Tennessee Governor officially calls for Special Session on School Safety.
As members of the Tennessee General Assembly prepare to return to Nashville next week for a special session called by Republican Gov. Bill Lee after the March 27 Covenant School shooting, both parties are putting forward proposals for what they want to see passed.
Mr. Lee issued the official call for the special session on Aug. 8 (pdf), with a narrow scope of what can and cannot be put forth by the Legislature, which includes a GOP supermajority in both chambers. The session is officially set to be focused on public safety in the state.
“As our nation faces evolving public safety threats, Tennessee remains vigilant and is taking continued action to protect communities while preserving the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens,” Mr. Lee said in a press release announcing the session. “In the months leading up to the public safety special session, we have listened to Tennesseans and worked with members of the General Assembly to identify thoughtful, practical measures to strengthen public safety across our state, including steps to support law enforcement, address mental health, prevent violent crime and stop human trafficking.”
Gun rights supporters in Tennessee have decried the efforts of the Lee administration earlier this year to pass laws allowing for the removal of weapons from people deemed dangerous to themselves or others, laws colloquially referred to as “red flag” laws—although Lee has remained adamant that his earlier proposals should not be referred to as such.
Democrats in the state Legislature have called for gun control measures since the March shooting, while members of the governor’s party have remained adamantly opposed to such legislation.
Governor Makes Call
While the governor’s office did call on his party to bring forward extreme risk protection order legislation earlier this year, he stepped back from that goal in his official call for the special session.
Instead, Lee presented a list of legislative and budget priorities meant to “keep Tennessee communities safe” while also supporting law enforcement and addressing mental health, “all while preserving constitutional rights.”
Per the governor’s order, 18 topics are listed as being priorities for the Legislature to “consider and act upon.”
They include considering or proposing legislation related to mental health resources, school safety plans and policies, mass violence or threats of such, human trafficking, and stalking.
The list also calls on medical providers’ duty to “warn about potential violent offenses” and making necessary changes to “the structure or operations” of state or local courts.
Other priorities are broader, with Lee’s order calling for law enforcement to have better access to criminal and juvenile records as well as information about individuals who have been subject to mental health commitment or have been arrested for felonies.
Safe gun storage measures are also encouraged to be discussed, but Lee’s order specifically said they must not “include the creation of penalties for failing to safely store firearms.”
Temporary mental health orders of protection are also part of the list, with language included that requires legislators to heavily narrow the scope of any such law to ensure due process.
Juvenile Offenses
Some of the more contentious issues that have drawn criticism from state Democrats brought forth in Lee’s call revolve around the juvenile justice system.
In addition to the broader public safety topics aforementioned, several juvenile-focused measures are encouraged to be discussed, including limiting the circumstances in which juvenile records may be expunged, blended sentencing for juveniles, and transferring juvenile defendants aged 16 and over to courts with criminal jurisdiction.
Additionally, offenses related to inducing or coercing a minor to commit an offense are included in the list of topics.
State Sen. Jeff Yarbro and other state Democrats decried the governor’s proposals related to juveniles on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“We were supposed to have a special session to protect Tennessee kids from gun violence,” Yarbro wrote. “Using that special session to ramp up incarceration [and] punishment for Tennessee kids—while still failing to protect them from gun violence—would be morally bankrupt.”
Specific Legislation
Of the specific legislation Lee has announced in addition to the broader topics listed in his official call for the special session, he lays out a list of priorities for his administration.
They include codifying an earlier executive order that requires accurate and timely record submission to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation; directing the state’s Medicaid program to seek a waiver allowing federal matching funds to cover mental illness and substance use di
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