Milwaukee Senators among the AWOL

In a bizarre twist, a Senate vote on Gov. Scott Walker’s budget repair bill was postponed today when the 14 Democratic Senators went into hiding, denying the Republicans the quorum needed to conduct a vote.
A quorum of 20 Senators is needed to conduct a vote. All 19 of the Republican Senators showed up for the 11 a.m. session this morning, but they needed one more Senator to attend before they could vote.
Milwaukee Democratic Senators Lena Taylor and Chris Larson were among the AWOL Senators today. They both posted coy messages on Twitter about their absence.
“I’m not in the senate chamber! I’m working for the people. Power to the PEOPLE,” Taylor wrote.
“For those looking for us, we are right here, standing with the people of Wisconsin,” Larson wrote.
When the Democratic Senators did not show up, the Senate’s Sergeant at Arms staff was sent to their offices to bring them back. But none were found.
Unconfirmed reports said the Democratic Senators boarded a bus and left the state.
Meanwhile, the largest crowds of the week ascended upon the Capitol today to protest Walker’s bill, which would revoke the collective bargaining rights of public employees throughout the state, with the exception of police offices, firefighters and State Patrol officers, whose unions supported Walker’s election campaign.
– BizTimes Milwaukee