Perhaps this was the deal worked out to bring them back. The Dems needed some cover and by forcing them through threat of arrest, they will return. Maybe the Rep. Senate leader got them to agree to this so the Dems could save face.
My two cents. If they come back in chains protesting, then I think I am right.
That is an interesting idea.
That certainly fits.
I remembering reading a post on one of these threads claiming that the unions had threatened the Dems, telling them that they knew where their children lived and their grandchildren. Sounded believable.
They would need cover to come back if the above is true.