COLUMBUS, Ind. — The next Third House session, set for 8 a.m. Monday, may have some questions about allegations of racism that erupted in a confrontation during a Thursday House session in Indianapolis.
The Third House session is virtual and Zoom video conferencing invitations are available through the events calendar of the home page of the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce.
Rep. Ryan Lauer, R-Columbus, and Sen. Greg Walker, R-Columbus, have confirmed they will participate in the session, although Walker’s participation may be intermittent due to other responsibilities.
Rep. Jim Lucas, R-Seymour, and Rep. Sean Eberhart, R-Shelbyville, two of the legislators involved in the Thursday incident, have standing invitations to the Third House sessions, but have not indicated they will participate.
Sen. Eric Koch, R-Bedford, also has a standing invitation to Third House in Columbus, but has not indicated he will participate.
The controversy on Thursday erupted after a bill was introduced that allows busing students in a racially diverse township in South Bend to a rural school district made up primarily of Caucasian students. House Bill 1367 eventually passed 52-43.
When Indiana Black Legislative Caucus member Rep. Greg Porter, D-Indianapolis, called the measure discriminatory, bill sponsor Rep. Jake Teshka, R-South Bend, denied the accusations and claimed the measure was only about transportation issues.
After Porter told legislators he should be allowed to speak, he left the House floor, and Rep. Vernon Smith, D-Gary, tried to advance the accusation of discrimination while citing examples of his own negative experiences as an African-American, according to news reports.
The scene degenerated from there will several House members, led by Lucas, leaving the chamber, where he said he was verbally accosted by Rep. Vanessa Summers, D-Indianapolis, who is also a member of the Black caucus, according to news reports. Eberhart mistakenly believed the comments were being directed at him and was accused of physically confronting Summers outside the chamber, and both had to be separated by another House member.
The incidents have led to calls for training for House members on what racism is and what implicit bias is.
House Minority Leader Phil GiaQuinta said earlier he thinks the heckling while members are speaking about bills needs to stop.
“House Democrats have every right to get up there and speak on amendments, speak on bills,” GiaQuinta said. “Our members deserve to be heard and deserve the respect of all members on the floor.”
House Speaker Todd Huston, R-Fishers, said he knows he needs to do a better job overseeing the chamber and making sure there’s decorum.
“I want to own my mistakes,” Huston said. “It’s easy to be informal and it’s easy to let decorum slide. Certainly, I have to be better and collectively we have to do better.”
— The Associated Press contributed to this report
Third Houses sessions will continue to be presented in a virtual format at 8 a.m. on the following dates: Monday, March 22 and April 5.
Those wishing to participate through the Zoom video conferencing platform should first go to the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce’s website at columbusareachamber.com.
On the home page, look for the Featured Programs menu.
Under Feature Programs, click onto the link titled Virtual Events. That link will take you to the events calendar.
On the events calendar, look for the date of the next forum. Posted on that date is a link titled Third House Session on Zoom.
Those who click on that final link will be taken to a page where they may pre-register. Each will be sent the information necessary to join the Zoom video conference.
Information: 812-379-4457.
