The Tennessee House of Representatives passed a set of rules put forth by the Select Committee on Rules for the special session by a 73-23 vote on Monday.
Despite its passage, some Democrats took issue with a number of the updated rules for the special session, including the ones that address disorderly behavior, disorderly conduct in the gallery or lobby, and when members go off-topic during debates.
Rule 18 was one of the criticized rules, as it allows the forfeiture of time for members who go off-topic when recognized by the House Speaker during debates.
Rule 2 was also criticized, as it prohibits members from entering any meeting of the House while wearing or possessing a microphone. The rule also prohibits members and staff from using electronic devices that impair decorum and prohibits audio or visual recording, live streaming, or broadcasting in any meeting of the House.
Rule 4 was criticized as it prohibits voice or noise amplification devices, flags, signs, and banners in the gallery or lobby.
While not completely new, Rule 35 was criticized as it added voice and noise amplification devices to its props guidelines. The rule now prohibits members from entering any House meetings with “props, voice or noise amplification devices, or personal displays of any kind that may be used as a visual or audio aid for the advocacy of, or in opposition to, any legislation or political message whatsoever.”
State Representatives Justin Jones (D-Nashville), Justin Pearson (D-Memphis), and Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville) – dubbed the “Tennessee Three” after commandeering the House floor to demand gun control in the wake of the Covenant School earlier this year – all took to social media to denounce the rules.
This is what subversion of our First Amendment Right looks like. The House rules are composed of ways to silence members without debate. pic.twitter.com/1A6c01FV6P
— Justin J. Pearson (@Justinjpearson) August 21, 2023
Pearson specifically took issue with Rules 2 and 4, tweeting, “This is what subversion of our First Amendment Right looks like. The House rules are composed of ways to silence members without debate.”
Jones commented on updated Rule 35, tweeting, “Tennessee’s new “House rules” for the special session clarify that small paper signs are no longer allowed in committee rooms, but guns are. This is INSANE!”
Tennessee’s new “House rules” for the special session clarify that small paper signs are no longer allowed in committee rooms, but guns are.
This is INSANE!
— Rep. Justin Jones (@brotherjones_) August 21, 2023
While appearing on MSNBC later in the day, Jones further called the rules “morally insane.”
Johnson commented on the rules package as a whole, tweeting, “Y’all, these “House Rules” sound like they are written by a first year teacher who is terrified of her students.”
Johnson also took her disapproval of the rules one step further by calling on President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division to “immediately dispatch observers from the DOJ to assess and chronicle a comprehensive attempt to silence elected members of the Tennessee general assembly and citizens of our state.”
Dear @POTUS @VP @CivilRights I implore you to immediately dispatch observers from the DOJ to assess and chronicle a comprehensive attempt to silence elected members of the Tennessee general assembly and citizens of our state.
— Rep. Gloria Johnson (@VoteGloriaJ) August 21, 2023
“The Speaker and Governor have conspired to subdue the Constitutional rights and free speech of millions of Tennesseans. Fascism must be confronted. Respectfully,” Johnson added.
Tennessee House Majority Whip Johnny Garrett (R-Goodlettsville), who presented the rules package alongside House Minority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland), said in a Facebook post that the Democrats who opposed the rules “only want chaos and disruption.”
“We provided the House with a set of rules that would ensure your voice is heard and any disruptions that prevent the People’s work would be dealt with swiftly,” Garrett said. “Democrats went nuts. They don’t want debate. They only want chaos and disruption. You elected me to do the People’s business by promoting and advocating for our conservative values. Anarchy is not an option. I will not back down for what is right. I work for you.”
If we can’t more meaningfully respond to the mandate to save children, what is the point of having a damn legislature?
Enough with the silly new rules, the limited agenda & having security keep the public out of the building, let’s actually do the work we were sent here to do.
— Jeff Yarbro (@yarbro) August 21, 2023
Meanwhile, Nashville Democrat State Senator Jeff Yarbro (D-Nashville) took a different approach than his colleagues in responding to the rules passage, writing on Twitter, “If we can’t more meaningfully respond to the mandate to save children, what is the point of having a damn legislature? Enough with the silly new rules, the limited agenda & having security keep the public out of the building, let’s actually do the work we were sent here to do.”
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
Photo “Justin Pearson, Gloria Johnson, and Justin Jones” by State Representative Gloria Johnson and photo “State Senator Jeff Yarbro” by State Senator Jeff Yarbro.
Yeah but Democrats surely don’t hesitate to silence Republicans now do they? Just look at what Democrats are doing to Republicans that question election integrity but it surely was ok to question the outcome of elections when the Democrats were doing it.
Democrats do not like rules period. They think they should be allowed to say and do anything they want. They all look like kids that got trophies for showing up to school each day. They act like spoiled, disrespectful children.
I’m so old that I can remember when Democrats denied the peoplemof Tennessee their representative government for a whole year under Boss Naifeh when they elected Kent Williams with their subversive little pranks.
Sounds like Justin Smollet, Talcum X and Large Marge want to turn back the clock to the good old days when the minority ruled majority rights.
the Tennessee 3 Stooges
“Y’all, these “House Rules” sound like they are written by a first year teacher who is terrified of her students.”
LOL. Anti-2nd Amendment Gun-grabber afraid of law-abiding citizens projects her cognitive dissonance.
Pearson is a clown. You know what also makes him silent? Not introducing a single bill for the special session.
Of the first 102 bills introduced, the “Tennessee Three” managed two bills between the three of them.
I guess they are not all that serious about it.
But what does the House have to hide (Except taking away Megaphone Jones’ no-consequence platform for show-riots). The THP waltz them in like DC capitol police, because they are gun-grabber lobbyists too.
I’m fine with these rules. Hopefully we don’t have another riot.
Sounds like the rules will force the democrats to shut the hell up and act like adults instead of the screaming children they are.
Johnson personifies what is wrong with public education. The public should be more concerned about the safety and well being of the children that were left in her charge. Clearly her desire to abandon all reason, encourage tantrums and demonstrating that threats and violence are the means to achieve is not what children should be learning.