In December, Governor Bill Lee announced a special session at the Tennessee General Assembly, which will being on January 19th and deal with education. Lawmakers of the 112th General Assembly will return to Nashville to address urgent issues facing Tennessee students and schools as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. When the General Assembly convenes in 2021, the legislature will welcome two new freshman members in the Senate and ten new freshman members in the House. Bills considered during a special session are limited to the subjects outlined in Governor’s call for it, meaning that matters outside of the topic of education will not be considered at that time.
As of now, the timeline for the regular legislative session is up in the air, although there is speculation that lawmakers could meet in organization session for a period of time and recess for six weeks to give time for vaccines to be distributed and for COVID-19 numbers to decrease. However, the timing of the special session makes the feasibility of a recess thereafter unclear and perhaps less likely. At this time, we anticipate the timeline for the regular session to proceed normally after the special session ends, and for the protocols imposed on the public and lobbyists attending the proceedings to remain the same, with different rules applying in the Senate and the House. We will keep you updated on further developments on this front. It is our pleasure to represent you at the Tennessee General Assembly and if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to let us know.