Several bills in the Tennessee House are attempting to prevent expelled lawmakers from making their way back into the legislature. One of them is headed to the House floor.
The measure would prevent what happened last year when Reps. Justin J. Pearson, D-Memphis, and Justin Jones, D-Nashville, were expelled and appointed back to their seats by their respective city councils.
HB 2716 would make it so a city council would not be able to appoint an expelled lawmaker.
Rep. Darren Jernigan, D-Old Hickory, thinks the change is constitutional and would need to go to the voters.
“You might want to bring a constitutional amendment,” said Jernigan. “Because I think under Article 2 Section 12, when they talk about determining the House rules expelling a member, you couldn’t charge them a second time for the same offense.”
There are two proposed measures that would require putting a constitutional amendment on a future ballot. One would place a four-year ban from holding a seat on an expelled member, the other a lifetime ban.
Those constitutional amendments wouldn’t make it in front of voters until the next time they elect a governor. And to make it to that point they’d have to first pass the General Assembly, and then be passed by two-thirds of the next General Assembly.
