Ind. speaker set to fines Dems over boycott

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana’s Republican House Speaker Brian Bosma is ready to begin fining Democrats $1,000 per day for their boycott over right-to-work legislation.

Bosma said he planned to begin work at 9 a.m. Wednesday, and any absent Democrat will face fines.

Lawmakers had planned to vote on a statewide referendum on right-to-work along with 43 other amendments to the contentious labor bill Tuesday. But House Democrats resumed their walkout on the measure Tuesday after questions arose about the constitutionality of a referendum.

Democratic House Minority Leader Patrick Bauer says Democrats will stay out as long as it takes lawyers to review the proposed referendum.

The measure would make Indiana the first state in more than a decade to ban unions from collecting mandatory representation fees from workers.