NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Two Tennessee lawmakers are demanding answers regarding the use of the Tennessee Highway Patrol and other restrictions imposed at the state Capitol during the first week of the special session on public safety.
In a letter sent this week, Sen. Charlane Oliver, D-Nashville, asked Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti for a legal opinion on the constitutionality of those procedures that restricted public access at the state Capitol.
"Specifically, I believe these rules violated the constitutional rights of my constituents, residents of Tennessee, and members of the general public who came to Capitol Hill to peacefully petition their state government for gun safety reform," Oliver wrote.
Rep. Jason Powell, D-Nashville, sent a letter to Gov. Bill Lee asking for the "constitutional or statutory authority for the delegation of police powers of the Tennessee Highway Patrol to the chairman of a standing legislative committee.
On Tuesday, subcommittee chairman Rep. Lowell Russell, R-Vonore, a retired state trooper himself, directed Tennessee Highway Patrol members to forcibly remove mothers who were quietly holding small signs of protest.
Russell later ordered the entire room cleared.
"We all witnessed the parents of school shooting survivors forcibly removed from a committee solely at the direction of a member of the General Assembly," Powell wrote.
Tennessee Sen. @CharlaneOliver and Rep. @JasonLPowell demand answers regarding the use of the Tennessee Highway Patrol and other restrictions at the Capitol during this week's special session on public safety. (Correcting/deleting previous post.) pic.twitter.com/ueOXIS2phb
— Phil Williams (@NC5PhilWilliams) August 25, 2023