The State Senate voted yesterday to end its practice of allowing absent senators to vote, at least most of the time.

He ordered Sergeant at Arms Chelsey Jurney to round up the absent senators needed to provide a quorum.

The absent senators knew exactly what they were doing.

When a call shows no quorum, the minority can force another vote by moving to request or compel the attendance of absent senators.

He was the lone senator absent during the impeachment trial of President Joseph Estrada.

He was registered as an "absent" senator up until 1847, all that time living mainly in Vienna and Florence.

The vote would have been defeated had the absent senators paired their votes.

The Senate rule at the time, as it is today, states that the sergeant-at-arms could be sent to arrest absent senators to secure a quorum.

This occurred after the Senate ordered the arrest of absent senators to maintain a quorum during a filibuster on campaign finance legislation.

The office of sergeant at arms had recently been created specifically for chasing down absent senators and reluctant witnesses needed for the conduct of Senate business.