According to House Republicans, Gov. Bill Lee is urging the state Senate to consider a dozen previously tabled bills as part of the ongoing legislative session on gun reform.
Over the past week, tensions between the state House and Senate have led to a stalemate, with virtually no progress made during the session. This is despite calls from advocates — including families of students at the Covenant School, where a March shooting took the lives of three students and three faculty members — urging for reform.
The list of bills Gov. Lee is reportedly flagging for consideration — sent to the Scene by a House Republican press contact — includes legislation regarding stalking, mental health, tracking gun violence and more. In addition to the 12 tabled bills, Lee’s list also includes four other bills currently at various points in the legislative process.
“I've received no communication from the governor's office,” says Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson when asked about the list of bills, noting that the Senate has finished its business. “I've heard a rumor that there's a list of 12 bills floating around, but I've received no official communication from the governor's office.”
See a roundup of the tabled bills on Lee’s list below.
House Bill 7002
Relates to schools having to develop safety response procedures in relation to fire alarm activation
House Bill 7003
This legislation would expand a 2021 law to allow stalking victims to seek lifetime orders of protection.
House Bill 7007
Specifies that the autopsy reports of minor victims of violent crime are not public documents.
House Bill 7072
Related to the development of a centralized system of case document management for public case data.
House Bill 7073
Requires a juvenile court to impose a blended sentence on a minor adjudicated delinquent for certain offenses.
House Bill 7063
Allows public and charter schools to hire retired law enforcement officers to serve as school resource officers.
House Bill 7023
Authorizes law enforcement agencies to assign police officers to serve as school resource officers.
House Bill 7034
Raises the penalty for stalking and related crimes, and requires mental health assessment for those convicted of stalking offenses.
House Bill 7008
Requires mental health professionals to warn victims if a patient has made a threat of bodily harm.
House Bill 7016
Makes it a felony offense to threaten to commit an act of mass violence, and requires mental health evaluations for those who have been charged with doing so.
House Bill 7071
Requires the TBI to submit reports on the number of mass shootings that occur in Tennessee to the state legislature and the governor by Jan. 1, 2024.
House Bill 7027
Requires the state to pay for court-ordered mental health evaluations and treatments for defendants who are believed to be incompetent to stand trial.
Kelsey Beyeler contributed reporting to this story.
