Fourteen members of the 16-member House minority fled the Capitol late this morning amid floor debate on the operating budget. This came after Representative DeLena Johnson (R – Palmer), one of the finance co-chairs, moved to rescind action on a previously passed amendment that provided for a one-time education increase of $174 million.

The majority is attempting to tie that funding to the Constitutional Budget Reserve (CBR), which requires 3/4 of the House, or thirty votes. A prior amendment from Representative Dan Ortiz (I – Ketchikan), which would have split funding for the dividend between the Permanent Fund earnings reserve and the CBR, failed 16-24. The minority was hoping to pass that to force the majority to adopt some kind of new revenue measures to plug the deficit.

After the Ortiz amendment failed, it became clear the minority was not going to give their votes for the CBR draw, which would have sent a partially unfunded budget to the Senate. After a brief recess, the minority members fled the Capitol.

When the majority came back to the floor, the only minority member present was Representative Calvin Schrage (I – Anchorage), the minority leader. He said the majority was holding kids hostage by doing this, and they were not going to go along with it. Representative Bryce Edgmon (I – Dillingham), who spoke before Schrage and said the funding change was needed because of revenue uncertainty, interrupted Schrage and said he will not be called a hostage taker.

Schrage then placed a call on the house, which compels attendance for the missing members. The House sergeant-at-arms began trying to call the missing members and then go office to office looking for them. The Uniform Rules state when a call is placed the body cannot continue to conduct business on the measure under consideration when the call was placed.

The majority attempted to say what Schrage and the minority was doing was dilatory and nothing more than delay tactics. After some weird back and forth, where at one point Representative David Eastman (R – Wasilla) accused Representative Kevin McCabe (R – Big Lake) of impugning the motives of Schrage, the House recessed until 3 pm. Mason’s Manual says you cannot recess during a call, but they did anyway.

One minority member told the Landmine via telephone, “The majority better order pizza because they are going to be there for a long time.” A staffer from Speaker Cathy Tilton’s (R – Wasilla) was spotted at the airport watching the security line to see if any minority members were attempting to fly out of Juneau. The Uniform Rules say the presiding officer “may direct the sergeant-at-arms to obtain assistance from the Department of Public Safety to secure the attendance of any missing member.” This means sending out the troopers. This has happened in the past but it’s been many years.

This is a developing story.