NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Gov. Bill Haslam on Tuesday took issue with a move by fellow Republicans in the Legislature to order the state attorney to sue the federal government over the refugee resettlement program in Tennessee.
The governor told reporters that refugee resettlement was a major topic of discussion during a National Governors Association meeting in Washington over the weekend, and that he came away with the understanding that the program doesn’t present a threat to Tennesseans.
“There are people who are coming into our country illegally who want to do this country harm, but I don’t think that’s the process they’re coming in under,” Haslam said, noting that the resettlement process can take between 18 months and three years.
The resolution overwhelmingly passed the Senate on Monday and is sponsored by Speaker Ron Ramsey, R-Blountville, and Senate Republican leader Mark Norris of Collierville.
While the measure “directs” a legal challenge to be mounted, Norris said that the resolution provides for hiring an outside attorney if the Attorney General Herbert Slater were to decline to file the lawsuit.