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Guest
Lawmakers told to sit, turn off Internet, forsake potty breaks
Posted on Fri, Apr. 18, 2008
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BY MARC CAPUTO AND GARY FINEOUT
PHIL COALE / AP
Rep. Joe Pickens, left, talks to Rep. Ray Sansom and House Speaker Marco
Rubio during a House session Thursday in Tallahassee.
TALLAHASSEE -- Partisan rancor erupted on the state House floor Friday
morning as Democrats and Republicans feuded over procedural moves that led
House Speaker Marco Rubio to angrily gavel the chamber quiet, order House
guards to shut off Internet access and require members to quietly stay in
their seats.
Rubio's maneuver followed Democratic leader Dan Gelber's successful stalling
tactic to have every word of every bill read in full on the House floor --
starting with an 86-page condominium association bill that required six
different bill readers to switch off reading from 11:28 a.m. to 1:32 p.m.
Normally, just the title of the bill is read before members debate and vote
on the measure.
But Democrats decided on the rare maneuver when Rubio's Republican whip,
Fort Lauderdale Rep. Ellyn Bogdanoff, pulled a procedural move of her own to
curtail debate and discussion on a Rubio priority concerning school
curricula.
Three-and-a-half hours later, Republicans retaliated by removing Democratic
bills off the agenda concerning nurses, AIDS testing and a license plate for
the historically black Bethune Cookman University. Some Republicans had
their bills postponed, and then Republicans changed the agenda to throw off
all Democratic bills.
''We're going to be here a long time,'' Rubio said at first, noting that
members could miss their planes for home, especially Jewish members who want
to get home before Passover.
Later, Rubio said that Jewish members could go home for the holiday, but
Gelber seemed to object, saying that the House would be conducting business
that conflicts with the religious duties of believers. Rubio suggested that
Gelber was to blame for that.
The first bill to be read in full was Miami Republican Rep. Julio Robaina's
86-page condominium bill.
''I hope you guys like condominium law,'' Rubio, a West Miami Republican,
said.
Gelber, a Miami Beach Democrat, then told members: ''Nobody drink water,''
so they wouldn't have to go to the bathroom.
When the talking on the floor got so loud it began to drown out the reader,
an angry Rubio gaveled the House into a semblance of silence. He said if
members didn't keep quiet, he would order the Sergeant-at-Arms to ensure
``all the members are in the chamber and in their seats throughout the
entire reading.''
About 20 minutes later, Rubio then gaveled the House quiet again, ordered
everyone to take their seats and said he ordered the sergeant to shut off
Internet access. The members then began using their BlackBerries as the
sergeants tried to figure out how to shut down the Web without disabling the
entire House system.
Bam! Bam! Rubio brought the gavel down again.
''The clerk will stop reading until Rep. [Frankin] Sands takes his seat,''
Rubio said.
Sands, the incoming Democratic leader from Weston, promptly sat. The droning
reading continued. And Sands soon missed his 2 p.m. flight home.
Members then began shuffling around in their wheeled chairs so as not to be
caught standing. Republican Rep. Marty Bowen, a Haines City Republican,
moved around in a stoop so as not to look as if she were standing.
An hour later, about 12:45 p.m., the House technical staff figured out how
to shut down the members' BlackBerries and Internet access. Some members
then started using their personal BlackBerries. Rubio later had the Internet
turned back on so members could read the bills online.
Rubio has made the passage of a bill to revise the state's public school
curriculum not just a top priority, but the first idea of his 100 Innovative
Ideas for Florida's Future initiative. Rubio says Florida desperately needs
to change what it teaches children in order to get them better prepared to
compete for jobs against kids from other countries.
But Democrats wanted to amend the legislation to include a revamp of the
FCAT that is being pushed by Sen. Don Gaetz, a Niceville Republican and
chairman of the Senate Pre K-12 Education Committee.
Under the measure, high schools would no longer be graded solely on FCAT
scores, but the state would also evaluate high schools based on graduation
rates and how many students take college prep courses and how those students
score on college-entrance exams.
Though Democrats wanted to debate the schools measure, they ultimately voted
for it. In a letter to the press, Bogdanoff and Republican leader Adam
Hasner of Delray Beach said Gelber and Democrats wanted to stall while
Republicans wanted to speed things up due to the Jewish holiday and the
wishes of the ``Black Caucus to attend their legislative gala this
evening.''
The letter accused unnamed Democrats of putting ``their personal political
goals ahead of the House.''
But Democrats say that describes Rubio.
On Wednesday, Rubio dispatched the sergeant's office to fetch Democratic
Miami Rep. Luis Garcia to force him to vote on a resolution concerning trade
with Colombia ---- a highly unusual strong-arm tactic. Then, Thursday,
Gelber complained that Rubio's House was becoming needlessly partisan when
Republicans portrayed Democrats as lovers of big government for not backing
a Republican health-insurance bill.
