NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee House has passed legislation that would no longer require Gov. Bill Lee to sign a proclamation naming a day each year after a Confederate general and early Ku Klux Klan leader.
Among the critics of the day dedicated to Nathan Bedford Forrest is GOP U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who last summer called for Lee to change the law. Thursday's vote moves action to the Senate.
The Republican governor pushed the legislation, which initially sought to eliminate Nathan Bedford Forrest Day.
House lawmakers amended it to keep the day, but remove the requirement that the governor sign proclamations for special days of observance.