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Bill Friend Indiana House Rep. Bill Friend 8/27/2007|123443

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Update: 4 p.m. Tuesday

State Rep. Craig Fry, D-Mishawaka, said the party was still in caucus this afternoon and that he couldn’t talk when reached by phone this afternoon. “We’re still in caucus and we haven’t talked about the message we’re going to deliver,” Fry said.

Fry is Elkhart County's lone Democrat in the Statehouse contingent.

Original story:

Democrats picked the "nuclear option" to kill right-to-work legislation they find detrimental to labor unions, according to State Rep. Bill Friend, R-Macy.

Friend, House Republican floor leader and a member of Elkhart County's legislative delegation, said this afternoon that both parties have used the tactic of withholding a quorum when they were in the minority, but in this case, Democrats could kill 22 committee reports if they don't return to session by the close of business today.

Today is the deadline for committee reports to be handed down, or else those bills die on the calendar, Friend explained. "It's distressing that they are using this tactic, but it is a tactic that the minority part has and it is one they are putting to use," he said.

Friend said three Democrats remain on the floor of the House -- Terri Austin, Steve Stemler and Vanessa Summers. The House needs 67 members for a quorum. All Republicans were present at the last call at noon and there were still only 60 members.

"The Democrats maintain that they are in Caucus and that they are studying and discussing the many amendments that are filed on bills that remain on the calendar," Friend said. "But it is very telling that this is a deadline day."

The controversial right-to-work bill is one of the 22 bills with committee reports pending. "There are some strategically important issues in these committee reports, not the least of which is the right-to-work bill that was passed out of committee yesterday," Friend said.

The work must be completed by midnight.

The Democrats could return Wednesday and the House could complete all other bills eligible for second and third reading between then and Friday, Friend said.

Friday is the deadline for bills to get out of the House.

He said it is possible that the bills that die could be amended into Senate bills. There is no Senate equivalent to the House right-to-work bill, Friend confirmed.

He said there is no confirmation that Democrats have fled to Illinois. However, not coming to session is "the ultimate weapon that they have. Kind of the 'nuclear option' so to speak where they actually absent themselves" and kill legislation," Friend said.

"The Democrats don't want any legislation that would be detrimental and that is disagreed with by labor unions," he said, noting there was a union rally going on at the Statehouse as he spoke.

"Both sides have used this tactic. There's no question about it," Friend said. "This one, there's fuel to the fire because of what's going on in Wisconsin, Ohio and other states in the union."