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Virus liability protection, telehealth measures among bills to be considered during special session

Gov. Lee said lawmakers need to adopt a law to protect against "frivolous lawsuits" over COVID-19

Liability protection from virus litigation, a boost for telemedicine and steps to thwart vandalism around the state Capitol will be taken up by state lawmakers next week during a special session in Nashville, Gov. Bill Lee said Tuesday.

Lawmakers ended their session in June without passing legislation to protect businesses, non-profits, health care workers and schools that could face "frivolous" lawsuits over steps taken or not taken amid the coronavirus pandemic, Lee said.

It remained a key issue GOP General Assembly leaders wanted to address. They'll get that chance starting next Monday.

Lee said his administration was preparing a bill that included retroactive protections to send to the Legislature. He said it'd be up to lawmakers to modify the bill and decide what they thought was constitutional.

Special sessions -- calling back all 99 House members and 33 Senate members -- are rare in Tennessee.

"Organizations and indivudals face enough uncertainty" without becoming the subject a lawsuits over the virus, Lee said.

The governor said he also wanted to ask lawmakers to look at legislation to help expand access to telemedicine, which doctors have turned to increasingly in recent months because of concerns about direct spread of the virus.

Third, he said his administration wanted to address protecting the Capitol, its grounds and surroundings areas from vandals.  He didn't offer specifics.

This summer, and in some years past, people have camped outside the Capitol to stage various kinds of protests. State authorities haven't resolved how to balance First Amendment rights with objections to people spending days living on the Capitol grounds.

Lee also pledged that his administration would support ways to release COVID-19 case numbers that stem from public schools as children go back to the classroom. Those policies are still being created and debated, he said. 

It's a balancing act to offer case information about who may have the virus while also protecting their right to privacy, Lee said.

He said he expected more information to be released in the "next several days."

"We know it's urgent," he said.

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