KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Governor Bill Lee was at Pellissippi State Community College on Wednesday, where he spoke briefly about the special session on public safety that wrapped up on Tuesday.
Gov. Bill Lee called for the special session after a deadly school shooting in Nashville at The Covenant School, where six people died in total. Three were children. Lee called for the session so lawmakers could pass bills focused on public safety.
Three bills were passed, as well as an appropriations bill that sets aside millions of dollars for mental health programs and school safety programs.
The three bills that passed are listed below.
- SB 7088: Requires the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to submit a report on child and human trafficking crimes and trends in the state by Dec. 1, 2023, and each Dec. 1 thereafter.
- SB 7086: Requires clerks of circuit or general sessions courts to notify the TBI of the final disposition of criminal proceedings within 72 hours, instead of 30 days.
- SB 7085: Directs the Department of Safety to provide free firearm locks to Tennessee residents if they ask for them, and requires handgun safety courses to contain instruction on safe gun storage.
Lee had previously proposed a bill that would implement a temporary mental health order of protection, giving law enforcement the ability to ask judges to dispossess someone's guns if they pose a threat to themselves or others. That bill was not passed at the special session.
"What's important to remember is, not only did we pass four pieces of legislation that were important — we funded over $100 million of new resources for higher education safety grants in a place like Pellissippi State, we funded mental health resources, and in particular we funded resources for the uninsured through the safety net for mental health resources," said Lee.
The special session ended in anger when onlookers and protesters at the Capitol made it known after the final gavel they were not pleased with the outcome of what lawmakers had accomplished. Chants of "fascists" had also exploded in the House of Representatives following a vote to silence a member of the Tennessee Three the day before.
"There was progress. Whenever you have progress, you should celebrate that progress. And what's most important about the success of the special session is that it started a very robust conversation that will continue into sessions beyond. Our state will be safer because of what happened last week, and because of what will happen in the future," said Lee.