NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A lawmaker from East Tennessee proposed amending the state constitution to prohibit lawmakers who were expelled from returning to their seats for at least four years. The resolution comes after the Tennessee Three attracted national attention.
The group was made up of Rep. Justin Jones (D - Nashville), Rep. Justin Pearson (D - Memphis), and Rep. Gloria Johnson (D - Knoxville). In 2023, they approached "the well" while demonstrators called for gun reform in the House of Representatives. The group had a megaphone and a sign urging lawmakers to pass gun restrictions.
Johnson later said the group brought the megaphone after their microphones were cut off by the House's Republican leadership during previous debates on bills. She was also the only member to survive the vote and kept her seat. The resolution expelling her claimed she joined with Jones and Pearson in shouting for change, but she repeatedly denied it.
"I absolutely never yelled," she said in 2023 as lawmakers considered expelling her. "We may have broken a House rule by coming to this well, but much of what is in this document is false."
Special elections were held to replace Jones and Pearson. Both lawmakers easily won those special elections, holding their own seats in an interim capacity. Then, after official elections were held, Jones and Pearson returned to the Capitol in full capacity.
All the while, the Tennessee Three garnered national attention. Members met President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to discuss gun reform. Later, Johnson launched a bid to serve as a senator in the U.S. Senate.
Rep. Bryan Richey (R - Maryville) filed HJR 0706 ahead of the 2024 legislative session. It's a constitutional amendment that would effectively prohibit lawmakers expelled from the General Assembly from returning for four years.
It also includes language emphasizing that lawmakers could expel other lawmakers with a two-thirds vote. Tennessee has a Republican supermajority, meaning Republicans fill more than two-thirds of the seats in the Capitol. This year, the House of Representatives has 75 Republicans and 24 Democrats. The Senate includes 27 Republicans and six Democrats.
The proposed resolution will be discussed in the House's Public Service Subcommittee.