In the wee hours of the morning during our last session before we broke, the majority party and the Senate leader passed a resolution to punish certain members of the Senate because, as he stated, “their actions did not reflect well on the Senate.” Did those members break any laws? No. Did they break any rules? No. What was their crime? They moved bills to the floor bills that have been bottled up in committee for a long time. Their shenanigans, as it was called, was to do their job—only to bring bills to the floor for full Senate consideration.

I have heard some of my colleagues on the other side say they were not operating in a cooperative manner. But the question is, “What is cooperation?” From the majority’s viewpoint, it is cooperation based on the majority’s will and conditions. From the minority’s standpoint, little cooperation exists. It’s more an issue of requesting, cajoling, and maybe begging. Therefore, when an opportunity exists to move legislation along, legislation that has been penned up in committee, it’s important that we use the opportunity when presented with it. As we all know, it is our job to serve our constituents, and sometimes that means moving bills that the leadership does not want moved.

I keep a copy of President John Kennedy’s Profiles in Courage on my desk at home and in that book is the story of Senator George Norris. Senator Norris had the courage and the conviction of his beliefs to stand up to leadership so that certain legislation he believed in could get passed. President Kennedy recognized that it is sometimes important to take action that is contrary to leadership in order to follow your conscience. Instead of shenanigans, I believe that the actions of my colleagues were that of members acting positively for what they believed.

It is the job of all of us to stand up for what we believe in, and sometimes that means that we must put that belief above institutional leadership and party loyalty. I am disappointed that the leaders of this Senate think that doing our job, following our conscience, and doing the work of the Senate requires punishment. Contrary to the belief that removing members from committees will stop them from doing their job, I believe that such action only reinforces the will of many members to fight for what they believe is right. I am proud of the members who took action to consider bills that need to be considered by this body, and I am proud to have been a part of that effort. I am sorry the leadership of the Senate chooses to view colleagues as children. It does not serve them well.