The House on Tuesday adopted new rules that will enact hefty fines against lawmakers who refuse to comply with the security screenings now required for entry into the chamber in the wake of the Jan. 6 insurrection. Fines of $5,000 for the first offense and $10,000 for the second are now in effect. The metal detectors outside the House chamber were installed days after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by a violent mob of former President Trump’s supporters who attempted to stop Congress from certifying President Biden’s election victory. But several House Republicans defiantly pushed past Capitol Police officers and sergeant-at-arms staff into the House chamber without going through the metal detectors. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) subsequently announced that fines would be levied on lawmakers — to be deducted from their salaries — to enforce compliance. “It is beyond comprehension why any member would refuse to adhere to these simple, commonsense steps to keep this body safe. It is sad that we have been forced to move forward with a rule change imposing fines on those who refuse to abide by these protections, but the People’s House must and will be safe, so that we can honor our responsibility to do the People’s work,” Pelosi said in a statement on Tuesday.  [full article]