Lawmakers killed a bill in a House committee that would have allowed members of county and city legislative bodies to attend meetings by phone or video. The bill was a revival of one that failed in 2021. Lawmakers expressed concerns that members attending a meeting while experiencing a family or medical "emergency" might not be in the mental state to conduct business.
Members of county and city legislative bodies in Tennessee would be able to attend meetings electronically, such as by videoconference or phone, when dealing with a family or medical emergency under a bill filed by a pair of lawmakers from Knox County. Sen. Richard Briggs and Rep. Dave Wright sponsored similar legislation in 2021, which failed in a House committee.
When citizens go to a public meeting of their local board of aldermen or county commission, they expect their representatives to be there. Sen. Richard Brigg, R-Knoxville They expect their representatives to discuss issues in public and vote in public. They expect to look them in the eye when they address them during public comment periods and public hearings. They hope to be able to talk to their representatives before and after a meeting, and many do. But a bill that passed a key Senate committee in a 5-4 vote last night would chip away at that tradition. SB301 would allow members of county and municipal governing bodies, [...]
A bill that would permit county commissioners to participate remotely in a meeting and vote on matters by phone or other electronic means passed the House Local Government Committee on Tuesday despite several lawmakers on the committee raising concern and saying they would vote against it. It was unclear in the voice vote exactly how lawmakers on the 21-member committee voted — to some people present, the "no's" sounded louder than the "ayes." But after pausing in silence for more than 10 seconds after the vote, Committee Chairman John Crawford who represents Bristol and Kingsport announced, "Bill moves on!" The bill will next be heard in the House Finance, Ways [...]
During the pandemic, members of local and state governing bodies have been allowed to conduct meetings electronically per executive order by Gov. Bill Lee. They have not had to hold physical meetings in a physical place. They can hold meetings on Zoom or even by telephone conference call, as long as they allow the public real-time live audio or video access and follow other rules. In some instances, this has meant that the governing body is on videoconference, and the public must show up physically at city hall to watch them through a government computer. It has not been ideal for citizens, who have lost the benefit of interaction with [...]
