Image Credit: Adelia Kirchner / The Tennessee Conservative & TN General Assembly
The Tennessee Conservative [By Adelia Kirchner] –
Two bills that work to prevent government overreach in Tennessee under declarations of emergency moved forward in the House committee process this week.
Limiting the Tennessee Governor’s Emergency Powers.
A bill brought to lawmakers by the Tennessee Freedom Initiative would protect the constitutional rights of Tennesseans by prohibiting the governor from suspending any part of the Tennessee Constitution via issuance of an emergency order, proclamation, or rule.
This legislation would do so without impeding the governor’s ability to issue executive orders or proclamations in an emergency.
House Bill 324 (HB0324) is sponsored by Rep. Rusty Grills (R- Newbern-District 77) and passed by a 15-4 vote in the House State and Local Government Committee on Wednesday afternoon.
Voting in favor of HB0324 were Democrat Representatives Jesse Chism and Larry Miller, as well as Republican Representatives Jeff Burkhart, Michele Carringer, John Crawford, Rick Eldridge, Dan Howell, Tom Leatherwood, Mary Littleton, Greg Martin, Jake McCalmon, Tim Rudd, Iris Rudder, Todd Warner, and Dave Wright.
Democrat Representatives Vincent Dixie, Bo Mitchell, Jason Powell, and Gabby Salinas voted against the bill.
HB0324 was originally sponsored by Rep. Jody Barrett (R-Dickson-District 69) in the House.
However, this is one of many bills that Rep. Barrett has withdrawn from as sponsor after it was brought to his attention by bill supporters that his bills are not being allowed to move through the legislature this year.
The corresponding Senate Bill 27 (SB0027) is sponsored by Sen. Mark Pody (R-Lebanon- District 17) and has already passed in the Senate by a 27-2 vote.
House Bill 0324 now moves to the Calendar & Rules Committee for scheduling to be heard on the House Floor.
For more information on HB0324/SB0027, watch this interview with Tennessee Freedom Initiative Legislative Director, Kayla Garretson.
Preventing Public Officials from Declaring Lawful Occupations as “Non-Essential.”
A bill that would ensure that any Tennessean with a lawful occupation or means of livelihood could not be categorized as “non-essential” during future states of emergency as was previously done in the name of Covid-19.
The legislation also allows Tennesseans to bring suit against a state or local public official if they are declared “non-essential” and told they cannot go to work and provide for themselves or their family.
House Bill 562 (HB0562), sponsored by Rep. Monty Fritts (R-Kingston-District 32), passed in the House Public Service Subcommittee by a 5-1 vote on Wednesday morning.
“We believe that all citizens and all lawful occupations are indeed essential. This piece of legislation applies to lessons learned from what happened during the Covid years,” Rep. Fritts said in subcommittee. “It reaffirms that all legal work is honorable and serves a purpose in our communities. It reaffirms that each Tennessean has a right to pursue a lawful career of their choosing. It reaffirms the ability to earn a living is a basic civil right.”
As someone who was personally impacted by being categorized as “non-essential” under Covid-19 mandates, Rep. Jake McCalmon (R-Franklin-District 63) spoke in favor of HB0562.
“I was one of those people who was affected,” said Rep. McCalmon. “One of the hardest things I ever had to do was look fifty people in the eyes at five o’clock on March 17th actually, so this time five years ago, and tell them, ‘Hey y’all go home. We’re shutting our doors.’”
“You’ve got people who have never been able to recover from an atrocity that was shutting down legal occupations. So thank you so much for bringing this bill,” he said to Rep. Fritts, “and thank you for doing me the honor of being the co-sponsor of this bill with you. I couldn’t be more grateful for that.”
Representatives Jody Barrett and Bud Hulsey are also co-sponsors of HB0562 in the House.
Republican Representatives Jeff Burkhart, Rick Eldridge, Jake McCalmon, Iris Rudder, and Todd Warner voted in favor of the legislation.
Democrat Representative Gabby Salinas voted against it.
The corresponding Senate Bill 1048 (SB1048) is sponsored by Sen. Janice Bowling (R-Tullahoma-District 16) and has been assigned to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
“We ran a bill very similar to this last year,” Rep. Fritts told The Tennessee Conservative in a recent interview. “We faced some pushback on it last year. We did well with it in the House. It died in the Senate.”
House Bill 0562 will next be heard in the House State and Local Government Committee and has been placed on their schedule for 3/26/25. Contact info for the committee members is provided below.
HB0562 Summary: As introduced, prohibits a person, political subdivision, or public official, in connection with a state emergency, from categorizing or proclaiming by order, rule, or regulation that a lawful occupation is non-essential, or otherwise proclaiming by order, rule, or regulation that a lawful occupation is prohibited from operating based on what the lawful occupation is; specifies that a person harmed by a violation of the prohibition may bring a civil action for actual damages or declaratory relief.
Rep.john.crawford@capitol.tn.gov, rep.dave.wright@capitol.tn.gov, rep.rush.bricken@capitol.tn.gov, rep.jeff.burkhart@capitol.tn.gov, rep.ed.butler@capitol.tn.gov, rep.michele.carringer@capitol.tn.gov, rep.jesse.chism@capitol.tn.gov, rep.vincent.dixie@capitol.tn.gov, rep.rick.eldridge@capitol.tn.gov, rep.dan.howell@capitol.tn.gov, rep.tom.leatherwood@capitol.tn.gov, rep.mary.littleton@capitol.tn.gov, rep.greg.martin@capitol.tn.gov, rep.jake.mccalmon@capitol.tn.gov, rep.larry.miller@capitol.tn.gov, rep.bo.mitchell@capitol.tn.gov, rep.jerome.moon@capitol.tn.gov, rep.jason.powell@capitol.tn.gov, rep.dennis.powers@capitol.tn.gov, rep.tim.rudd@capitol.tn.gov, rep.iris.rudder@capitol.tn.gov, rep.gabby.salinas@capitol.tn.gov, rep.todd.warner@capitol.tn.gov
About the Author: Adelia Kirchner is a Tennessee resident and reporter for the Tennessee Conservative. Currently the host of Subtle Rampage Podcast, she has also worked for the South Dakota State Legislature and interned for Senator Bill Hagerty’s Office in Nashville, Tennessee. Adelia is The Tennessee Conservative’s on-site reporter for the Tennessee General Assembly. You can reach Adelia at adelia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
One Response
Thanx! Emailed them, ‘YES!!”, posted, “Tennesseans! Y’all help!!” to X.