WASHINGTON – The House passed a rule Tuesday night imposing fines on lawmakers who are challenging new security measures, requiring them to go through security checks, including metal detectors, to enter the floor of the house.
Under the measure, lawmakers who refuse to comply would face a $ 5,000 fine for the first offense and $ 10,000 for a second offense.
The new rule comes in the wake of the January 6 attack on the Capitol.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, said in a statement Tuesday that a number of Republicans in the House have begun to respect our heroes by refusing to take basic precautions to keep members of our congressional community safe – including by evading metal detectors to physically push past police, and even to bring firearms into the room. ”
“It is beyond comprehension why any member would refuse to follow these simple, sensible steps to keep this body safe,” Pelosi said.
Under the rule, members could appeal a fine to the House Ethics Committee. If a member does not pay the fine after a period of 90 days, the amount of his or her paycheck will be deducted. Legislators cannot use campaign funds or official funds to pay the fines.
Since the metal detectors were installed outside the floor of the house, a number of Republicans have been protesting and bypassing them, and some have argued that the shows violate their constitutional rights.
Newcomer President Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., Said on Twitter last month: “I may legally carry my firearm in Washington, DC and inside the Capitol complex. Metal detectors outside the home would not have stopped the violence we saw “Last week – this is just another political stunt by Speaker Pelosi.”
U.S. Capitol police also launched an investigation last month into a report that rep. Andy Harris, RD, tries to take a gun on the house floor.
Harris’s office responded in a statement to questions about the investigation, saying: “the congressman always complies with the metal-metal detectors and the roaming of the House” and that he “has never carried a firearm on the floor of the house” .