The catch: The Democrats were backing Republican Gov. Charlie Crist's
legislation that unanimously had passed the Senate earlier in the week.
Democrats said they had drafted amendments for the House bill, only to find
out at the last moment that the amendments couldn't be heard because
Republicans would take up the Senate version.
''Only in this chamber can we make a nonpartisan issue partisan,'' said
Gelber, who later issued an email imploring Democrats to hang tough.
Democratic Rep. Joe Gibbons of Pembroke Park said he was ready. ''I'm from
Harlem. We don't get punked,'' he said.
Back in 2001 House Democrats forced the reading of a 70-page election reform
bill. It was believed to have been the first time that lawmakers had forced
the reading of an entire bill since 1967. Seven years ago, then-House
Speaker Tom Feeney, infuriated by the Democrats' move, locked the doors of
the House chambers so no one could leave.
Two years ago, Senate Democrats also resorted to the stalling tactic for
nearly an hour after then-Senate President Tom Lee used a procedural move to
resurrect a proposed constitutional amendment concerning vouchers, which
allow public money to be spent on private schools.
Under the state Constitution, a bill must be read in its entirety if
one-third of the members request it. Democrats hold 43 seats in the
120-member House.
Rubio's top lieutenant, Miami Rep. David Rivera, called the Miami Herald
from the floor and whispered into the phone that ''this will end when the
Democrats get down to the people's business and stop the gridlock... and
obstructionism.'' Rivera later had the Democratic bills removed from the
agenda and then convened a special meeting of the rules committee to strip
the rest of the bills from the floor.
Asked why, Rivera said: ``Time management.''
By the time one of the readers had finished, Rubio permitted the House
members to stand and applaud. Then it was back to their seats for more
listening to monotone-read bills filled with language about easements,
subparagraphs and assessments.
Miami Republican Rep. Carlos Lopez-Cantera sent out this BlackBerry message:
``Riveting!!!''
When the noise rose again, Rubio again brought the gavel down.
''We will preserve decorum in this chamber. And I understand it's a little
bit testy and so forth,'' Rubio said. ``But we will preserve decorum and we
will use all the methods available of the Florida House to ensure that.''
But he didn't use starvation. Rubio later let the members go and eat in a
back room, allowing the members to mill about quietly on the floor for a
short time.
Posted on Fri, Apr. 18, 2008
l
BY MARC CAPUTO AND GARY FINEOUT
PHIL COALE / AP
Rep. Joe Pickens, left, talks to Rep. Ray Sansom and House Speaker Marco
Rubio during a House session Thursday in Tallahassee.
TALLAHASSEE -- Partisan rancor erupted on the state House floor Friday
morning as Democrats and Republicans feuded over procedural moves that led
House Speaker Marco Rubio to angrily gavel the chamber quiet, order House
guards to shut off Internet access and require members to quietly stay in
their seats.
Rubio's maneuver followed Democratic leader Dan Gelber's successful stalling
tactic to have every word of every bill read in full on the House floor --
starting with an 86-page condominium association bill that required six
different bill readers to switch off reading from 11:28 a.m. to 1:32 p.m.
Normally, just the title of the bill is read before members debate and vote
on the measure.
But Democrats decided on the rare maneuver when Rubio's Republican whip,
Fort Lauderdale Rep. Ellyn Bogdanoff, pulled a procedural move of her own to
curtail debate and discussion on a Rubio priority concerning school
curricula.
Three-and-a-half hours later, Republicans retaliated by removing Democratic
bills off the agenda concerning nurses, AIDS testing and a license plate for
the historically black Bethune Cookman University. Some Republicans had
their bills postponed, and then Republicans changed the agenda to throw off
all Democratic bills.
''We're going to be here a long time,'' Rubio said at first, noting that
members could miss their planes for home, especially Jewish members who want
to get home before Passover.
Later, Rubio said that Jewish members could go home for the holiday, but
Gelber seemed to object, saying that the House would be conducting business
that conflicts with the religious duties of believers. Rubio suggested that
Gelber was to blame for that.
The first bill to be read in full was Miami Republican Rep. Julio Robaina's
86-page condominium bill.
''I hope you guys like condominium law,'' Rubio, a West Miami Republican,
said.
Gelber, a Miami Beach Democrat, then told members: ''Nobody drink water,''
so they wouldn't have to go to the bathroom.
When the talking on the floor got so loud it began to drown out the reader,
an angry Rubio gaveled the House into a semblance of silence. He said if
members didn't keep quiet, he would order the Sergeant-at-Arms to ensure
``all the members are in the chamber and in their seats throughout the
entire reading.''
