Image Credit: TN General Assembly
The Tennessee Conservative [By Olivia Lupia] –
A bill sponsored by Rep. Elaine Davis (R-Knoxville-District 18) which would expand Tennessee citizens’ First Amendment rights while speaking at public meetings has passed the House State and Local Government Committee, the final hurdle the bill needed to clear before consideration by the full House.
HB0022 is an expansion of legislation carried by Davis last year that mandated citizens be allowed to speak at all meetings of public governing bodies.
However, last year’s bill only codified the right of Tennesseans to speak to items on the agenda at open meetings.
Davis’ expansion seeks to remedy this loophole, giving constituents the right to speak on any topic in front of the body, on the agenda or not, so long as the speaker is addressing, “any matter germane to the jurisdiction of the governing body.”
During Wednesday’s committee meeting, Rep. Davis reassured members that the governing bodies would still maintain control over the amount of time speakers may share and other restrictions to maintain order and allow all viewpoints of an issue to be heard.
Rep. Todd Warner (R-Chapel Hill-District 92) expressed support for the legislation, calling it, “a great bill,” while Rep. Rick Eldridge (R-Morristown-District 10) stated he would not be supporting the bill because he believes that the desire for additional public comment should stem from the governing bodies wanting to hear constituents, not through force by legislation. “Just because you’re making them listen, they’re probably still not hearing,” he said.
The final vote was 14-7 in favor of recommendation to the full House. Members voting “Yes” were Bricken, Burkhart, Butler, Carringer, Dixie (Democrat), Howell, Leatherwood, Martin G, McCalmon, Miller (Democrat), Mitchell (Democrat), Moon, Warner, and Wright.
Four of the seven votes against came from Republican Reps. Crawford, Eldridge, Littleton, and Rudder. The remaining three were from Democrats Chism, Powell, and Salinas. Reps. Rudd and Powers were absent.
The bill was referred to the House Calendar & Rules Committee and a date of March 10th has been set for the legislation to be considered by the full House.
If you would like to contact your State Representative to ask them to support this legislation, you can find their contact information by using the Tennessee Elected Legislator Finder.
The Tennessee Conservative will continue to keep our readers informed of the legislation’s progress.
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.
