INDIANAPOLIS -- Democrats stalled action in the Indiana House for several hours Monday to protest several proposals they consider partisan power grabs by Republicans, who control the chamber.\nAlthough Democrats took the floor and broke the impasse, it was unclear whether a vote on a bill mandating statewide observance of daylight-saving time would be taken Monday night or wait until Tuesday.\nDemocrats were upset about several bills, including legislation introduced early Monday morning that would have created a new board to oversee funding of a new stadium for the NFL's Colts and allowed Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels to appoint some of its members.\nHouse Democrats, out of power for the first time in eight years, said that and some previously filed bills would shift too much power to the governor.\nThey also were miffed that Republicans, before dealing with other legislation, sought a vote on the daylight-saving bill.\nAfter the chamber gaveled in shortly after 10 a.m. EST, Democrats left the floor to meet privately and refused to return until six hours later.
That occurred after Republicans dropped the new Colts stadium proposal and postponed a vote on the daylight-time bill.\nRepublicans control the House 52-48, but at least 67 members must be present on the floor to conduct business.\nMidnight Monday was the deadline for bills to clear an amendment stage in the House, and midnight Tuesday is the deadline for legislation to clear its house of origin and move to the other chamber.\nThat meant the House would have until Tuesday to pass the daylight-saving legislation and several other bills and move them to the Senate. Although the clock issue has been highly contentious for more than three decades, it has not been a traditionally partisan issue.\nMany members are wary of the issue because they say their constituents are evenly divided and highly charged about it. But it has become entangled in partisan wrangling in the House this session.\nDemocrats also object to a bill that would require most voters to show a driver's license or other state or U.S.-supplied photo ID to cast a ballot in a primary. Republican proponents say it will help prevent voter fraud, but Democrats say it would disenfranchise voters to the GOP's benefit.\nDemocrats were able to get at least one amendment attached to that bill. It would require the secretary of state's office to notify residents about the photo ID requirement before primary and general elections.\nBut House Minority Leader Patrick Bauer, D-South Bend, did not rule out further floor boycotts in protest of bills they considered onerous. He said the daylight-saving time bill "could still see the light of day" by Tuesday's deadline, but he did not guarantee it and said Democrats would fight for their opinions.\n"We just have to be extra vigilant," Bauer said.
