Gov. Bill Lee issues first-ever veto to reject bill making it easier to deny parole
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — For the first time since taking office in 2019, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has vetoed a bill approved by state lawmakers. The bill would expand the Board of Parole's authority to deny early release based on the severity of the offense.
The bill would've taken effect immediately upon becoming law. The Tennessee General Assembly could override the veto with a simple majority in the next legislative session.
Under current state law, the Board of Parole must consider multiple factors when considering a parole application including prior criminal history and in-prison program participation. However, parole can be rejected solely on the seriousness of the crime for 22 specific offenses like murder, human trafficking, rape, and aggravated child abuse.
'Targeting the most vulnerable' Second Harvest Executive Director reacts to food distribution scam post
HB 527/SB 455 would have allowed the board to reject parole applications based on the seriousness of the offense regardless of the crime.
The Associated Press reported that Lee wrote in a veto letter to lawmakers that the measure would be a 'step backwards from safer Tennessee communities' and would undermine a key component of the bipartisan Reentry Success Act of 2021 that creates incentives for the completion of re-entry education programs in an effort to reduce recidivism.
The Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference, which represents District Attorneys General from the state's 32 judicial districts, issued a statement criticizing the veto and urged lawmakers to override the decision.
▶ See more top stories on WATE.com
This legislation strikes the right balance. It supports rehabilitation while affirming the seriousness of crime. It protects victims. It promotes public safety. We are disappointed Governor Lee has chosen to stand in opposition to these goals. His veto sends the wrong message to victims, to law enforcement, and to the citizens of this state. We implore the legislature to override his decision.
Partial statement from the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WATE 6 On Your Side.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Bloomberg
15 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
South Korea Says Trump Agrees to Ramp Up Tariff Talks With Lee
South Korea said newly elected President Lee Jae-myung spoke for the first time with Donald Trump and agreed to seek 'tangible results' in trade negotiations, after the US leader imposed a 25% tariff on all imports from its Asian ally. 'The two presidents agreed to work toward a mutually satisfactory agreement on tariff consultations between South Korea and the US as soon as possible,' presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a statement after Friday's talks. The nations would have 'working-level negotiations,' she added.
Associated Press
26 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Judge says administration can dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Friday denied a request by the American Library Association to halt the Trump administration's further dismantling of an agency that funds and promotes libraries across the country, saying that recent court decisions suggested his court lacked jurisdiction to hear the matter. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon had previously agreed to temporarily block the Republican administration, saying that plaintiffs were likely to show that Trump doesn't have the legal authority to unilaterally shutter the Institute of Museum and Library Services, which was created by Congress. But in Friday's ruling, Leon wrote that as much as the 'Court laments the Executive Branch's efforts to cut off this lifeline for libraries and museums,' recent court decisions suggested that the case should be heard in a separate court dedicated to contractual claims. He cited the Supreme Court's decision allowing the administration to cut hundreds of millions of dollars in teacher-training money despite a lower court order barring the cuts, saying that cases seeking reinstatement of federal grants should be heard in the Court of Federal Claims. The American Library Association and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees filed a lawsuit to stop the administration from gutting the institute after President Donald Trump signed a March 14 executive order that refers to it and several other federal agencies as 'unnecessary.' The agency's appointed acting director then placed many agency staff members on administrative leave, sent termination notices to most of them, began canceling grants and contracts and fired all members of the National Museum and Library Services Board. The institute has roughly 75 employees and issued more than $266 million in grants last year. However, a Rhode Island judge's order prohibiting the government from shutting down the museum and library services institute in a separate case brought by several states remains in place. The administration is appealing that order as well.
Fox News
26 minutes ago
- Fox News
Charlamagne says Swalwell should 'cut it the f--- out' with claim he didn't know of Biden's decline
Radio host Charlamagne Tha God reflected Thursday on his interview with Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., earlier this week, slamming the congressman's claim he was not aware of then-President Joe Biden's decline. Charlamagne grilled Swalwell on Tuesday's episode of his "The Breakfast Club" radio show. He said Democrats "got on television and pretended to act like everything was fine" and asked Swalwell, "Why should we ever trust the Democratic Party after they lied to us [for] so long about President Biden?" Swalwell defended himself and his fellow Democrats throughout the podcast, claiming, "I don't think many of us were behind the scenes, to be honest. I didn't spend much time with President Biden behind the scenes." On Thursday, Charlamagne shared his disgust with Swalwell's answers to his "Brilliant Idiots" co-host, comedian Andrew Schulz. "I kept asking him a simple question over and over, 'Why should we ever trust Democrats ever again, knowing that y'all upheld this lie?'" Charlamagne said. After a clip of the interview, Schulz responded, "We clearly can't trust the Democrats that are currently in power that upheld the lie." "Anybody that wants to be the future of the party has to throw the Biden s--- under the bus," Charlamagne said. "Now, Eric and all of these guys are like, 'But we didn't know.' You gotta cut it the f--- out! You're actually around him!" Charlamagne, like Schulz, noted he has never met Biden in person, "but we've got eyes." "If they couldn't be honest about that, would they be honest about anything in the future?" Charlamagne asked, restating his point. He then addressed CNN host Jake Tapper and his new "Original Sin" book about the Biden cover-up as too little, too late. "You've got the same eyes, the same ears that I have. Way before that debate you had to see what we all were seeing," Charlamagne said, arguing journalists should have had the integrity to tell people what was going on. "Maybe that would have pushed him out way earlier." Schulz, who interviewed Trump during the campaign, argued that there is a double standard when podcasters are hammered for not asking this or that question to a politician guest, but those same critics turn a blind eye to legacy media personalities who "literally protected the guy who was unfit for office." Charlamagne agreed, calling on people to hold CNN and MSNBC to the same standard they hold podcasters. "I think that, like, the legacy Democrats still believe that people believe them," Schulz said, drawing laughter from Charlamagne. "And they are the last ones that believe that." Fox News Digital reached out to Swalwell for comment.
