Lee adminstration to forgo legislative liaisons amid Capitol closure

Gov. Bill Lee speaks at the state Capitol on Sept. 16, 2019. (Erik Schelzig, Tennessee Journal)

Gov. Bill Lee will forgo the assistance of legislative liaisons while the Capitol complex is closed to the public due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Tennessean’s Natalie Allison first reported that Lee’s legislative director, Brent Easley, sent an email to lawmakers on Sunday night to inform them of the decision.

“After deliberation and conversations the Governor has had this weekend, we will not have legislative liaisons at the Cordell Hull Building tomorrow,” Easley wrote. “That will extend until a time to be determined.”

Private sector lobbyists had raised concerns that the ongoing presence of legislative liaisons while the rest of the public was kept out of the building would give an unfair advantage to the governor’s initiatives while lawmakers met behind closed doors.