KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Tennessee lawmakers have been mulling the idea of calling for a special session to ban mask and vaccine mandates; we heard from Governor Bill Lee while he was at a ribbon-cutting in Morristown on Friday.
Lee said he’s been working closely with house speaker Cameron Sexton and Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally to find out the best path forward, but nothing has been decided yet.
He said, “It’s hard to know that the future holds, and nothing’s off the table, but I think we are working together right now to protect lives and livelihoods.”
Lee has the power to call a special session by himself, or lawmakers can call a special session if 2/3’s of lawmakers in each chamber agree to do so.
Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs sent a letter to President Joe Biden this week regarding last week’s announcement from The White House about COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
“Knox County will not comply with your mandate,” Jacobs’ letter states. The county government employs 2,700 people and Jacobs claims the mandate would add financial and legal burdens that would ultimately be passed on to taxpayers and make the area less attractive to potential employees.
“As the chief executive of an organization that employs 2,700 individuals, your action adds financial, legal and regulatory burdens that will ultimately impact Knox County taxpayers. In addition, it potentially hinders our ability to attract quality employees since many folks in our community will not work somewhere that unjustly imposes vaccine mandates.”