Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
Democrats and Republicans in the Indiana House are pledging to work together after getting off to a rocky start with partisan bickering and procedural challenges.
House Speaker Brian Bosma said Thursday that Republicans who control the House will continue to reach out to minority Democrats despite Democrats' efforts the day before to derail legislation favored by many Republicans.
A skirmish began on Wednesday, minutes after lawmakers said the Pledge of Allegiance, when Democrats asked wanted the chance to immediately reject legislation that would prevent workers from being required to pay union dues. Bosma ruled against Democrats.
The right-to-work issue is so potentially divisive that Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels has said he would prefer to avoid it to focus on other issues.
On Thursday, Minority Leader Patrick Bauer of South Bend says Democrats want to work with Republicans on important issues. He says, "Today is a new day."
Bauer also had a suggestion for Bosma. He said with a smile that Republicans who control redistricting this year should keep political district maps similar to ones drawn by Democrats if they really wanted to show cooperation. He says such maps would be "proof positive we have bipartisanship."
Please enable JavaScript to view this content.