Instead, speakers engaged in a floor debate must gaze at the Senate president, currently Sandy Tappas, who’s certain to be the most popular girl in class.
That’s right. Lawmakers, presumably elected to office by constituents, voted to reaffirm a rule that demands “Eyes up front.”
— Mike Freiberg (@RepFreiberg) April 14, 2015
That means the rule was already on the books. But unlike one of those outdated laws that survived for years by going unnoticed, this rule will live on precisely because legislators have knowingly endorsed it.
In fact, Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk believes that without it, "our decorum would probably not be as Senate-like as we would like to have it.”
Staring contests in the middle of a floor debate, maybe?
And at a 44-15 margin that included bipartisan support, it wasn’t even close.
— R. Stassen-Berger (@RachelSB) April 13, 2015
"I find this particular rule of the Senate, dare I say, antiquated," said Senator Warren Limmer, one of the 15 members who has a functioning human brain.
Lawmakers also upheld a ban on food and drinks on the Senate floor. Drinks of any kind could damage the Senate's historic desks, Bakk said.
Well maybe we should permit pregnant and nursing mothers to at least have water, Senator Torrey Westrom suggested.
Nope, not even them, said the Senate on a 10-51 vote.
— R. Stassen-Berger (@RachelSB) April 13, 2015
Members of the Minnesota House, where food and drink is permitted, took to Twitter to mock their Senate counterparts – probably while eating sandwiches on the House floor.
— Tim Sanders (@timsandersmn) April 13, 2015
