Latest news with #R-Cosby
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pledge of Allegiance protests shut down Tennessee General Assembly committees
Tennessee House Republicans locked the doors to a committee room after a group of immigrant rights activists were escorted out of the public meeting for standing and repeatedly reciting the Pledge of Allegiance for several minutes. The House Banking and Consumer Affairs Subcommittee shut down on Wednesday afternoon as a group stood to recite the pledge in protest of a bill that could block some immigrant children from public schools and force private banks to collect citizenship documentation from customers. The committee later moved to a separate room and locked the doors, barring access to the public. Outside the new committee room, protestors crowded around the door to peer inside, banging on the door, floor and wall yelling, "Let kids learn! Let kids learn!" and "USA! USA!" HB 145 was deferred to next week. While protest disruptions are not new at the Tennessee General Assembly, the subcommittee's decision to move a committee's location mid-meeting and lock out members of the public is unusual. After the relocation, no members of the public were allowed inside unless they had previously signed up to testify on a bill. The committee was live streamed as usual. Rule 83 of the House of Representatives requires that all meetings, including committee and subcommittee meetings, be open to the public. The only exception is when a committee is considering a security matter, and takes a vote. State sunshine laws also require adequate notice of time and location of meetings, require meetings to be open ― and deems any action at a meeting held in violation of that law void. Before the initial meeting ended, Subcommittee Chair Tandy Darby, R-Greenfield, announced that the committee would 'be recessing to House Room IV.' No other notice was made on the legislature's website of the change of location for the meeting. House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, defended the meeting as compliant with House rules. "After multiple warnings and to prevent disruptions that threatened the democratic process, steps were taken to ensure the safety of members and staff," Sexton said in a statement to The Tennessean. "Chairman Darby announced the room change to everyone present and on the livestream, House staff received email notifications, those who had signed up to testify were allowed to do so and media had access. The hearing remained publicly accessible through livestreams and on TVs outside the committee rooms. I commend Chairman Darby, the Clerk's office, Sergeant at Arms and THP for their professionalism.' House Republican Caucus Chair Jeremy Faison, R-Cosby, told The Tennessean that he 'would be vehemently against us doing that as the norm,' but that the move was necessary to allow House business to continue. 'We can't stop. We have to be able to get through the day and get through the calendar,' Faison said. 'You can't act like that.' Faison said he held the members-only back door to the committee room open to allow some members of the media inside the hearing room. 'When you act like that, you've given up your rights to be a spectator of this. Your voice is here through your elected representative and your elected senator. That's your voice,' Faison said. 'I think their purpose was to disrupt it, and make sure something doesn't pass. If we allowed that type of behavior, we could never get anything done.' Darby did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether his decision to exclude the public complied with House rules. The same protestors temporarily shut down the Senate Education Committee hours later over a different bill that would require families to pay tuition to attend public schools if they don't submit citizenship or legal residency proof. Sen. Dawn White, R-Murfreesboro, immediately gaveled the committee out when a group rose and began reciting the pledge. Tennessee Highway Patrol later cleared the room, telling dozens gathered in the hallway they would be allowed to reenter but would be escorted out if they continued to be disruptive. The Tennessee Highway Patrol blocked access to two of the three doors used to access the committee room, and later required a Tennessean reporter to present a media pass to reenter. As White and other senators returned to the room, 77-year-old Bill Howell and another woman rose from the audience and began reciting the pledge. Howell walked out of the room when approached by officers, while another group of protestors then stood and picked up the recitation. The protests continued as White attempted to continue business. Howell said he was moved to protest due to the "injustice that's being perpetrated by this legislature and, in this case, the denial of an education to young children." "Education is a right, and what they're trying to do is a violation of the Constitution," Howell, a Nashville native, said. Justin Wilkins and his daughter Emmie traveled from Chattanooga on Wednesday to protest the proposed legislation. Wilkins said the right to access a free and public education is one of the "greatest American values." "The audacity of these folks to come at our kids and try to deny them an education just because of where they are from — I can't think of anything more unAmerican," Wilkins said. "I can't think of anything that would be a greater betrayal of American values than coming after children to take education from them." Rep. Monty Fritts, R-Kingston, called the demonstrators 'Marxist activists' who were 'making a mockery of the Pledge of Allegiance' in a social media post. Fritts, who shared his video from the hearing room, does not sit on the subcommittee. 'They hate the country. They hate the citizens of Tennessee, and are pushing for illegals to take over,' Fritts said on the video. 'These are the kind of people that come to Nashville routinely. This is not freedom of speech, this is hating of the country.' Education access for immigrant children has emerged as a lightning rod issue for the 2025 legislative session. Senate Bill 1044 failed in Senate Education on Thursday, while action was deferred in the House on the education and banking bill. But a GOP leadership-backed bill is making steady progress through both chambers and will likely draw additional heated protests. The House version, HB 793, would allow local schools to deny enrollment to any child unable to prove they are a U.S. citizen or legal resident in the country. The Senate version now differs from the House, but its sponsors say they are working together to find a compromise on the language. Leaders in both the Senate and House have acknowledged the legislation is intended to directly challenge the U.S. Supreme Court's Plyler v. Doe decision, which prohibits states from barring children of undocumented immigrants from attending public schools. If a version of the legislation passes the General Assembly, it would likely trigger an immediate lawsuit. Democrats have criticized the effort of using taxpayer funds to trigger legal battles. The legislation is expected to receive lengthy committee debate in both the Senate and the House next week. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: TN legislative committees shut down amid Pledge of Allegiance protests
