Repeated efforts by House members to derail the anti-sanctuary city bill were unable to stop it from passing on a 64 – 23 vote.
Bill sponsor Rep. Jay Reedy carefully explained that sanctuary policies are intended to obstruct cooperation with federal immigration authorities and that these policies protect people who have been arrested for committing a crime under Tennessee law and are then discovered to also be wanted by ICE.
Reedy’s explanation did not stop Rep. Patsy Hazlewood from trying to persuade her colleagues not to support the bill.
Hazlewood will have a Democrat challenger in the general election.
Democrats in both the House and Senate spoke to wanting stronger laws to stop illegal aliens from working in Tennessee.
Caucus Chairman Rep. Mike Stewart introduced an amendment that would criminalize employing illegal aliens and make it a Class E felony. In 2011, however, the U.S. Supreme Court held that states could only impose sanctions on employers through measures like revoking business licenses.
Rep. Reedy invited Stewart to work with him next session on strengthening the state’s E-verify statute.
Sen. Mark Green passed the Senate companion bill SB 2332, with a solid 23 -5 vote.
“We’ve seen time and again that the consequences of illegal immigration can be severe, and sometimes, even deadly,” stated Senator Green. “This bill puts Tennesseans first.”
The Green-Reedy bill closes the loophole in Tennessee’s current sanctuary city law that would have enabled the Metro Nashville Council to skirt the law and institute a practice of “don’t ask so you don’t have to know or tell” and in this way obstruct cooperation with federal immigration authorities, shielding illegal aliens who had committed crimes under Tennessee law.
Rep. Jay Reedy shepherded his bill through multiple committees and multiple meetings for the purpose of “ensuring that the safety of our communities and our state are never jeopardized by policies that protect bad actors. House Bill 2315 empowers our law enforcement communities to take action against those here illegally and holds communities who implement sanctuary city policies accountable.”
The bill adds teeth to the existing sanctuary cities law by prohibiting local governments that enact sanctuary cities from receiving future economic development grants from the state.
[…] city bill sponsored by State Sen. Mark Green (R-Clarksville) and State Rep Jay Reedy (R-Erin) passed by the Tennessee General Assembly last month that is awaiting Gov. Haslam’s signature, Boyd has not offered a comment yet whether Haslam […]
[…] The Tennessee Star reported last week, the Tennessee General Assembly passed the anti-sanctuary city bill last month despite […]
[…] Jay Reedy the passage stating that the bills goal is, “ensuring that the safety of our communities and our states are never jeopardized by policies that protect bad actors. House Bill 2315 empowers our law enforcement communities to take action going against those here illegally and holds communities who implement sanctuary city policies accountable” (The Tennessee Star). […]
You would think that the Anti-Santuary Bill would be a no- brainer. I am appalled that we have representatives up there who are supposed to be representing, We, the People, and are ignoring us by their vote. People need to wake up. There is power in the ballot box.
This is good but the main issue is the JOBS MAGNET–mandatory or strengthened E-Verify is all well and good BUT the subcontractors on big projects (see downtown Nashville) dont have to use that and can skirt it. What is needed is a State AUDIT of all the companies in TN starting with the big ones: Construction/Fast Food/Landscaping/Ag–remove the JOBS MAGNET and they will go somewhere else.
What should have been a straight-forward, common sense bill took tremendous effort and a lot of time to pass.
My question to those politicians, both republican and democrat, who fought against the bill is: why do you desperately want to give our tax dollars, endanger our health and safety and flout the rule of law in order to let these illegal aliens into our country? How can you put consideration of people from other countries above Tennesseans, citizens of the U.S.A?
My analysis is that you are a broken people. You are not deep thinkers but live only for yourselves, with little thought about Americans who are in need and would suffer more from a huge influx of illegal migration.
We have a legal system of immigration. If it is too expensive, fix it. If it is a bureaucratic nightmare, make it more efficient. But to let anyone in from anywhere, without checking their health, their background, their skills, etc. is a travesty of our Constitution. Shame, shame on you.
I praise Jay Ready maybe later he could run for Governor this man is for Tennesseans not for the illegals like the sick communist democrat party is here in TN. Let’s run these evil communist democrats out of TN NOW!!
So there you have it. A Republican representative supporting illegal immigration. Yes, she is a patsy for the Chamber of Commerce and every other organization who wants cheap , enslaved labor!
So back to my still unanswered question, where did all the Democrat politicos from 16 years ago go? I don’t mean the average everyday citizen, who historically votes like their Daddy did, but now see that their party has left them. I’m talking about the hard core party politicrats who see party as power. They didn’t all die. They didn’t all move to California. Where did they go…they’re still here, masquerading as Republicans.
The Republican Party needs to start thinking quality NOT quantity! The everyday Tennessean loves God, Family and Country. Party ain’t in the equation. Candidates that become Legislators but fail to emulate the Republican platform, need to be ostracized, and replaced with true Republicans!
A win for the citizens of Tennessee. The only negative is that the votes were not unanimous.