Pierre, SD – House leadership says it will enforce chamber rules after a brief disruption delayed the House Education Committee last week.
The incident occurred Jan. 16, when a disagreement over seating assignments postponed the committee’s start before a hearing on student discipline.
Committee chair Rep. Lana Greenfield reassigned seats before the meeting, a move permitted under House rules. Republican Rep. Josephine Garcia from Watertown objected to the change, prompting leadership to clear the room and meet privately with members.
The committee reconvened about 15 minutes later.
House Majority Leader Scott Odenbach today said leadership intervened because members attempted to challenge committee operations outside the rules.
“If somebody is unhappy with how a committee is being run or how a seating chart is set up, our rules govern that,” Odenbach said. “When we have a member that tries to act outside of those rules, then there has to be some consequences.”
Odenbach said the disruption was unacceptable and leadership acted to prevent future incidents.
“The way you definitely don’t do it is try to disrupt the proceedings of the House of Representatives,” he said. “We’re here to do a job, to be statesmen and to act as professionals.”
After the committee reconvened, Garcia addressed those in the room and apologized.
“You can leave it up to yourselves as to how you want to analyze it, but I will apologize to all of you,” Garcia said.
Garcia said she understood the chair’s authority to assign seats but objected to how the change was communicated.
“What I do care about is that in the rule book, the chair has the right to move the seats,” she said. “What’s not in the rule book is an answer as to why.”
Garcia said she would have preferred advance notice and clearer communication.
“If I have a learning disability or some visual acuity, I was never approached or given any communication prior to doing the change of seating,” she said.
She closed by apologizing again.
“I do respect,” Garcia said. “Thank you very much, and I apologize to all of you. And to the committee and my colleagues.”
House leadership said the issue was addressed early in the session.
“I’m kind of happy that it happened right up front because we made it crystal clear that we’re going to run the House of Representatives to do the people’s business,” Odenbach said.
Editor’s note: Garcia’s remarks were captured in an audience recording made in the House Education Committee room on Jan. 16, before the committee reconvened.
