S.C. House Democrats will call on Speaker David Wilkins to reprimand Rep. John Graham Altman when the House reconvenes Tuesday.

House Minority Leader Harry Ott, D-Calhoun, said Saturday that he and others will argue that Altman, R-Charleston, should be punished for “conduct unbecoming a House member.”

Altman is being targeted for his controversial comments to a WIS-TV reporter and his comments about a bill to strengthen criminal domestic violence penalties.

Altman told the reporter that she was “not very bright.” She had questioned whether lawmakers were more concerned about protecting the lives of fighting chickens than protecting women from abuse because cockfighting was on track to become a felony in South Carolina and criminal domestic violence was not.

Wilkins, R-Greenville, last year publicly censured Rep. Jerry Govan, D-Orangeburg, for what Wilkins called conduct unbecoming a House member. Govan had refused to apologize after he and Judiciary Committee chairman Jim Harrison, R-Richland, got into a physical altercation. Wilkins also removed Govan from the powerful committee.

Ott said the same should happen to Altman.

“It is definitely conduct unbecoming” a member, Ott said.

Wilkins said Friday that he is “still looking into all the things that went on.”

Efforts to reach Altman on Saturday were unsuccessful.