Photo Credit: Speaker Cameron Sexton / Facebook
The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –
Yesterday afternoon, October 18, 2021, House Speaker Cameron Sexton released the parameters of the topics to be discussed at a Special Session on Medical Freedoms slated to follow Lee’s Special Session to discuss the funding of the Ford Megasite in Memphis.
According to the Office of Speaker Sexton, the language of the Special Session as outlined in the letter below was discussed by the Republican members of the House of Representatives and a copy has also been sent to the Democrat caucus for their consideration.
District 75 State Representative Bruce Griffey related to The Tennessee Conservative that it looks like “this thing’s going to happen.”
Please find the letter / petition here or below:
Honorable Cameron Sexton
Speaker of the House of Representatives
112th General Assembly
425 Rep. John Lewis Way, #600
Nashville, TN 37243
PETITION
Requesting the Speaker of the House of Representatives to call the House into session pursuant to Article II, Section 8 of the Constitution of Tennessee.
We, the undersigned members of the 112th General Assembly of the State of Tennessee, and members of the House of Representatives of such body, petition the above presiding officer to call this body back into session in Nashville upon similar action taken by the Senate, on October 27, 2021, at 4:00 p.m. (CDT) for the limited purposes of:
(1) Considering and acting upon legislation to establish uniform standards regarding facial coverings, vaccinations, and other restrictions relative to COVID-19; to address the enforcement and use of state funds by public and private entities for restrictions relative to COVID-19; to address adverse actions against an employee based on an employee’s vaccination status; to address the federal government’s commandeering of public and private resources relative to COVID-19; and to address the federal government’s penalizing, or taxation of, citizens of this state through enforcement of restrictions relative to COVID-19;
(2) Considering and acting upon legislation to address the creation, organization, and authority of local entities and officers charged with the promotion, protection, and maintenance, through local health services or directives, of the health of citizens of this state; to address the provision of monoclonal antibody treatment; and to address authorization to administer a COVID-19 vaccine to a minor without parental consent;
(3) Considering and acting upon legislation addressing liability of an employer, and compensation of an employee, for harm or injury suffered by an employee as the result of receiving a COVID-19 vaccine that was required or incentivized through the employee’s employment; and to address an employee’s receipt of unemployment benefits relative to COVID-19;
(4) Considering and acting upon legislation to address the length of time and enforcement of an executive order or proclamation issued by the governor under the governor’s emergency management powers; to address a district attorney general peremptorily refusing to prosecute all instances of a criminal offense without regard to facts or circumstances; to include cash as eligible collateral and adjust the amount of eligible collateral pledged for the deposit of public funds; and to address partisan elections of school board members; and
(5) Considering and acting upon legislation to make appropriations sufficient to provide the first year’s funding for any act which receives final passage during the extraordinary session; and to pay the expenses of the extraordinary session of the General Assembly, including the expenses of carrying out any actions taken pursuant to this call.
Note: Pages 2 through 5 of the petition were all spaces for signatures of the legislators.
In August, Speaker Sexton sent a letter to Governor Bill Lee, asking him to call a special session to address COVID-19 responses from the state’s school districts and local governments. The letter had been signed by all 73 House Republicans.
However, Lee declined the call, instead sidestepping and issuing Executive Order 84, giving parents the ability to opt their child out of a local mask mandate enacted by a school or health board.
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On September 30th, Lee announced that he was calling a special session Oct. 18 for legislators to discuss planning for Ford’s Blue Oval City at the Memphis Regional Megasite, specifically stating that there would be no discussion of mask mandates at this Special Session.
With the efforts of concerned Tennesseans and the leadership of Senator Janice Bowling (R-Tullahoma), a number of Tennessee Senators signed on in support of a Special Session on Medical Freedoms and on October 1st, House Speaker Cameron Sexton and Lt. Gov. Randy McNally released a joint statement proclaiming their intent to call a Special Session to address issues surrounding COVID-19.
Now, with the date of October 27th set as the date for the Special Session on Medical Freedoms, it appears the legislators are making the preparations needed to keep the session on course and focused on the issues that their constituents care about.
About the Author: Jason Vaughn, Media Coordinator for The Tennessee Conservative ~ Jason previously worked for a legacy publishing company based in Crossville, TN in a variety of roles through his career. Most recently, he served as Deputy Directory for their flagship publication. Prior, he was a freelance journalist writing articles that appeared in the Herald Citizen, the Crossville Chronicle and The Oracle among others. He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor’s in English-Journalism, with minors in Broadcast Journalism and History. Contact Jason at news@TennesseeConservativeNews.com
