The last time Tennessee lawmakers took a vote to expel a sitting member of the General Assembly, the ousted representative issued a stern warning to his colleagues: "I won't be the last."
But for the next 36 years no other lawmaker has been booted under the Legislature's constitutional power to discipline or oust members deemed to have engaged in "disorderly behavior."
House Speaker Beth Harwell said that's likely to change during this week's special legislative session called to avoid losing $60 million in federal road money because of an underage drunken driving law.
Harwell said an effort to remove state Representative Jeremy Durham has enough support to expel him. Durham has been the subject of an attorney general's investigation that detailed allegations of inappropriate sexual contact with more than 20 women.
