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Tennessee Republicans denounce ‘absurdity’ of California travel ban

In this 2013 file photo, Sen. Mike Bell of Riceville displays a knife during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing as Sen. John Stevens of Huntingdon looks on. On Thursday, Bell and Rep. Jeremy Faison, chairmen of their respective House and Senate operations committees, said the panels will hold a joint "fact-finding" hearing next month to examine enforcement of Tennessee's law banning sales of aborted fetuses in the wake of a controversy over the issue regarding national Planned Parenthood.
In this 2013 file photo, Sen. Mike Bell of Riceville displays a knife during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing as Sen. John Stevens of Huntingdon looks on. On Thursday, Bell and Rep. Jeremy Faison, chairmen of their respective House and Senate operations committees, said the panels will hold a joint "fact-finding" hearing next month to examine enforcement of Tennessee's law banning sales of aborted fetuses in the wake of a controversy over the issue regarding national Planned Parenthood. In this 2013 file photo, Sen. Mike Bell of Riceville displays a knife during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing as Sen. John Stevens of Huntingdon looks on. On Thursday, Bell and Rep. Jeremy Faison, chairmen of their respective House and Senate operations committees, said the panels will hold a joint "fact-finding" hearing next month to examine enforcement of Tennessee's law banning sales of aborted fetuses in the wake of a controversy over the issue regarding national Planned Parenthood.

By Andy Sher 4 min read

NASHVILLE – Several Tennessee Republican legislators, upset over a California law banning state-funded travel to the Volunteer State after last year’s passage of a controversial counselors’ law affecting the LGBT community, are denouncing Golden State lawmakers.

Senate Government Operations Committee Chairman Mike Bell, R-Riceville, said he weighed legislation that would have retaliated with a similar ban on Tennessee government-funded travel to California.

photo Tennessee Sen. Mike Bell, R-Riceville, addresses the Pachyderm Club of Hamilton County meeting on Aug. 4, 2014.

But Bell said after consultation with several colleagues, he decided to pursue a resolution and take the “high road.”

For now.

“I think a wiser approach is to do a resolution and not a bill,” Bell said, “because this issue is much, much bigger than states just disagreeing on a particular law another state’s passed. I really think what California has done is fire the first shot of what could be an economic civil war between the states.”