The Tennessee General Assembly continued its second day of a special legislative session called by Gov. Bill Lee focused on public safety proposals in response to the shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville last March, reports the Tennessean. The special session began with the adoption of new rules governing the proceedings and announcing committee assignments for two representatives expelled from the chamber in April for participating in a protest on the House floor. House subcommittees passed legislation addressing keeping minors’ autopsy reports private, allowing law enforcement officers, the military and handgun carry permit holders to carry a handgun openly or concealed in public schools and buses, establishing a loan forgiveness program for mental health professionals and several bills addressing school safety.

The Senate Judiciary Committee passed legislation eliminating sales tax on gun safes, requiring the TBI to give an updated report on human trafficking and the creation of a new deadline for court records to be entered into the state database used for background checks. Spectators crowded the committee rooms and three protesters were physically removed from the House Civil Justice Subcommittee for holding up signs during the committee proceedings. No end date for the session has been established. Senate and House Committees are scheduled to meet tomorrow at 8 am.

Secretary of State Tre Hargett has named Bledsoe County native and Chattanooga resident Christina Temple as the department’s new chief of staff. Temple will serve as a senior adviser to Hargett and handle legislative affairs. Additionally, Temple will play a critical role in strengthening the department’s relationships within state government. Temple served as the New Hampshire state director for the Republication National Committee during the 2022 election cycle. Before that, she worked as coordinator on the delegates and party organization team on former President Donald Trump’s 2020 campaign. As a political consultant at Hill City Strategies, Temple has worked on various political campaigns.

House Democratic Caucus Chair John Ray Clemmons of Nashville is calling for an audit of Gov. Bill Lee’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives after concerns were raised about the allocation and transparency of $1.2 million in taxpayer funds provided to the office. Clemmons has asked the state comptroller to examine both the state office and its affiliated nonprofit, the Faith Based and Community Initiatives Foundation. The Tennessean reports that the audit request comes amid questions about the use of the funds and the operational effectiveness of the office, including the redirection of its website to a non-related site and a lack of recent social media activity.

Tennessee’s Black Caucus is urging Tennessee State University’s (TSU) President Glenda Glover to remain at the helm of the university through 2025 to provide stability, saying she has been “unfairly targeted” by Republican lawmakers. The Tennessee Lookout reports that Rep. Sam McKenzie, D-Knoxville, and the chair of the caucus, says Glover’s announcement that she will retire from TSU in June 2024 “seems rushed,” coming on the heels of an uproar over a campus housing crunch that triggered a comptroller’s audit.

State House members have filed 15 bills so far for consideration during the special legislative session, including two from House Majority Leader William Lamberth, R-Portland. His first proposal, HB7007, would block the release of sensitive county medical examiner and autopsy reports of minor children who are victims of violent crime. WKRN reports on that bill. His second, HB7012, would require the state to provide free firearm locks and lessons on safe gun storage. In addition, Rep. Gino Bulso, R-Brentwood, has introduced HB7005 to clarify that private schools serving students in any of the grades of pre-kindergarten through 12th can permit handgun carry on their property.

Senate Speaker Pro Tempore Ferrell Haile announced yesterday he has drafted legislation that would make any threat of violence against four or more people a felony, reports the Tennessean. Threats would include the use of firearms, vehicles, a bomb or other weapon. Penalties would be increased for threats against schools, churches, government buildings or other locations where 250 or more people gather daily. Currently, a threat of mass violence at a school is a misdemeanor offense. Haile plans to file the bill during the Tennessee General Assembly’s upcoming special session.

Gov. Bill Lee's decision to focus a special legislative session on new and stricter penalties for children and teens within Tennessee's juvenile justice system has sparked criticism from juvenile judges and youth advocates, the Tennessee Lookout reports. The plan, which could send kids to adult courts and prisons and limit confidentiality of juvenile records, does not address the root causes of violence such as occurred at the Covenant School, critics say. They also note that youth crime in the state has declined significantly.

Gov. Bill Lee's proposal to temporarily restrict gun access for those deemed a danger won't be addressed in the upcoming special session responding to the Covenant School shooting. Axios Nashville reports that Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, cited lack of conservative support as the reason. Although not on the current agenda, the possibility remains open for lawmakers to introduce and discuss the measure during the session.

Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, who is senior counsel at Covington & Burling in Washington, D.C., is calling on Tennessee Republican House Speaker Cameron Sexton to fully reinstate" Jones to all rights, duties and privileges of his office before the special session begins. That would include reinstating Jones to his committee assignments, the Times Free Press reports. Last Thursday, Nashville voters returned Jones to his seat after he was expelled for joining in pro-gun control protests inside the House chamber in the days following a shooting at The Covenant School.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has issued a proclamation calling for a special legislative session beginning on Aug. 21 to address public safety. In addition to his previously unveiled proposal to provide authority for courts to issue mental health orders of protection — which would temporarily remove guns from those deemed dangerous to themselves or others — Lee identified 17 other areas for legislative action focusing on the safe storage of firearms, mental health services and school safety policies. House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, has said he would like to see the legislature use the special session to focus on juvenile crime, mentioning bills that would raise the age at which youth can have their records expunged and lowering the age at which they can be tried as adults. WPLN has more on his comments. House Minority Leader Karen Camper, D-Memphis, said she was disappointed with the scope of the special session, saying she was hoping for a "serious discussion about gun reform in Tennessee." The Tennessean has more on reaction from the capitol.