“The special session produced a lot of bills that I suspect we’re going to see again in the regular session to look at ways to provide a safer environment in Tennessee,” Gov. Bill Lee said in November. “The General Assembly is very interested in that. We should never stop talking about public safety, and I suspect we won’t.”
Talking to reporters at a Thanksgiving event, the governor was confirming that he would not, in fact, be pushing for extreme risk protection legislation — also known as red-flag laws — in 2024. Following last year’s deadly Covenant School shooting in Nashville, Lee offered proposed language for just such legislation — laws that would allow guns to be confiscated from people deemed a risk to public safety. No such legislation was passed before the Tennessee General Assembly wrapped its business in April, nor did it pass during an August special session ostensibly called to address gun reform.
Despite outcry from protesters and pushback from Tennessee’s outnumbered Democratic lawmakers, the Republican supermajority passed virtually no legislation related to public safety or gun violence during the special session. Now the General Assembly has returned to Nashville for the second half of its 113th session, and despite continued calls for reform from advocates on both sides of the aisle, little action is expected on guns.
So what is on the agenda for Tennessee’s overwhelmingly GOP-controlled state House and Senate? For starters, more salvos in the ongoing culture wars, with bills targeting Pride flags and transgender health care already filed. Also, we can count on Lee continuing his push for a statewide school voucher program. Meanwhile, Democrats will continue attempts to carve out medical exceptions to the state’s draconian anti-abortion laws. Will the state cool it with the attacks on Nashville governance, an issue that arose frequently during last year’s session? And what will the legislature look like now that several longtime lawmakers — both Republican and Democrat — have announced their upcoming retirement?
We dive into all that and more in this week’s issue. Read on. —D. PATRICK RODGERS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Bills already filed by the GOP this session target Pride flags, transgender health care and books
Leaders at Metro, state legislature signal smoother sailing ahead
Democrats file symbolic legislation, while Republicans seek to punish adults who help minors get abortions
In education, Republicans are likely to focus on vouchers, retention policies and enhanced school security
Swann, Whitson, Johnson and Jernigan are all in their final terms as state lawmakers
