August 6, 2023
Tennessee Republican State Executive Committee passes resolution calling on Governor Bill Lee to not proceed with calling a gun control Special Legislative Session.
On Saturday, August 5, 2023, the Republican State Executive Committee passed a resolution (it is not on its website) that calls on Bill Lee not to call the Tennessee Legislature into special session as he has threatened to do starting August 21, 2023, to enact his gun control agenda.
The Times Free Press reported: The motion on a resolution was originally proposed by Chris Morris, an executive committee member from Giles County.
"He's
putting the state, he's putting legislators, both the House and Senate
in danger," Morris said at the meeting. "We'll be the only state in a
special session, and guess what? We're going to be inundated with those
others, for these crazies from other states."
"I
don't know how many of y'all were up there — I was — when they removed
the lawmakers, and it was crazy being one of two people in the gallery
with all these nuts around you," Morris said. "And the problem is, we as
Republicans don't get off our do-nothing and quit leaning back on our
elbows and do less and go up there and support these legislators.
"We
should be the ones packing the House. We have the majority, but we
don't. ... I just think this body, we should issue a statement to the
governor to stop" and not formally call lawmakers back to Nashville.
Committee member John Stanbery of Cleveland told the Times Free Press
that legislators had an opportunity to pass the order of protection
bill when they were in regular session and chose not to.
"So I
personally do not know why you would call them back to do something
they've already rejected," Stanbery said. "They rejected it by choosing
not to do it. Secondly, I think it paints a target on all their backs. I
think they're going to come up here and have to walk a gantlet. And a
lot of it will be out-of-state people. And so I think it puts an
unreasonable strain not only on government but their safety and
security."
Ultimately, it is likely that Governor Bill Lee, as he has ignored the calls of voters and even Legislators to not call the special session, is likely going to ignore the apparently unanimous resolution of the Republican State Executive Committee.
There is not really much that the State Executive Committee can do about that - but it can take up the issue of whether to reprimand or even expel Governor Lee as a "bona fide" member of the Republican party. Indeed, since he is openly carrying and pushing a pro-Democrat legislative agenda that is a direct attack on a constitutionally protected right, perhaps that is something that they should consider.
|
