Image Credit: Tennessee General Assembly
The Tennessee Conservative [By Olivia Lupia] –
On Tuesday, with Governor Lee’s special session in full swing, the omnibus bill intended to address illegal immigration, SB6002, passed through several Senate committees which discussed the feasibility of different components and then voted whether to refer the bill further.
SB6002 has four main components:
1) Creation of Centralized Immigration Enforcement Division (CIEO), with a proposed $500,000 fiscal note for its operations.
2) Allocation of $5 million for the Immigration Enforcement Grant Program (under federal 287(g) program)
3) Raises standards for state-issued IDs to differentiate between US citizens and others
4) Enhances consequences for violating Sanctuary City bans/policies
The bill’s first stop was the Government Operations Committee, where Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson (R-Dist. 27- Franklin), the bill’s Senate sponsor, was given the floor to explain and advocate for the bill.
“Governor Lee included this subject matter in the legislation you’re about to consider in the call for this special legislative session because he believes, and I certainly concur, that we need to make sure that Tennessee is fully prepared to cooperate with the Trump administration’s efforts,” he said.
Johnson also provided an overview of an amendment to the bill which he stated would make some clarifying corrections to the original bill:
– Specifies that only permanent driver’s licenses and photo IDs are valid for voter identification, explicitly excluding temporary IDs.
– Allow for local law enforcement agencies to negotiate agreements under the federal 287(g) program directly with federal officials, bypassing the need for approval from local governing bodies.
– Includes a sunset provision on this new division of immigration enforcement by terminating it at the end of President Trump’s current term.
After Johnson’s speech, Chair Jackson called for a voice vote on the amendment, which passed unanimously, and the final vote was 7-1 in favor of recommending the bill.
Members voting “Aye” by roll call vote were Janice Bowling, Rusty Crowe, Tom Hatcher, Ed Jackson, Paul Rose, Jessie Seal, and Steve Southerland. The lone “No” was Democrat Senator Charlane Oliver, and Sen. Sara Kyle did not vote.
Next, in the Transportation and Safety Committee, Senator Bo Watson (R-Dist. 11- Hixon) presented the bill as one of its prime co-sponsors. Some clarifying questions were asked regarding logistical implementations, but there was no major pushback to any portions under the committee’s purview.
The voting result was 8-1 in favor of recommendation. Members voting “Aye” were, Paul Bailey, Richard Briggs, Tom Hatcher, Mark Pody, Bill Powers, Becky Massey, Jessie Seal, and Brent Taylor. The only “No” vote came from Democrat Heidi Campbell.
Finally, SB6002 landed in the Senate Judiciary Committee, where Senator Watson again explained the bill to the committee and the floor was then opened for lengthy discussion and questions.
The biggest controversy of the meeting came when Chairman Todd Gardenhire (R-Dist.10-Chattanooga) sprung an amendment on the committee that would, in essence, strip the provision creating legal consequences for elected officials who oppose the enforcement of immigration policies.
Gardenhire stated, “This basically deletes any reference to a criminal penalty for an elected official voting their conscience on any bill, anywhere. It could be gun rights, it could be abortion rights, it could be any rights that an elected official feels that they should represent their district that they’re elected to.”
He offered no time for discussion or debate, trying to force an immediate voice vote, but was stopped by Sen. Watson’s interjections, who chastised Gardenhire for not notifying the bill’s sponsors of the amendment.
“I consider this an unfriendly amendment to my colleagues. This is an attempt to remove a section that does not apply to gun rights, it does not apply to abortion rights, it applies to this specific piece of legislation [SB6002] and this specific law. And to convolute that with other issues is just not an accurate representation of what this section of this act would do. And I find it to be an offensive amendment and I would ask that the committee not adopt it,” he rebutted.
Through the course of debate, Sen. Kerry Roberts (R- Dist. 23- Springfield) also made a statement against the amendment, “We’re having a discussion over whether or not it should be illegal for a local elected official to do something that’s illegal. It’s already illegal from a state standpoint, it’s illegal from a federal standpoint, and we’re just adding some enforcement to it.”
Gardenhire tried to claim the amendment passed on a voice vote, despite not being able to hear any other “Aye” than Gardenhire’s on video record of the meeting, and several other committee members then demanded a roll call vote, which killed the amendment in a 6-3 “No” vote. The three votes in favor of the amendment were Gardenhire and the two Democrat members.
Democrat Heidi Campbell (Dist. 20-Nashville) also proposed an amendment that would prohibit law enforcement from applying immigration laws within 1,000 feet of schools, places of worship, hospitals, and other areas “critical to public wellbeing.” This second amendment was soundly defeated 7-2 against.
The final vote on the bill’s recommendation was 6-3 in favor. Members voting “Aye” were Bobby Harshbarger, Kerry Roberts, Paul Rose, John Stevens, Brent Taylor, and Dawn White. Members voting “No” were Chairman Gardenhire, and Democrats Heidi Campbell, and London Lamar.
The bill is on the Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for Wednesday, 1/29. Its House companion, HB6001, has been placed on the House Immigration Committee of Extraordinary Session for 1/29 after passing through the House on second consideration.
The full bill is ultimately anticipated to be voted upon by both chambers by the end of the week.
Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
