leader of an Indiana legislative caucus on November 6, 2020. He succeeded Timothy Lanane as Minority Leader in the Indiana State Senate. 2011 walk-out In February 2011, 37 out of 40 House Democrats refused to show up to a legislative session in protest of a Republican "right-to-work" bill, which would allow workers represented by labor unions to refuse to pay "agency fees" to pay for the benefits and protections provided by the union. With the Republicans in the majority, Democrats feared that what they consider to be a radical bill would be easily passed, and many of them relocated across the border in Urbana, Illinois. The move largely took a cue from Indiana's counterparts in Wisconsin, where Democratic lawmakers there hid out in Illinois in protest of a controversial public-sector union bill in the same month. The Indiana Democratic caucus released a statement on the matter, saying that "By staying here, we will be giving the people of Indiana a chance to find out more about this radical agenda and speak out against it." Republican Governor Mitch Daniels, who had previously urged Republican lawmakers not to pursue a right-to-work bill during that legislative session, stated his hope that Democrats would return to do their jobs. Daniels supported the bill, but not the political timing of it, as it would distract from other parts of his legislative agenda he wanted to focus on. In early March 2011, Democrats faced a choice of either returning to the state, or paying a daily fine of $250. The Indiana Constitution allows such fines as a way of compelling missing lawmakers to return. Such a tactic was employed as an alternative to sending state troopers after runaway legislators, which Governor Daniels declined to do. Lawmakers returned in six weeks, after they had been reassured that the right-to-work bill would not be on the legislative docket for that session. The bill was passed and signed into law the following year. Modern party structure and rules The Democratic Party of Indiana is administered by several executive positions at the head of the state party committee. John Zody is the Committee Chair, Cordelia Lewis-Burks the Vice Chair, Vera Mileusnic the Secretary and Sherrianne Standley the treasurer. There are 26 official rules for the Indiana Democratic Party, as of the current party rule charter, written in 2011. Under Rule 1, party structure is defined as consisting of multiple layers