Democratic state Rep. Ford Carr of Wichita has filed a formal complaint with the House against Republican Rep. Nick Hoheisel over an incident in the chamber last week that disrupted legislative proceedings for a couple of hours.
Carr filed a one-page letter with the House clerk, accusing Hoheisel of yelling “bullshit” at him on the House floor following race-related remarks that the Democrat had made at the podium while the chamber debated a gun-education bill.
Carr said in his complaint that Hoheisel had been having a conversation with Democratic state Rep. Rui Xu of Fairway, who is the ranking member on the House financial institutions committee that Hoheisel chairs.
Carr said Hoheisel stopped at his seat, leaned over, raised his hand and put a finger in his face while shouting, “Rep. Carr, that’s bullshit. Don’t you ever talk about my colleagues that way.”
Carr said several witnesses attempted to intervene, pushing Hoheisel away and asked the Republican lawmaker to leave the seating area for the Democrats.
Hoheisel, a Wichita Republican, declined comment Thursday.
The incident occurred last Thursday after Carr had questioned another GOP lawmaker at the podium and remarked, “It’s good to see that there are some members of the Republican Party that are either not racist enough that they don’t mind coming to answer my questions or not so fearful that they wouldn’t either.”
Within 15 minutes, Democratic state Rep. Kirk Haskins of Topeka had called for a point of order in the chamber at about the time that the incident between Carr and Hoheisel took place, leading the House to break for a couple of hours.
Two years ago, House Republican leadership put Carr on notice for a rules violation stemming from comments he made questioning the motives of a fellow Democratic lawmaker on the last day of the 2023 legislative session.
Carr had raised questions on the House floor about how $250,000 came to be added to the budget for the Quindaro Ruins, once a station on the Underground Railroad that the late state Rep. Marvin Robinson advocated for long before he was elected to the Legislature.
The Wichita lawmaker accused of Robinson of selling out his constituents for supporting bills favored by Republicans such as limiting food assistance and restricting the ability to vote. He evoked the phrase “house Negro,” a pejorative term suggesting that someone would support the white slave owner at the expense of other slaves.
The House rules require House Speaker Dan Hawkins to appoint a six-member committee to investigate the complaint that Carr filed.
Hawkins appointed Republican state Reps. Bob Lewis of Garden City, Susan Humphries of Wichita, Shannon Francis of Liberal and Democratic state Reps. Mike Amyx of Lawrence, Barbara Ballard of Lawrence and Dan Osman of Overland Park.
Lewis is the chair.
The select committee may dismiss the complaint after the inquiry or may set the matter for hearing under House rules.
The select committee may dismiss the complaint or may make recommendations to the full House of Representatives for reprimand, censure or expulsion.
House rules also potentially allow for a lawmaker to be expelled for “any misconduct.”
While there have been complaints filed against lawmakers in the past, state historical librarians have not been able to find an instance where a lawmaker has ever been expelled from the House or the Senate.
Four years ago, House Democrats filed complaint against former Democratic state Rep. Aaron Coleman, seeking a censure and possible expulsion from the chamber because they believed that he was a danger to women, other legislators and Capitol staffers.
Ultimately, the special House investigative committee sent an informal warning letter to Coleman for a pattern of abusive behavior toward women.
In 2015, Republicans filed a complaint against Democratic state Rep. Valdenia Winn for using “inflammatory language,” including accusations of racism against supporters of a bill repealing a law that allows undocumented immigrants to pay in-state tuition at Kansas colleges and universities.
And 13 years ago, 26 House Republicans filed a complaint against former Democratic state Rep. Jim Ward, who was accused of misleading House members about an amendment he proposed for a bill imposing a cap on local property taxes.
Neither complaint went anywhere.
