Bullying is a more apt description. While there might be a need to maintain some party cohesion, there is no justification for pressuring a lawmaker to vote in violation of his or her conscience.

Marshall bucked the party heads on two matters – recorded subcommittee votes and bill-filing limits. He was the lone Republican to vote in favor of recorded subcommittee votes. The measure died, and the subcommittee system remains an unaccountable bill-killing field.

On the second matter, the Republican Caucus wanted to change House procedural rules so that no lawmaker may introduce more than 10 bills during the short legislative sessions that occur in odd calendar years.

Marshall, a staunch social conservative who files a prolific number of bills each year, opposed the change. He argues, quite compellingly, that an arbitrary legislative cap ties the hands of lawmakers who are often asked to introduce measures by local governments or their constituents.

"To say only 10, I don’t know how that’s anything but arbitrary," Marshall said, in a telephone interview Friday. "I can’t vote for a rule like that."

Marshall said he asked party leaders to allow him to vote "present" on the rule change. This compromise would have allowed Marshall to vote his conscience without violating the House Caucus’ internal rules. But even that middle-of-the-road solution wasn’t acceptable to Caucus leaders. The bill cap was approved without Marshall’s support.

The party punishment, or "discipline," that followed the vote wasn’t a surprise. Marshall – who has been in conflict with party leaders in past sessions – knew he would pay a price for standing firm, but did so anyway.

"I am elected by and directly accountable to the people of the 13th District, not the Republican leadership," Marshall wrote in an e-mail.

Marshall gets it exactly right. Lawmakers are in Richmond to serve their constituents and the state, as a whole. Political parties allow like-minded legislators to pursue a slate of common interests, but party interests shouldn’t be elevated above those of the constituents.

House Republican leaders overstepped when they punished Marshall for taking a principled stand for open government and for his constituents. They’re the ones who deserve to be disciplined.

Republished courtesy of TriCities Opinion .