About 20 minutes later, Rubio then gaveled the House quiet again, ordered
everyone to take their seats and said he ordered the sergeant to shut off
Internet access. The members then began using their BlackBerries as the
sergeants tried to figure out how to shut down the Web without disabling the
entire House system.
Bam! Bam! Rubio brought the gavel down again.
''The clerk will stop reading until Rep. [Frankin] Sands takes his seat,''
Rubio said.
Sands, the incoming Democratic leader from Weston, promptly sat. The droning
reading continued. And Sands soon missed his 2 p.m. flight home.
Members then began shuffling around in their wheeled chairs so as not to be
caught standing. Republican Rep. Marty Bowen, a Haines City Republican,
moved around in a stoop so as not to look as if she were standing.
An hour later, about 12:45 p.m., the House technical staff figured out how
to shut down the members' BlackBerries and Internet access. Some members
then started using their personal BlackBerries. Rubio later had the Internet
turned back on so members could read the bills online.
Rubio has made the passage of a bill to revise the state's public school
curriculum not just a top priority, but the first idea of his 100 Innovative
Ideas for Florida's Future initiative. Rubio says Florida desperately needs
to change what it teaches children in order to get them better prepared to
compete for jobs against kids from other countries.
But Democrats wanted to amend the legislation to include a revamp of the
FCAT that is being pushed by Sen. Don Gaetz, a Niceville Republican and
chairman of the Senate Pre K-12 Education Committee.
Under the measure, high schools would no longer be graded solely on FCAT
scores, but the state would also evaluate high schools based on graduation
rates and how many students take college prep courses and how those students
score on college-entrance exams.
Though Democrats wanted to debate the schools measure, they ultimately voted
for it. In a letter to the press, Bogdanoff and Republican leader Adam
Hasner of Delray Beach said Gelber and Democrats wanted to stall while
Republicans wanted to speed things up due to the Jewish holiday and the
wishes of the ``Black Caucus to attend their legislative gala this
evening.''
The letter accused unnamed Democrats of putting ``their personal political
goals ahead of the House.''
But Democrats say that describes Rubio.
On Wednesday, Rubio dispatched the sergeant's office to fetch Democratic
Miami Rep. Luis Garcia to force him to vote on a resolution concerning trade
with Colombia ---- a highly unusual strong-arm tactic. Then, Thursday,
Gelber complained that Rubio's House was becoming needlessly partisan when
Republicans portrayed Democrats as lovers of big government for not backing
a Republican health-insurance bill.
The catch: The Democrats were backing Republican Gov. Charlie Crist's
legislation that unanimously had passed the Senate earlier in the week.
Democrats said they had drafted amendments for the House bill, only to find
out at the last moment that the amendments couldn't be heard because
Republicans would take up the Senate version.
''Only in this chamber can we make a nonpartisan issue partisan,'' said
Gelber, who later issued an email imploring Democrats to hang tough.
Democratic Rep. Joe Gibbons of Pembroke Park said he was ready. ''I'm from
Harlem. We don't get punked,'' he said.
Back in 2001 House Democrats forced the reading of a 70-page election reform
bill. It was believed to have been the first time that lawmakers had forced
the reading of an entire bill since 1967. Seven years ago, then-House
Speaker Tom Feeney, infuriated by the Democrats' move, locked the doors of
the House chambers so no one could leave.
Two years ago, Senate Democrats also resorted to the stalling tactic for
nearly an hour after then-Senate President Tom Lee used a procedural move to
resurrect a proposed constitutional amendment concerning vouchers, which
allow public money to be spent on private schools.
Under the state Constitution, a bill must be read in its entirety if
one-third of the members request it. Democrats hold 43 seats in the
120-member House.
Rubio's top lieutenant, Miami Rep. David Rivera, called the Miami Herald
from the floor and whispered into the phone that ''this will end when the
Democrats get down to the people's business and stop the gridlock... and
obstructionism.'' Rivera later had the Democratic bills removed from the
agenda and then convened a special meeting of the rules committee to strip
the rest of the bills from the floor.
Asked why, Rivera said: ``Time management.''
By the time one of the readers had finished, Rubio permitted the House
members to stand and applaud. Then it was back to their seats for more
listening to monotone-read bills filled with language about easements,
subparagraphs and assessments.
Miami Republican Rep. Carlos Lopez-Cantera sent out this BlackBerry message:
``Riveting!!!''
When the noise rose again, Rubio again brought the gavel down.
''We will preserve decorum in this chamber. And I understand it's a little
bit testy and so forth,'' Rubio said. ``But we will preserve decorum and we
will use all the methods available of the Florida House to ensure that.''
But he didn't use starvation. Rubio later let the members go and eat in a
back room, allowing the members to mill about quietly on the floor for a
short time.
