PIERRE, S.D. (SDBA) — The unusual saga of Republican Sen. Julie Frye-Mueller has come to an epilogue of sorts.
Today (Friday), the Secretary of the Senate noted the Rapid City legislator as “absent”–not “excused”–from the afternoon’s Senate session.
The legislature’s rules–The Red Book–do not specifically define the difference between “absent” and “excused.”
However, one joint rule says that if a legislator doesn’t vote after being passed over once during roll call, they are considered “absent.”
SDBA News observed several Senate votes today where Sen. Frye-Mueller was called “absent” by the Secretary of the Senate.
According to the Senate Journal for LD 16 (Thursday), Sen. Frye-Mueller was in attendance the day after her reinstatement Wednesday.
Sen. Frye-Mueller was also scheduled to testify in favor of a proposed state constitutional amendment to lower property taxes this morning (Friday).
However, she was not at the Senate Taxation Committee to discuss her resolution.
The committee deferred her bill, HJR 503, to Feb. 8.
According to the Legislative Research Council website late this afternoon (Friday), Republican leadership has not reassigned Sen. Frye-Mueller to any committees.
She is the only one of the 105 legislators not to have any committee assignments.
Senate leadership stripped her of her committee assignments before suspending her for an untoward conversation with a female LRC staffer and new mother last week.
The staffer testified in a closed committee hearing and said her discussion with Sen. Frye-Mueller strayed into breastfeeding “tips.”
She also said the state employee’s baby would suffer health issues if vaccinated.
Emails to Sen. Frye-Mueller and Senate Republican leadership were unanswered late this afternoon (Friday).
One lobbyist SDBA News talked to said legislators are just trying to get past the episode and move on with the second half of the legislative session.
