GOP Wants To Punish Filming, Photography On The House Floor

[portlander23]

GOP Wants To Punish Filming, Photography On The House Floor
Ryan Grenoble
Huffington Post

On Monday, leadership in the GOP-controlled House proposed a rule that would punish representatives who film, take photos, record or broadcast anything from the House floor. Bloomberg, which first reported the rule change, says first-time offenders would face a $500 fine; repeat offenders would see $2,500 docked from their paychecks.

The rule is a clear response to Democratic lawmakers who, in a protest this June after the deadliest shooting in U.S. history, staged a sit-in on the House floor in an attempt to compel Republican leadership to vote on gun control legislation.

Republicans responded instead by gaveling the House into recess, thereby cutting off C-SPAN cameras that broadcast the protest. In the absence of cameras, Democrats began tweeting photos and live-streaming the event on their phones, which C-SPAN broadcast instead.

“These changes will help ensure that order and decorum are preserved in the House of Representatives so lawmakers can do the people’s work,” said AshLee Strong, a spokeswoman for House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), in a statement Monday.

"order and decorum"


Experts: Ryan’s livestream crackdown may be unconstitutional
Rachael Bade
Politico

But experts say Ryan’s proposal may run afoul of Article 1 of the Constitution, which says “each House may … punish its Members for disorderly behavior.” For more than 200 years that has been interpreted to mean any contested sanctions against lawmakers must be approved by the full House with a floor vote, attorneys steeped in congressional legal matters say.

“The Constitution gives the House the authority to discipline members; I have never heard of anything where an officer of the House was given that authority,” said Mike Stern, a former lawyer for the nonpartisan House counsel’s office and the Senate Homeland Security Committee’s GOP staff.

Stern, who called the proposed rule a “plausible Constitutional issue to raise,” said Democrats could take the matter to court. “Their strongest argument would be: The House doesn’t have the authority to give these officers the power to punish us; only the power of the House can do that, and Republicans have short-circuited our rights by the way they’ve done it.’”

[lillypaddle]

1. Fuckers.

that's all.

[underpants]

2. The sit-in, that was barely covered and never mentioned again

God forbid people see what's going on

[MADem]

3. I'd donate to any fine fund while this wends its way through the courts. nt

[jberryhill]

4. But I'm fully paid-up for my porno shoot location

That's breach of contract!

[Johnny2X2X]

5. Of course they don't want you to see

This is not your government people, this is a government by and for the rich, you aren't welcome to see.