On Tuesday night, the House passed a new rule which would levy a fine on those lawmakers who break the new security rules that have been approved. The rules require members to pass through screening such as metal detectors and then gain admittance to the House floor. This rule has been enforced after the Capitol siege on January 6.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that many Republicans have been evading these security measures by pushing past the police who are present to protect them, by evading metal detectors that have been placed for their safety. These metal detectors are manned by the Capitol Police who risked their lives to save these lawmakers. She said that some lawmakers tried to bring in firearms to the Chamber.
She also said that it was incomprehensible why any member would not follow such simple and sensible steps to keep everyone safe.
Last month freshman Rep. Lauren Boebert, a Republican from Colorado had tweeted that it was legally permitted to carry a firearm in Washington DC and within the Capitol complex and that metal detectors would not have stopped the violence that they saw the previous week and finally said that the installation of the metal detectors outside the House was a political stunt by the Speaker.
Another congressman Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md was also said to have allegedly tried to take a gun into the House but his representatives denied the charge and said that he had complied with the rules and had never carried a firearm on the House floor.
As there was a lack of respect for these common sense security rules, the House has passed a new rule which states that a lawmaker would have to pay a $5000 fine for a first offense and the amount would be doubled for the second offense.
Members would get a chance to appeal before the House Ethics Committee to avoid paying the fine. However, if the member does not pay the fine within three months, the amount would be cut from his or her pay check. Campaign funds or official funds cannot be used to pay these fines.
Many Republicans have protested and evaded the use of the metal detectors that were installed after the Capitol riot. Some of them say that these rules infringe on their constitutional rights.
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