FILE – In this March 8, 2016, file photo, House Majority Leader Gerald McCormick, R-Chattanooga, speaks during a House Finance Committee hearing in Nashville, Tenn. McCormick on Tuesday, April 19, vowed retribution for companies that spoke out against a transgender bathroom bill, suggesting that lawmakers should consider limiting tax incentives and grants to them. (AP Photo/Erik Schelzig, File) NASHVILLE – State House Majority Leader Gerald McCormick said Tuesday he’s working with legal staff on a “Blue Lives Matter” bill for next year that would make it a hate crime to target Tennessee police and first responders.
The legislation, the Chattanooga Republican said, would put public safety workers in a “protected class” and boost criminal penalties and fines for violators who specifically target and attack them.
McCormick cited recent attacks in Memphis as helping spur the legislation.
“I have enormous respect for the men and women who put on a uniform and risk their lives on a daily basis to serve and protect our communities,” McCormick said in a news release. “Just recently, I read about an incident in our state that involved individuals firing multiple shots at a highway patrol station.”
The incident occurred in Memphis. Meanwhile, Memphis Police Officer Verdell Smith, 46, died Saturday from injuries after being struck by the fleeing vehicle of a man suspected in a downtown shooting that left three other people wounded, according to news reports.