In order to prevent or curtail a government shutdown, U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet and Cory Gardner are proposing strict Senate rules that could lead to the arrest of fellow lawmakers who aren’t hard at work trying to resolve an impasse.

A bipartisan resolution introduced by the two Colorado senators Tuesday would require that their colleagues stay on the job in the event of a government shutdown until a bill to reopen the federal government has been signed into law. Under the proposal, the senators who don’t show up for hourly quorum calls – from 8 a.m. to midnight – could face arrest by the chamber’s sergeant at arms.

It isn’t an academic exercise. A looming funding deadline at the end of April has Washington worried that politicians could be headed for a showdown over potential cuts to federal spending, including funding for Planned Parenthood and steep reductions to domestic programs proposed by President Trump.

“Washington’s habit of turning routine responsibilities into manufactured crises has to end,” Bennet, a Denver Democrat, said in a statement. Maintaining that Washington dysfunction has grown under the Trump administration, he added, “Coloradans don’t shut their communities down because of a disagreement, and the Senate shouldn’t be allowed to do so either. This resolution would encourage Congress to avoid such a crisis and work to keep the government open.”

Gardner, a Yuma Republican, said he was proud to work across the aisle with Bennet on the proposal and called it proof that Coloradans won’t quit working for the American people, regardless of party.

“Coloradans expect their elected officials to do their jobs and work together to avoid shutting down the federal government,” Gardner said. “I urge my colleagues to support this legislation and prove we are a responsible governing body that will do whatever it takes to reopen the government in the event of a shutdown.”

The resolution is similar to one introduced by Bennet and Gardner in September 2015 when another government shutdown was lurking on the horizon, although lawmakers avoided that one. The federal government closed down in October 2013, throwing 500,000 federal employees out of work and shuttering routine operations when Congress missed a budget deadline.

The proposal would require hourly quorum calls in the Senate starting the day after a full or partial government shutdown. If a majority of senators was absent, the resolution says, a roll call could be taken to determine whether to issue warrants and require the sergeant at arms to arrest the missing lawmakers.

– ernest@coloradostatesman.com