Image: From Left – Rep. John Gillespie, Gov. Bill Lee and Sen. Brent Taylor. Image Credit: Senator Brent Taylor / Facebook
The Tennessee Conservative [By Adelia Kirchner] –
On Thursday Gov. Bill Lee (R-TN) signed a bill into law that would allow Tennessee law enforcement agencies to operate at their full legal capacity by prohibiting local government from putting limits on that capacity.
The Memphis Flyer previously claimed that this legislation “could undo strides in public safety” as it results in the nullification of Memphis’ “Driving Equality Act.”
HB1931/SB2572, sponsored by Rep. John Gillespie (R-Memphis-District 97) and Sen. Brent Taylor (R-Memphis-District 31), passed in the House of Representatives by a 68-24 vote on March 7th, 2024, and passed by a 26-6 vote in the Senate only a week later.
This legislation was brought in response to a Memphis city ordinance that banned local police from making traffic stops for secondary violations like license plates not being secured to the appropriate location on a vehicle, but still clearly displayed or single brake light, headlight, and running light outages.
The city’s “Driving Equality Act” was passed back in April of 2023 by the Memphis City Council following the death of Tyre Nichols that January.
Despite objection from Nichols’ parents and other supporters of the ordinance, Gov. Lee argued that Nichols’ death should be cause for better accountability for officers abusing their power, not for local limits on law enforcement’s legal capacity.
“I think what’s most important for us to remember is that we can give law enforcement tools, but we’ve got to hold law enforcement to a standard of using those tools appropriately, where there’s an appropriate interaction with the public,” Gov. Lee stated.
The legal team for Nichols’ parents reportedly responded to the governor’s signing of HB1931/SB2572 with one word, “SHAME.”
In Tennessee, whenever a bill is passed by both chambers of the state legislature it is sent to the governor for his signature.
The governor may choose to sign the bill into law, veto it and send it back to the legislature, or he can allow the bill to become law without his signature by letting it sit on his desk unsigned for a ten-day period.
Since taking office in 2019, Gov. Lee has never used his veto power on a piece of legislation passed by the Tennessee General Assembly.
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.
You can reach Adelia at adelia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
