing the fines after several House Republicans failed to wear masks in the secure room allocated to lawmakers during the Jan. 6 attack. At least three House Democrats later tested positive for COVID-19 after salvaging in place in the room.
Fines for enforcing house rules are not unprecedented. In 2017, House Republicans issued fines to punish lawmakers who broke rules banning photography on the floor in the wake of the Democrats’ sit-in to push for gun control laws.