Tennessee's special legislative session continued today with the House meeting at 2 p.m. and the Senate meeting at 4 p.m. CDT. In the House, spectators in the gallery expressed anger after the body voted 70-20 to silence Rep. Justin Jones, D-Nashville, for the day. The Tennessean reports that Jones earlier had been ruled out of order twice by House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville. Democrats walked out of the session after the vote and Sexton ordered troopers to clear the balconies. In the Senate, leaders continued to refuse to open up the committee process and consider more proposals despite a call from Gov. Bill Lee to do so. Lee reportedly asked the Senate to consider 12 previously tabled bills in an effort to broker a compromise with House leadership. The paper has a summary of the bills in question.

Davidson County Chancellor Anne Martin held an expedited hearing at 11 a.m. CDT today in a legal dispute over a decision by the Tennessee House of Representatives to ban protest signs during a specially called session on public safety. Martin heard arguments from the state and ACLU, which filed suit on behalf of three attendees who were removed from a committee hearing after holding up small signs. The group argued that their free speech rights were violated. For the state, Assistant Attorney General Cody Brandon argued the signs were disruptive and that Martin overstepped her authority by temporarily blocking the rules. Martin did not immediately rule but vowed to issue a quick, thorough and thoughtful decision. Read more from the Tennessean.

An expedited hearing has been scheduled by Davidson County Chancellor Anne Martin for Monday in response to a legal dispute regarding the Tennessee House of Representatives' decision to prohibit protest signs during the special legislative session. The Tennessee Lookout reports that a temporary restraining order remains in place, preventing the enforcement of the ban on signs, as granted by Martin earlier this week. House Republican leaders claim that the temporary restraining order “intrudes on the core exercise of a co-equal branch’s authority” and that “disregard for separation of powers in this instance threatens to erode the structural protections that fortify the judicial and executive branches against undue incursion by the General Assembly.” WSMV has more on their arguments.

Lawmakers will return for a second week of the special session after the state Senate met briefly as a full body today and then adjourned until Monday at 4 p.m. CDT, according to the Nashville Post. The House was scheduled to meet today at 3 p.m. CDT but was delayed by extended committee meetings. The leaders of the two chambers are seeking to reach a compromise on how many bills will be considered during the special session. The Senate yesterday passed four bills and closed its committees. House committees remain open. Yesterday, a bill that would have allowed more people to carry guns on school grounds failed on a tie vote in the House Education Administration Committee. Earlier in the day HB7064 had passed the House Civil Justice Committee. Local Memphis reports on that proposal.

The Tennessee Senate today passed three bills coming out of the Senate Judiciary Committee: a measure to remove sales tax on gun safes and provide free gun locks to Tennessee residents; a proposal to change the deadline for courts to submit records to the state background check database; and a bill to require the TBI to create an updated report on human trafficking. Additionally, the Tennessean reports that the Senate passed $16.3 million in bonus funding for mental health workers, $3 million for mental health scholarships and $10 million for a stop-gap measure to allow for more security officers in schools. Other bills, including a risk protection order proposal, a bill to arm teachers,  expanded funding and insurance coverage for mental health treatment, and a bill that would allow certain minors to be tried as adults for certain offenses that were passed by House committees, were tabled in the Senate. Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, also announced that Senate leadership plans to meet with House leaders to determine a path to adjourn the special session.

Earlier today, Davidson County Chancellor Anne Martin issued a temporary restraining order against the Tennessee House of Representatives’ new rule barring signs in the galleries, the Tennessean reports. The order follows a lawsuit filed this morning by the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee after three activists were removed by state troopers from a hearing on gun reform after being told to lower paper signs and not clap during the proceedings. A hearing on the temporary injunction is scheduled for Sept. 5.

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.