Idaho Lawmakers Sue Saying Returning To State Capitol Amid COVID-19 Violates ADA

Enlarge this image


Democratic state Rep. Muffy Davis, seen here in 2019, and Democratic Rep. Sue Chew are suing Idaho’s top House Republican. They contend he’s preventing them from safely participating in the upcoming legislative session amid the pandemic.





James Dawson/Boise State Public Radio



hide caption



toggle caption


James Dawson/Boise State Public Radio





Enlarge this image


Muffy Davis of USA on her way to Silver during the Salt Lake City Winter Paralympic Games in Ogden, Utah, in 2002.





Adam Pretty/Getty Images



hide caption



toggle caption


Adam Pretty/Getty Images



National
Despite COVID, Thousands Of Lawmakers Plan To Gather In State Capitols Next Month

«One went in front and kind of broke crowd and the other one pushed me up and through.

But it was «incredibly nerve-racking, Davis says. She was worried that a gun might discharge in the crowd.

«They were all very agitated and riled up, she recalls. «All it was going to take was one moment a gun to go off and then there’d be 60 going off, and I’d be right there in the middle of it, she says.

Ultimately, just three people were arrested during the special session, including Ammon Bundy, the man who led an armed standoff with federal agents at a wildlife reserve in rural eastern Oregon in 2016. No one was arrested for the initial clash with the police.

Neither Chew nor Davis were able to avoid crowds in the public hallways, which they had to enter in order to access their office space, according to the complaint.

Chew contends she was also promised access to remote seating in the House gallery where she could vote and debate while being distanced from others, but that seating was taken by the throngs of maskless people who shoved their way in.

The result was a «complete and total failure to respect any kind of accommodation for these legislators, they say.

The two also say they want self-contained offices, rather than the cubicles they were assigned, after Republicans reserved each of those spaces for themselves.

«Though it’s unfortunate that negotiations have taken this turn, I will continue to move forward in good faith toward a solution workable for all members, House Speaker Bedke said in a statement. «I can assure everyone that the Leadership Team from the House Republican Caucus is working to make a safe and productive environment where we can complete our business as quickly and effectively as possible.