INDIANAPOLIS — Politics in the United States may be full of vitriol and bitterness with neither side giving an inch, but you wouldn’t know that if you were in the Indiana House chamber Thursday afternoon.
Both parties discussed bipartisanship and being friends with the people on the other side of the aisle at the House of Representatives’ first session of 2019.
House Minority Leader Phil GiaQuinta, D-Fort Wayne, told a story about his father, former House Rep. Ben GiaQuinta. Ben GiaQuinta was a World War II veteran, the last Indiana lawmaker to be a veteran from the war.
“While Ben, like everyone else, did not always get his way on legislation, I doubt you could find anyone who didn’t like the guy,” Phil GiaQuinta said. “This was a spirit he brought to the legislature that made this a better place for everyone.”
Phil GiaQuinta was elected to his father’s seat in 2006. Ben GiaQuinta died in 2010.
“There are a lot of Ben GiaQuintas out there,” Rep. Matthew Lehman, R-Berne, said. “We need to hold on to those spirits.”
Lehman promised to work with the Democrats on their issues, namely increasing teacher pay, improving the Department of Child Services, and hate crime legislation. But he also said despite the major disagreements both sides have on the issues, they can still work together, unlike some lawmakers in Washington, D.C.
“I can still sit down with [Phil GiaQuinta] and have a cup of coffee and we can talk sports or a lot of things,” Lehman said. “Because you know what? Beyond here, we’re friends. That’s what we need to remember is that we are friends. As we move forward, let us harken back to the Ben GiaQuintas of the past. … We will not ignore your votes. We will not ignore you.”
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