NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — One of Gov. Bill Lee‘s priority items for the special session likely won’t be heard at all, according to state lawmakers.
According to Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, “the votes aren’t there” for the governor’s emergency relief protection order (ERPO) law.
The highest man in the Tennessee Senate said he felt the legislature had “a lot of good items” to discuss during the special session, but any discussion on the ERPO wouldn’t be a part of it.
McNally took a minority position earlier in the year when he publicly supported the ERPO; most other Republicans loudly decried any attempt to pass them, saying they were an infringement on the rights of “law-abiding Tennesseans.”
Speaking to pool reporters Thursday, McNally said he still supported the position but that there would need to be “a little more education” and “in-depth study of how that would be affected.”
Of the dozens of items listed in the official proclamation for the special session, Lee included an item for “Temporary mental health orders of protection,” which would have required due process hearings, suicidal or homicidal ideation assessments, clear and convincing evidence provided by law enforcement and not include any ex parte orders.
That item was the closest thing to an ERPO used in other states like Florida.
