The Associated Press / Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, R-Blountville, answers questions at the Tennessee Press Association convention, Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016, in Nashville, Tenn.
Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam talks about education and his budget to the editorial board at the Times Free Press.NASHVILLE -- House Speaker Beth Harwell said she changed her mind this week on allowing handgun-carry permit holders to bring their weapons into the state Capitol complex after Tennessee Highway Patrol officials told her it would carry a $1 million price tag for new security screening.
"I concluded that with the additional costs that the Highway Patrol said it would it's not wise to move forward at this time to try to retrofit this building," Harwell said today.
Asked what those costs were, Harwell said she was told "right at million." That would cover a far-more extensive security screening system both at Legislative Plaza and at the entrance to the underground tunnel that leads to the state Capitol.
Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey, R-Blountville, told reporters last week he and Harwell, R-Nashville, had agreed to allow permit holders to go armed in Legislative Plaza and War Memorial Building where lawmakers have their offices and committee hearing rooms.
But Republican Gov. Bill Haslam and Safety and Homeland Security Commissioner Bill Gibbons, who oversees the Highway Patrol, objected, citing security. Haslam and Gibbons argued four state laws gave the executive branch control over Legislative Plaza and War Memorial. Ramsey disagreed, saying the Tennessee Constitution gives the speakers control over the buildings.
As word slipped on Wednesday that Harwell had backed away from the issue, the speaker issued a statement saying it made little sense to spend money on necessary security upgrades with the General Assembly expected to move out its current digs into the Cordell Hull Building in another year or so.
But she didn't say at the time what the costs were for the security upgrades.