Tennessee House of Representatives 112th House Criminal Justice Committee, 19 Jan 2022

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From YouTube: House Criminal Justice Committee - January 19, 2022 - House Hearing Room 2

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House Criminal Justice Committee - January 19, 2022 - House Hearing Room 2

A

Good afternoon it is wednesday january the 19th. This is the first meeting of the criminal justice committee of the house for 2022. Madam clerk. Please call the roll.

B

Representatives beck campbell, dixie, doggett farmer, griffey hardaway, hawk howell, halsey, lamar, lamberth moody, russell cheryl, vice chairman sexton, chairman curcio. Here, mr chairman, you have a quorum.

A

Thank you, ma'am members. Welcome back. I hope everybody had a good holiday good good. We weren't I was. I was going to say a good time off, but I feel, like we've been here con consistently throughout the year, but uh hope you all had a good holiday season a new year.

A

Any personal orders before we get started.

A

Chairman doggett, I was going to see if you'd know this, but have you seen a picture of mount rushmore before it was carved.

C

You know chairman, I I have seen uh some rocks out there in the part of the country that I believe was mount rushmore before it was carved. Are you thinking? Maybe there was a likeness of myself on that? uh I was.

A

Just going to remark that it was unprecedented, very good. Thank.

D

You thank you. Okay, all right! Sorry, thank you. All right.

A

C

Yeah you'll get.

A

That one later yeah, okay.

C

Mr chairman, yeah chairman doggett you're recognized thank you that um if you've been hanging out with uh representative hulsey lately, that's sounds like one of those that come out of his book.

D

A

That I've just totally started us on the wrong foot um members. We do have a calendar in front of us, uh but for anybody following along at home item number two on your calendar house, bill 1323, that was by our own representative hardaway, but he requested to take that bill off notice and so without objection house bill, 1323 off notice.

A

That brings us back to item number. One house bill: zero: six, six, six by our good friend, chairman wendell, chairman wendell. You are recognized.

A

Sir, you have a motion: I'd not heard a second sir. You have a second you're recognized.

E

So that may result in some relief for those who could benefit from medical cannabis in tennessee and that's ongoing, and with that in mind, I ask you to move this bill to the final calendar.

A

The member has requested this be moved to the final calendar, but before we take action on that request, chairman holzer you're recognized.

D

It might be a good idea for success sake to change the number of the bill.

A

Excellent suggestion, uh chairman wendell.

E

I'll refer to jerry sexton.

A

Representative sexton, your name was called.

D

Thank you, mr chairman. um Your name is mark correct right, I don't know, I think, there's a correlation between six six and a mark. I just I'll leave it at that.

A

Next, on my list, I have representative hardaway you're recognized.

F

Thank you uh order of the day here. I want to uh thank the gentleman for bringing the bill and, mr chairman, this is an issue that deserves full vetting and I'm assuming that this committee will make sure that the bill is hurt. The witnesses are heard and that we weigh that information that comes before us carefully.

F

I've on more than one occasion had interactions with citizens who have found relief from nothing else, except this and from everything from veterans to citizens with sickle cell anemia. So I thank the gentleman and I look forward to engaging you when you present the bill to the committee. Thank.

A

F

A

Thank you, representative hardaway, um chairman wendell. I.

E

Just have to finish up introducing my intern for the year, mr joseph from clarksville, and we're glad to have him with us and also.

E

Isabella from harpett hall and thank you.

D

A

Thank you all for being here, we'll find you a different member to walk around with. So no I'm just kidding just kidding. uh Thank you, sir uh committee. Oh yes, representative griffin, you're recognized.

G

Thank you, mr chairman and uh representative wendell chairwind. I appreciate the uh thought into this bill. I would just encourage you and my fellow members to consider my house bill 1634, which I still don't have a senate sponsor for just yet that would put three questions to the voters of tennessee whether they want us to legalize medical marijuana, whether they want us to decriminalize a small possession amount of marijuana less than an ounce and whether they went to tennessee to legalize and regulate the commercial sales of recreational marijuana.

G

I personally don't feel comfortable voting on a marijuana bill until I have the voice of the people telling us what we want to do. I don't trust ballot ballot uh polling, uh because uh anyone that runs a poll seems who's ever paying for the poll. There's they get the results they want or something. So I think putting something like that to the actual voters and letting the voters tell us what they would like tennis, what direction they want tennessee to move. I think it's a smart move. Reasonable minds can differ. Thank you, mr chairman.

