The Tennessee General Assembly passed a bill prohibiting public access to the information of federal law enforcement officers and agents operating in the state. Certain personal, financial, and residential information would be considered confidential and likely diminish the potential of the public doxxing law enforcement officers. The legislation passed unanimously in both the House and Senate.
The bill expands current law, which already protects state and local law enforcement. State Representative Curtis Johnson (R-Clarksville) and Senator Bill Powers (R-Clarksville) are the sponsors on the bill.
“When we passed this bill years ago, we failed to include federal law enforcement such as FBI [and] Homeland Security – so this simply adds that,” explained Johnson during the bill’s first subcommittee hearing last month.
The Senate amended the bill to sunset it after five years. The provisions outlined in the bill will expire unless renewed in 2026.
State Senator Richard Briggs (R-Knoxville) introduced the amendment during the Senate floor session at the end of last month. He didn’t offer an explanation for introducing the amendment.
Once amended, the Senate passed the bill without any opposition.
One of the bill co-sponsors, State Representative Bruce Griffey (R-Paris) shared a celebratory post regarding the bill’s passage. He explained that officers have been doxxed over the years whenever controversy ensues over riots or law enforcement shootings.
“In our current environment, law enforcement officers sadly become targets for simply doing their jobs,” wrote Griffey. “A law enforcement officer’s job is hard enough without having to deal with public harassment. This is why I was proud to co-sponsor House Bill 347 to make the personal, financial and residential information of federal agents in addition to that of county and city officers confidential. It passed on the House Floor last night. #DefendLawEnforcement.”
The bill now heads to Governor Bill Lee’s desk for final approval.
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Corinne Murdock is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and the Star News Network. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to [email protected].
Operation Protect the Gestapo!
No Federal Gestapo in TN!
We will still find them, can’t all be confidential. If your neighbor is a Fed report them online.
Wow. So now we are going to have the secret police embedded without knowing it. Sounds like CCCP tactics. Of course the feds and some in the state ask us to snitch so I guess it all fits together.
Now let’s expand that to cover our information as well. No more 2 sets of rules.
I have a fundamental problem with this legislation and the direction that it may lead! And I’m surprised by Representative Griffey for not being a bit more suspicious. I support cops and law enforcement as much if not more than most. But, haven’t we all just witnessed the use of the FBI and other Federal” law enforcement agencies” as weapons against President Trump and other pro-America First individuals?
This ain’t the good old USA any more folks. The Federal Government has taken on a life of it’s own. It no longer answers to “We the People”. We don’t need or want Federal agents here in Tennessee, in the first place, unless we invite them in! We know what side of the political spectrum they, or at least their leadership, supports. And it ain’t the side that most Tennesseans identify with!
Additionally, we know for a fact that “government” agencies and individuals are the quintessential leakers! So, they get protected from public scrutiny when they “leak” the names of people who went to DC on January 6th to “redress” their government, but we can’t FOIA them, to know who unleashed the Leftist mobs against us. Not good!
Welcome to the State of Tennessee, USSA..