NASHVILLE – Tennessee House Democrats won’t be able to push efforts to expand Medicaid or repeal a controversial school voucher law during Friday’s special legislative session, according to the GOP-led chamber’s top Democratic leader.
“I had a couple of resolutions to do that, but they were both substantive,” Minority Leader Karen Camper, of Memphis, said Monday. “So I’m really not able to file them unless they extend the special session at least by a couple of days so they could be heard and read into the record.”
Members of the GOP-led General Assembly are set to convene Friday for a one-day special session where Republican Caucus Chairman Cameron Sexton of Crossville is expected to be elected to replace former House Speaker Glen Casada, who stepped down Aug. 2 amid multiple controversies.
House Democrats were hoping to use the special session, called by Republican Gov. Bill Lee, to highlight two of their top issues. But in his formal call for lawmakers to return to the state Capitol, Lee cited only procedural reasons related to electing a new House speaker and legislation making changes in state Supreme Court rules.
Democrats had hoped to suspend rules or use another procedure to get Medicaid expansion and repeal of the school voucher bill, which Lee had championed, before members.