Ala. senator won't be punished for punch

A Republican state senator who punched a Democratic colleague in the head on the Senate floor will not be punished, a legislative panel said Thursday.

State Sen. Charles Bishop, who punched Sen. Lowell Barron during a recess on June 7, knocking Barron onto his desk but not seriously injuring him, was not asked to attend the state Senate Ethics Committee meeting and has not been reprimanded privately, said Bishop's attorney, Jim Ward.

"The matter is closed," said Sen. Zeb Little, the Senate ethics committee's Democratic chairman.

The committee, comprising three members who vote consistently with the Democrats and two with the Republicans, could have issued a warning to Bishop with three votes, or recommended action by the full Senate with four votes. Committee meetings are private, and it wasn't clear how many members, if any, voted to reprimand Bishop.

Barron, who complained to the ethics committee, said he did not know what happened at the meeting and declined to comment further.

The punch was captured by a cameraman for Alabama Public Television and was widely replayed on television. It also became popular on YouTube, where it had attracted nearly 60,000 viewers through Thursday.

The fight occurred after a tense Senate debate over which bills to consider on the final meeting day. Bishop went to Barron's desk, where a heated exchange started and Bishop hit Barron on the side of the head.

The two have not spoken to each other since that day.