A day after being stripped of her committee assignments by GOP leaders, South Dakota District 30 State Senator Julie Frye-Mueller has been suspended by the full Senate and will be the subject of a special Senate investigative committee.
No official reason has been given for any of the actions. The Rapid City lawmaker, whose district includes Fall River County, told reporters Thursday morning she had not been formally presented with the allegations against her
She went on to say, though, that she was being punished for an exchange she had with a legislative aide about vaccinations and that she had not brought the COVID-19 vaccine issue during the exchange with the aide..
Senate Majority Leader Casey Crabtree said the legislative punishment was “brought after a lot of serious thought,” but offered little else on the allegations while Senate President Pro Tem Lee Schoenbeck, said it was to “protect the decorum” of the Senate.
Senator Tom Pischke, a Frye-Mueller ally, spoke against the suspension, saying it was based on a “she said-she said situation” and would deprive Frye-Mueller’s constituents of their representation in the Senate.
Lt Gov Larry Rhoden, who serves as the Senate president, also opposed the move. He cautioned against the precedent of suspending an elected representative, but his objections were overruled in a 2/3rds majority vote.
The Senate vote to form the committee on Frye-Mueller’s conduct and to suspend her from voting or holding other rights of an elected official was 27-6.
Republicans hold 31 of the 35 state Senate seats and Frye-Mueller is a Republican, but she’s part of a group of ultra-conservative Statehouse Republicans who’ve clashed with the party’s legislative leadership and with Gov Kristi Noem.
One of their battlegrounds has been vaccines, such separate proposals to limit requirements for both the COVID-19 vaccine and childhood vaccines. Frye-Mueller opposes vaccination requirements in schools.