The Tennessee General Assembly will meet for a third special session this year after lawmakers gathered the required signatures to call one to begin Oct. 27.
The legislature is limited in a special session to considering bills that fit the purpose of the call. According to House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) and Senate Speaker Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge), the meeting could include the following:
"The call would allow legislation related to vaccines, masks, and other restrictions relative to COVID-19. Legislation to address the various unconstitutional federal mandates issued by the Biden administration would also meet the call guidelines. Additionally, legislation regarding the independent health departments and restrictions on monoclonal antibodies would also be appropriate under the call."
Republican lawmakers previously asked Gov. Bill Lee, also a Republican, to call the legislature to session to consider COVID-19 matters, but he declined. He did issue some executive orders associated with their request, including allowing parents to opt their students out of school mask mandates, though federal courts have struck those down in parts of the state. Lee did call a special session, ongoing this week, to allocate hundreds of millions of dollars as part of a deal to lure Ford Motor Co. to West Tennessee.
A legislature-called special session is rare as compared to a governor-called session, in part because it requires the assent of two-thirds of the members of both chambers. Republicans control more than two-thirds of both chambers.
“The members of the Senate and their constituents have been clear about the need for this session,” McNally said in the release. “The Covid-19 crisis — and how various institutions have adapted and reacted to it — has created new and unique legislative challenges. This is an opportunity to make the General Assembly’s voice heard on issues regarding masks, vaccines, executive power, and federal mandates.”
Sexton said Monday that the legislature will consider a “nullification type of bill” to respond to proposed federal vaccine requirements for certain employers.
