NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) β In politics, those who have the power make the rules.
In the Tennessee House of Representatives, an exclusive NewsChannel 5 investigation discovered they also ignore the rules they don't like.
Those questionable practices allow the state's Republican supermajority to introduce dramatic changes in legislation with no public notice. They can also kill bills they don't like without anyone knowing who did it.
A couple of recent examples: a bill to require high schools to tell seniors how they can register to vote, another just to study whether college student IDs can be used for voting β both killed this past session in committee on unrecorded voice votes.
"All votes constituting final action on any bill or resolution shall be by roll call vote."
β Tennessee House committee rules
"What we're experiencing now is an abuse of power," said House Democratic Caucus Chair Vincent Dixie, D-Nashville.
"They have so much power, and they don't know how to wield it."
In committee on the Senate side, also controlled by a GOP supermajority, committee members themselves decide whether bills live or die with recorded roll-call votes.
On the House side, that power is wielded almost exclusively by the people who chair the committees and who rule based on what they think they hear on voice votes.
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u/TillThen96 Apr 20 '23
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KEyntjUYiY (link to original YouTube video)
Source:
5/3/2022
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) β In politics, those who have the power make the rules.
Searched this topic within News Channel 5 site:
Their "solution" is not public, unless one registers, nor would it seem to address how committees function:
https://www.newschannel5.com/news/newschannel-5-investigates/revealed/new-tennessee-statehouse-web-portal-makes-amendments-public-before-votes
https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/Dashboard/Login
Yet another "rule":
https://www.newschannel5.com/news/newschannel-5-investigates/revealed/gop-supermajority-votes-to-limit-debate-in-tennessee-house-cutting-members-time-to-just-five-minutes