Legislative Special Session This Week and More Important Information

Provided by the progressive Maryville Huddlers, an organization that has for many years, given a voice and actions to unfair governmental policies on the local and state level. The Blount County Democratic organizations have led and been recognized in the region for their activism and results for many years.

Voting Absentee: This past week the TN Supreme Court over ruled the lower courts and decided that you can no longer use fear of COVID-19 as a reason to obtain an absentee ballot for the November election. If you have an underlying vulnerability to the virus, or are caring form someone who does, you are still eligible to vote by mail. Election Commission websites and forms are returning to their original format. If still eligible, you can apply for an absentee ballot now for the November election. Be sure to apply for a ballot early and return it as soon as you can because upheaval in the US Postal Service is causing delays in delivery of mail. If you receive an absentee ballot, please return it because you cannot vote at the polls. If you apply for a ballot and don’t receive it, then contact your election commission office.

Beware Special Legislative Session: Tomorrow a special session of the TN General Assembly starts. The session is designed to pass legislation to relieve businesses, schools and governments from any liability pertaining to the pandemic, and to pass strict legislation making it possible for protestors to be removed, automatically jailed, prosecuted quicker and be given heavy fines and greater jail time. Read the Governor’s proclamation here. Please take the following actions to let your local state representative and senator know how you feel about these issues. They can be reached through the TN General Assembly website.

Actions: Week of August 9, 2020

1. Protect Protesters in TN – Rep. William Lamberth is filing two bills tomorrow, August 10^th, that pertain to protesting in TN. These bills are designed to punish the protestors who have been protesting at the TN state capitol for racial justice and removal of the Nathan Bedford Forrest bust. But they will allow almost any participant of a protest that gets out of hand to be jailed and charged, even if the individuals are peaceful. Please contact your state Representative and Senator with feedback on these bills:
   1. HB 8004 gives jurisdiction to the Attorney General to prosecute cases related to protests, which would allow the state-appointed AG to prosecute people, even if the locally-elected District Attorney declines to do so. Currently, the State AG does not prosecute criminal offenses.
   2. HB 8005 mandates that anyone who knowingly comes in physical contact with a law enforcement officer (including spitting) will automatically be jailed for 30 days. A person can be charged with disorderly conduct, even if they are not present at the scene. So people could be swept up blocks from an altercation and prosecuted. Anyone leaving water or food on public land for use by protestors can be charged with illegal camping. Anyone charged with camping and vandalism will be held for a minimum of 12 hours before they can post bond.

New Liability Law Unnecessary 

Gov. Lee has already provided for limited liability protection in his COVID-19 executive order, which is still in effect. He now wants to grant immunity for any such lawsuits brought by the public to city and county governments, which includes school students and employess, and facilities whose employees are forced to go to work against their will under COVID-19 hazards.  Liability bills (Safe Harbor Act) were considered in the June GA session but failed to move forward because the House and Senate could not reconcile their differences. Because liability laws already exist in the State and are amongst the most difficult to win, many feel further immunity is unnecessary. Again, Rep. Lamberth is the main sponsor of the immunity bill, probably because a nursing home in his district is subject to lawsuits after 23 residents died of COVID-19. If legislators proceed with their plan to make the bill retroactive to March, it will most likely be deemed unconstitutional.  Please contact your state Representative and Senator with feedback on this bill.

Good News!

• New York has filed a lawsuit to dissolve the NRA for gross financial misconduct as a nonprofit organization.
• The Senate passed the National Defense Appropriations Act that includes a measure to rename US Military bases named after Confederate officers. The vote was 86-14, which is veto proof.
• A judge ruled that E. Jean Carroll can seek 45’s DNA for her defamation suit.
• Read about how the NFL and Carolina Panthers have launched a voter engagement initiatives and how the latter will allow their stadium to be used as a voting site.

Educate Yourself

• Read about the winners and losers in primary elections across TN last week. Note that GA incumbents Micah Van Huss, Matthew Hill, Rick Staples, Rick Tillis were defeated, and a record number of women won their primaries. If you want to follow some of the women candidates on Twitter, here they are:
  @bondjohnsontn, @gabbysalinas, @campbelltn20, @Civil4TN, @VoteGloriaJ, @Mariah4TN, @VoteVirginiaC, @JerriGreenfor83, @ElectCarolAbney, and @Bradshaw2020
• b.    Read about how the pandemic is hurting women, especially working women, harder than men. It may be creating America’s first female recession.
• The administration continues to flaunt the constitution, almost every day. When the nomination for a controversial Pentagon pick failed, he was named to the position anyway, despite not being approved by Congress. He was already bypassing Congress to install loyalists in the Pentagon.
• If you think things are bad in TN, the Louisiana Supreme Court upheld a black man’s life sentence for stealing a pair of hedge clippers.

Much appreciation to Rhea Morgan an Ruth Holloway for their contributions to the ETE. Stay connected with the Maryville Huddle: email maryvilletnhuddle@gmail.com; snail mail to 508 Cusick, Maryville, Tn 37804