New TNJ edition alert: The Registry’s revenge, criminal justice developments, and tie breakers
The latest print edition of The Tennessee Journal is out. Here is what’s in it:
— Registry to audit candidate who nearly beat Senate GOP leader; hardball tactics contrast with earlier efforts to brush Tillis complaints under rug.
— Criminal justice: Backers say Memphis murder case justifies ‘truth in sentencing’ law.
— Tied up in knots: Sumner, Cocke commissions take contrasting steps to break election deadlock.
Also: A Democrat is elected chair of the Republican Knox County Commission, a big Tennessee beer distributor is gobbled up by a huge national firm, the state treasurer backs away from cryptocurrency, and a happy hour curfew.
As always, access the your copy of the TNJ here.
Or subscribe here.
How they voted: House COVID bill limps across finish line
After much chest-beating and saber-rattling, the House backed off on several provisions of its bill aimed at blocking COVID-19 vaccine and mask requirements. When the final vote was taken at 1:15 a.m. Saturday, the measure received the support of just 57 Republicans — a significant drop from the unanimous 73 who signed on to the petition to hold the the special session.
The House started out with an effort to create a near-universal ban on businesses imposing mask or vaccine mandates on either customers or employees — a rule that would have even extended to people hired to provide home care in private residences. The final version of the bill retained the ability of sports and entertainment venues to require proof of vaccination or a negative test, restored the power of private citizens to set requirements for their homes, and allowed all private businesses to require masks.
Also exempt from the vaccine mandate ban are health care facilities and companies or institutions that can show their federal funding would be imperiled by noncompliance.
The bill does impose a ban on mask mandates at all public (but not private) schools. But the issue has been the subject of litigation ever since Gov. Bill Lee issued an executive order allowing parents to opt their children out of mask mandates. (A separate bill to fine local officials up to $10,000 for ignoring executive orders (as was done in Shelby County and Nashville) failed in the Senate.)
Business groups will be parsing through the final language of the omnibus measure to see whether their concerns about increased litigation and conflicting state and federal rules have been addressed.
Read the Tennessean and Associated Press accounts for the full rundown.
In the end, 57 Republicans and one Democrat, John Mark Windle of Livingston, voted in favor of the bill. Thirteen Democrats and nine Republicans voted against. Nineteen members were either absent or abstained.
Here’s the breakdown:
| Representative | Party | Vote |
| Alexander, Rebecca | R | Absent or abstained |
| Baum, Charlie | R | No |
| Beck, Bill | D | No |
| Boyd, Clark | R | Yes |
| Bricken, Rush | R | Absent or abstained |
| Byrd, David | R | Yes |
| Calfee, Kent | R | Yes |
| Campbell, Scotty | R | Yes |
| Camper, Karen D. | D | No |
| Carr, Dale | R | Yes |
| Carringer, Michele | R | Yes |
| Casada, Glen | R | Yes |
| Cepicky, Scott | R | Absent or abstained |
| Chism, Jesse | D | Absent or abstained |
| Clemmons, John Ray | D | No |
| Cochran, Mark | R | Yes |
| Cooper, Barbara | D | Absent or abstained |
| Crawford, John | R | Absent or abstained |
| Curcio, Michael G. | R | No |
| Darby, Tandy | R | Yes |
| Dixie, Vincent | D | Absent or abstained |
| Doggett, Clay | R | Yes |
| Eldridge, Rick | R | Yes |
| Faison, Jeremy | R | Yes |
| Farmer, Andrew | R | Yes |
| Freeman, Bob | D | No |
| Gant, Ron M. | R | Yes |
| Garrett, Johnny | R | No |
| Gillespie, John | R | Yes |
| Griffey, Bruce | R | Yes |
| Grills, Rusty | R | Yes |
| Hakeem, Yusuf | D | Absent or abstained |
| Halford, Curtis | R | Yes |
| Hall, Mark | R | Yes |
| Hardaway, G. A. | D | No |
| Harris, Torrey C. | D | No |
| Haston, Kirk | R | Yes |
| Hawk, David | R | Yes |
| Hazlewood, Patsy | R | No |
| Helton, Esther | R | Yes |
| Hicks, Gary | R | Yes |
| Hicks, Tim | R | Yes |
| Hodges, Jason | D | No |
| Holsclaw, Jr., John B. | R | Yes |
| Howell, Dan | R | Yes |
| Hulsey, Bud | R | Yes |
| Hurt, Chris | R | Yes |
| Jernigan, Darren | D | Absent or abstained |
| Johnson, Curtis | R | Yes |
| Johnson, Gloria | D | No |
| Keisling, Kelly | R | Yes |
| Kumar, Sabi ‘Doc’ | R | No |
| Lafferty, Justin | R | Yes |
| Lamar, London | D | No |
| Lamberth, William | R | Yes |
| Leatherwood, Tom | R | Yes |
| Littleton, Mary | R | Yes |
| Love, Harold M., Jr. | D | Absent or abstained |
| Lynn, Susan | R | Yes |
| Mannis, Eddie | R | No |
| Marsh, Pat | R | Yes |
| McKenzie, Sam | D | Absent or abstained |
| Miller, Larry J. | D | Absent or abstained |
| Mitchell, Bo | D | No |
| Moody, Debra | R | Yes |
| Moon, Jerome | R | Absent or abstained |
| Ogles, Brandon | R | Yes |
| Parkinson, Antonio | D | Absent or abstained |
| Potts, Jason | D | Absent or abstained |
| Powell, Jason | D | No |
| Powers, Dennis | R | Yes |
| Ragan, John | R | Yes |
| Ramsey, Bob | R | Absent or abstained |
| Reedy, Jay D. | R | Yes |
| Rudd, Tim | R | Yes |
| Rudder, Iris | R | Yes |
| Russell, Lowell | R | Yes |
| Sexton, Cameron | R | Yes |
| Sexton, Jerry | R | Absent or abstained |
| Shaw, Johnny | D | No |
| Sherrell, Paul | R | Yes |
| Smith, Robin | R | Yes |
| Sparks, Mike | R | Yes |
| Stewart, Mike | D | No |
| Terry, Bryan | R | Yes |
| Thompson, Dwayne | D | Absent or abstained |
| Todd, Chris | R | Yes |
| Towns, Joe, Jr. | D | Absent or abstained |
| Travis, Ron | R | No |
| Vaughan, Kevin | R | Yes |
| Vital, Greg | R | Yes |
| Warner, Todd | R | Yes |
| Weaver, Terri Lynn | R | No |
| White, Mark | R | Yes |
| Whitson, Sam | R | No |
| Williams, Ryan | R | Yes |
| Windle, John Mark | D | Yes |
| Wright, Dave | R | Yes |
| Zachary, Jason | R | Yes |
