GOP Rep Wants to Enclose Congress in Plexiglass

Lawmakers seek to boost security after Giffords shooting
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 12, 2011 4:02 AM CST
GOP Rep Wants to Enclose Congress in Plexiglass
Reporters sit in the House Gallery.   (Getty Images)

Lawmakers return to the Capitol today for the first time since Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was shot in Tucson and some are seeking increased protection. Rep. Dan Burton, a Republican from Indiana, plans to reintroduce legislation calling for the House gallery to be encased in a "transparent and substantial material" like Plexiglass, CBS News reports.

Burton's legislation lists previous attacks on Congress, including the shooting of five lawmakers by Puerto Rican nationalists in a 1954 assault on the House. Democratic Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. of Illinois, meanwhile, is seeking to reverse recent budgets cuts so lawmakers have extra funds for security measures. "Members should have the resources and the latitude to take the appropriate security measures in order to protect themselves and their staffs," he said. (More Gabrielle Giffords shooting stories.)

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