The following report is by the Associated Press:
Lee, a Republican, quietly enacted the measure after the GOP-dominated General Assembly easily pushed through the proposal during this year’s legislative session despite objections from local officials and Democratic lawmakers. They have pointed to the killing of Tyre Nichols — who died after a brutal beating by five Memphis police officers — as a reason to maintain police accountability across the state.
Under the new law, which goes into effect July 1, community oversight boards will now be transformed into “police advisory and review committees,” which will only allow the mayor-appointed members to refer complaints to law enforcement internal affairs units rather than allowing the board to independently investigate the complaints.
Republican lawmakers pushed for the bill as part of a long string of proposals targeting Nashville and other left-leaning cities this year in an attempt to undermine local authorities. Supporters argued that the law was needed to provide uniformity across the state and said, without showing evidence, that some community oversight boards had hindered police investigations.
This is the second time over the years that Republican lawmakers have sought to limit community oversight boards. In 2019, the Legislature required community oversight board members to be registered to vote and prohibited limiting membership based on demographics, economic status or employment history. Additionally, while documents provided to the community oversight boards were deemed confidential, the board’s subpoena power was reduced.
The move came as Nashville voters approved creating a community oversight board just the year before that had subpoena power.
Separately, Knoxville has had a police review committee since 1998 — which includes subpoena power, but it’s never been exercised — and Memphis established its civilian law enforcement review board in 1994 but cannot subpoena officers to come in and testify.
Lee signed off on the contentious bill as he continues to move through the remaining bills passed in the legislative session that ended last month. He has never vetoed a bill in office, but occasionally he has let bills become law without signing them to signal his disapproval or concern over a change.
This week, Lee signed the proposal he backed to raise the minimum teacher salary gradually up to $50,000 for the 2026-2027 school year, while then banning educators from deducting dues for professional organizations from their paychecks. The second component takes aim at the Tennessee Education Association.
In recent days, he signed bills that protect teachers from lawsuits if they don’t use a transgender student’s preferred pronouns; banned public K-12 schools and universities from requiring employees participate in implicit bias training; block state economic incentives for companies when unions try to use the simpler “card-check” method to unionize, with an exception for a big Ford project; and a series of business tax cuts paired with three months of tax-free shopping on many grocery items. Also on Wednesday, Lee signed legislation that will prevent transgender people from changing their driver’s licenses and birth certificates, a move that officials warn could cost the state millions in federal funding.
In the wake of a deadly school shooting in March, Lee signed off on increased protection from lawsuits for companies in the gun industry, while also approving funding for a variety of school safety upgrades. Lee has announced a special legislative session in August in which he hopes lawmakers will pass a proposal to remove firearms from people judged dangerous to themselves or others.
AUTHOR COMMENTARY
If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there be higher than they.
Ecclesiastes 5:8
While the AP has a clear bias that shines through, this is yet another example of the Republican losers constantly turning a blind eye to the police corruption and brutality in this country, something that a lot of conservatives simply just do not want to recognize. Sadly, most of the number of “good cops” resigned or were fired a while ago. Some remain but must look the other direction in order to keep their job.
There is no good answer to the police corruption problem. They are a law unto themselves in most cases at this point. The Left’s position to immediately defund and remove police we all now will never work; but many on the Right want people to just shut their mouths, ignore the corruption, and continue pay taxes to the Thin Blue Line gang.
I am not against police in of itself: we need police and authority; but I loathe total corruption and having to pay for it.
[7] Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? [8] Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also? [9] For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? [10] Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. (1 Corinthians 9:7-10).
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The republic-CANT losers strike again!
I of course have nothing against police or authority in of itself either; but these crooked cops that have created their own gang, they need to be OUSTED, force them to turn in their badges and they can go work at SBARRO or Subway, either that or face stiff penalties because they have betrayed a public trust!
In any case, this is just a drop in the bucket of God’s judgement upon this satanic nation that has rejected the King James Bible and have allowed freemasons and the Vatican with her denomination harlot daughters to take over!