Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said the terms he set for the Aug. 21 special session of the state General Assembly are tied to “emergency” public safety challenges.

“Public safety is something that matters,” Lee said on a Wednesday, Aug. 9, stop in Memphis. “It is a matter of emergency. That’s why I believe that we should have a special session. That’s why I called it. Because this is something that is urgent and we should not wait for others to solve the challenges that this nation is facing of trafficking, human trafficking, drug trafficking, violent crime.”

The previously planned announcement at the Tennessee Highway Patrol district headquarters, 6348 Summer Ave., was Lee’s first public appearance since he called for the special session on Tuesday, Aug. 8.

Calls for gun reform have reached a fever pitch in Memphis. Will state lawmakers listen?

The terms set in the session include a narrow consideration of gun control measures. Lee did not specifically cite guns as one of the “urgent” challenges.

The formal proclamation of the special session has 18 items, including temporary orders of protection initiated by law enforcement.

The version in Lee’s proclamation includes numerous qualifications:

• The temporary protection orders must be initiated by law enforcement and require a due process hearing.
• An assessment would be required for “suicidal or homicidal ideation,” and law enforcement must prove its case “by clear and convincing evidence.”
• The orders must be reviewed every 180 days by the terms of the proposal.

Also included in Lee’s priorities is law enforcement’s access to “information about individuals who are subject to mental health commitment,” mental health resources, school safety plans and health care workers’ duty to warn about potential violent offenses.

The legislation could also cover firearm storage, blended sentencing and human trafficking.

Lee said he’s been working with legislators over the summer on the session’s matters. 

“All Tennesseans agree we want our kids to be safe,” Lee said. “There are a lot of things that we can agree upon as solutions.”

The Republican-led legislature previously refused to consider a version of Lee’s expanded protection orders at the end of the 2023 regular session. It ended abruptly in May as gun control protests grew out of the Covenant School shooting in Nashville and the subsequent expulsion of two state representatives, including Rep. Justin J. Pearson (D-Memphis) over their support of the protesters.

Lee said the state legislature has been working on school safety since the regular session began in January before the March 27 Covenant shooting.

“All Tennesseans agree we want our kids to be safe. There are a lot of things that we can agree upon as solutions.”

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee

In May, the state passed school safety legislation that increases physical security at public schools and increases funding for Homeland Security agents to serve at schools, among other things.

“It had remarkably bipartisan efforts, almost a unanimous effort from the General Assembly, to pass a relatively sweeping school safety bill that will provide funding for a school student resource officer in every single public school in the state, including funding for private schools to do the same,” Lee said. “So we are not just beginning to work on providing safe environment for students.”

Lee said the mental health provisions and temporary orders of protection included in the session’s priorities will help prevent future school shootings.

Democrats in the state legislature have criticized Lee for the priorities being too narrow regarding gun safety measures. Senate Minority Leader Raumesh Akbari (D-Memphis) expressed frustration with the proclamation, saying it will prevent most gun safety legislation from being debated.

The session topics do not include reversing open carry of guns without a permit.

Lee said his goal was not to “win some political points” and instead said he listened to feedback from lawmakers, outside groups, pastor groups and parent groups.

“What’s most important is that we come together and find the things that we agree upon and get them accomplished,” Lee said. 

Lee noncommittal on city council’s open-carry ballot question

The Memphis City Council has asked the governor to reverse open carry even if only as exceptions for Memphis and the state’s other large cities.

The council also approved a ballot question for next year that proposes a ban on assault weapons.

Lee proposes millions in school security investments in light of Nashville shooting

Asked about what he anticipates the state’s response will be to this, Lee was noncommittal.

“I don’t know specifically about that issue what the conversations will be,” Lee said. “I have not proposed that. I don’t know whether that will be a conversation going forward. But I think there’s a welcome opportunity for conversations of all types around public safety.”

Lee said he has not felt pressure from Republicans to call off the session.

“The pressure I feel is the safety of Tennesseans,” Lee said. “I feel pressure to make certain that our schools are safer, that the streets of Memphis are safe, that the highways across Tennessee, rural communities, are safe. That’s the pressure that I feel.”

Memphis Republican state Rep. John Gillespie, who was present during the press conference, told reporters after the press conference he expects meaningful legislation to be passed.

County political parties eye red and blue school board elections

“I think there will probably be some people that are upset, but in this world, 20% of the time, I think everyone’s gonna be upset,” Gillespie said. 

Gillespie said he is proposing a bill to increase punishment for people prohibited from carrying firearms.

He’s also proposing closing loopholes regarding the lack of background checks taken at gun shows and forgiving student loan debt for mental health professionals who choose to move to and practice in Tennessee. 

“I’ve approached this entire special session in the hope of solving some of the problems that we’ve had in Memphis for a very long time.”