Republican Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels gave a press conference Tuesday afternoon to address the flight of Democratic state legislators in the face of a “right to work” bill. Daniels re-stated his opposition to the bill’s timing.
Unlike the Republican outrage in Wisconsin over a similar exodus of elected Democrats to prevent a vote on an anti-union bill, Daniels called the actions of the state Democrats “a perfectly legitimate part of the process.”
“Even the smallest minority,” said Daniels, “has every right to express the strength of its views, and I salute those who did.”
Daniels said that, in contrast to Wisconsin, police would not be used to search for missing legislators.
“I’m not sending the state police after anybody,” Daniels said, “I’m not going to divert a single trooper from their job of protecting the Indiana public.”
“I trust that peoples consciences will bring them back to work.”
Daniels said he believed now was not the right time for his state to address the right to work legislation.
“For reasons I’ve explained more than once, I thought there was a better time and place to have this very important and legitimate issue raised.”
“I don’t attempt to dictate the agenda [of the legislature]” Daniels told reporters, but he said that the Republican speaker of the Indiana House “knows what I think.”