G

I appreciate that. Thank you represent wendell. Thank.

A

You, sir, and next on the list I have leader lambert. You recognize, sir.

H

Thank you, mr chairman and chairman, thank you for giving us all time to continue to evaluate this issue. I think that's an extraordinarily wise move. There is a cannabis commission report that was issued just a couple of days ago. In fact, I think it was just last week that was announced on the floor. I would encourage all members that are interested to go ahead and look at that work.

H

I it seemed to be kind of a preliminary work, but there is an ocean of material out there on this subject- and I know you, sir, as the sponsor of this bill, have looked at much of that and the scientific studies and what other states have done, and we've got a lengthy year ahead of us, and I anticipate there'll, be multiple bills on this having this on the last calendar to keep it in the conversation again, I appreciate that wise move and would just say at the beginning of this year.

H

Thank you, sir, for your advocacy for veterans in the community, which is, I know from our conversations why you brought this bill to begin with, which is just to try to help veterans in whatever way you could so. Thank you.

E

And I'm willing to defer the cannabis commission and- uh and I'm hoping that something comes from that, and this is not a negative comment on my part, but I really don't believe a quadriplegic who can't use his or her limbs, arms or legs as related to a combat-related injury in the services country is a threat to our community. If they're using thc.

A

Thank you, chairman wendell members. You've heard the request to move this to the final calendar. Without objection house bill zero. Six, six six by chairman wendell, has moved to the final calendar. Thank you members. That concludes our business. I have uh representative hawk. You recognize, sir.

I

Thank you, mr chairman, and great job today. Just a conversation you and I had on the floor this morning just to relate to this committee, the judicial confirmations that will be coming through this committee, as opposed to civil justice committee. Could you tell us a little bit about those? I know. We've had two supreme court justice proposed as well as a criminal court of appeals, judge suggested as well, and just maybe talk about that process.

A

Certainly, thank you for bringing that up and members, if you I'm sure, you've all been watching that closely, but there are two vacancies, one on the supreme court and one on the criminal court of appeals. uh So, as you know, we have two two standing committees as opposed to one judiciary committee. We have a criminal justice and a civil justice committee, civil justice, now being chaired by chairman farmer, will hear the supreme court nomination and and that, if members, I think all of you participated in a confirmation hearing previous to now.

A

But just in case you haven't just a reminder. The governor's made his selection from the three recommendations that were sent to him uh and then and then that nominee is then confirmed or or not confirmed by the general assembly. So the supreme court justice will go through civil justice and I don't want to speak for chairman farmer, but I can speak to the criminal court of appeals, judge that will be coming through our committee. That hearing is already scheduled for next week, so that will be first first order of business.

A

You know I don't know what the rest of the calendar will look like for that committee, but that'll be first order of business before we move to everything else that we have that day and uh chairman farmer I'd be happy. If you want to weigh in as far as the process for the supreme court nominee.

J

Yeah and we'll just follow what we've done historically we'll bring the nominee up recognize that nominee allow that nominee to give a statement to the committee, then we'll defer the committee members for any questions they may have towards that nominee have plenty of time. Take our time doing that and then and we'll just take a vote, whether to recommend that we confirm or not confirm this. The appointee to the to the house floor.

A

Chairman did we miss anything from okay, very good uh leader lambert? You recognize.

H

Famous chairman that spontaneously wanted applause for our new chairman chairman farmer. I I would like to ask just a procedural question here, since my understanding is as our full committee chairman here, you are own chairman farmers committee and as the full committee chair there, he is on your committee.

H

Are we going to get in a situation where both you are going to bring gavels and the rest of us are just confused as to who's driving? This train? I'm just. I want to make sure, because I want to know who to look at.

J

Chairman farmer, you're wrecking down, thank you. I defer to nunchucks. Oh thank you.

A

Members anything else before the committee, I know: we've uh we've had a good time with us today, because we had a very light load. I will remind everybody, because you're all going to be on that committee, but criminal justice sub is still meeting today. It's meeting at five o'clock, uh it's my understanding that we cannot just go straight into that, although that was an excellent suggestion.

A

So at five o'clock uh criminal justice subcommittee will convene without any further business. We are adjourned.

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