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Leaders pushing for more access to naloxone to combat opioid epidemic
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Tennessee has started to see a shift with respect to the opioid epidemic. While the number of overdoses happening within the state remains high, according to the Tennessee Department of Health's overdose dashboard, there has been some relief with respect to total drug overdoses over time. Lawmakers and law enforcement agencies hope one tool can keep the momentum going. 📧 Have breaking news come to you: → 'Mental illness and substance abuse is something near and dear to me,' state representative Jeremy Faison (R-Cosby) said before the Civil Justice Subcommittee. 'I dare say that everybody sitting here today doesn't know somebody who's overdosed.' It's a conversation being held at the state's highest level. Lawmakers have taken a closer look at how overdoses impact Tennesseans, as Michael Hotz with the Metro Nashville Police Department's Overdose Unit reported that the city saw 513 overdose deaths last year. 'Five hundred and thirteen is way too many,' Hotz added. 'That's way too many mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters and that's something we seek to change.' Hotz called it a 30.4% reduction in overdose deaths for Nashville. While the number is a significant drop, Hotz said there's still something missing. 'We know that that's the only thing if someone is fallen over, dying from a fentanyl overdose — the only thing that will help is naloxone,' said George Massengill, who testified in favor of Rep. Faison's bill. Faison pointed to Tennessee's opioid abatement council, which was established after a lawsuit against Purdue Pharma. The lawsuit resulted in Tennessee receiving $1.2 billion over 18 years to combat the crisis. Faison's bill proposes that 25% of those opioid abatement funds be allocated to naloxone, a life-saving medication that reverses opioid overdoses. Faison said currently, only 6-8% of the funds are being used on naloxone. It's an effort that is being echoed on a local level, with the MNPD working to distribute Narcan boxes to more areas throughout the city. 'Having naloxone and Narcan products in the general public is crucial,' Hotz said. ⏩ During a community meeting, Hotz explained that more than 6,000 overdose kits were distributed to different communities last year. He hopes to expand the program. 'Did y'all know that Nashville has the second-highest rate of overdose deaths in the United States? Not enough people know that,' Hotz said. 'I would like to facilitate getting Narcan or naloxone products into your churches.' Faison's bill is expected to pass with bipartisan support. It is set to be up for discussion again Wednesday morning. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Leaders pushing for more access to naloxone to combat opioid epidemic
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Tennessee has started to see a shift with respect to the opioid epidemic. While the number of overdoses happening within the state remains high, according to the Tennessee Department of Health's overdose dashboard, there has been some relief with respect to total drug overdoses over time. Lawmakers and law enforcement agencies hope one tool can keep the momentum going. 📧 Have breaking news come to you: → 'Mental illness and substance abuse is something near and dear to me,' state representative Jeremy Faison (R-Cosby) said before the Civil Justice Subcommittee. 'I dare say that everybody sitting here today doesn't know somebody who's overdosed.' It's a conversation being held at the state's highest level. Lawmakers have taken a closer look at how overdoses impact Tennesseans, as Michael Hotz with the Metro Nashville Police Department's Overdose Unit reported that the city saw 513 overdose deaths last year. 'Five hundred and thirteen is way too many,' Hotz added. 'That's way too many mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters and that's something we seek to change.' Hotz called it a 30.4% reduction in overdose deaths for Nashville. While the number is a significant drop, Hotz said there's still something missing. 'We know that that's the only thing if someone is fallen over, dying from a fentanyl overdose — the only thing that will help is naloxone,' said George Massengill, who testified in favor of Rep. Faison's bill. Faison pointed to Tennessee's opioid abatement council, which was established after a lawsuit against Purdue Pharma. The lawsuit resulted in Tennessee receiving $1.2 billion over 18 years to combat the crisis. Faison's bill proposes that 25% of those opioid abatement funds be allocated to naloxone, a life-saving medication that reverses opioid overdoses. Faison said currently, only 6-8% of the funds are being used on naloxone. It's an effort that is being echoed on a local level, with the MNPD working to distribute Narcan boxes to more areas throughout the city. 'Having naloxone and Narcan products in the general public is crucial,' Hotz said. ⏩ During a community meeting, Hotz explained that more than 6,000 overdose kits were distributed to different communities last year. He hopes to expand the program. 'Did y'all know that Nashville has the second-highest rate of overdose deaths in the United States? Not enough people know that,' Hotz said. 'I would like to facilitate getting Narcan or naloxone products into your churches.' Faison's bill is expected to pass with bipartisan support. It is set to be up for discussion again Wednesday morning. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
