House plans rare vote Thursday to reject racial profiling bill
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee House has scheduled a rare vote Thursday on whether to reject a bill creating a racial profiling pilot project among state troopers.
The bill failed 50-44 Wednesday. Because it received at least 50 “no” votes, a motion to reject it was allowed. Such a motion was made by Rep. Curry Todd, R-Collierville.
If at least 50 lawmakers vote to reject it, the constitution says no bill “containing the same substance” can be brought up for the rest of the session.
Legislators and House staff were trying to determine exactly what that would mean, whether it would apply simply to racial profiling study bills or to the entire statute opened by the legislation.
Burney Durham, the House clerk for 11 years and Speaker Jimmy Naifeh’s chief of staff, said he doesn’t remember ever seeing a bill rejected. It is rare even for a request to reject a bill, in part because it’s unusual for a bill to receive 50 “no” votes.
Todd said the bill isn’t necessary.
“There’s no need for a state expenditure even if it is a pilot program. The data shows there’s no problem,” he said.
Bill sponsor Henri Brooks, D-Memphis, who rarely carries any bill that does not involve black-white relations, said the program wouldn’t have cost the state anything and was supported by the safety commissioner, who volunteered to conduct the study.
She said law enforcement officers want to know whether there’s any truth to anecdotal evidence that traffic offenders often are targeted because of their race.
Brooks said some lawmakers voted against the bill because it would be unpopular in their districts, but others “just hate Henri Brooks.”
All 15 members of the Black Caucus voted for the bill, but no Republicans did. Only six Democrats voted against the legislation.
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On the Net:
Read HB2651/SB2884 at: http://www.legislature.state.tn