[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 292 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 292
Condemning the expulsion of two Black, duly elected Tennessee
Representatives as a blatant act of racism and an attack on the
democracy of the United States and observing that the Tennessee House
of Representatives preferred to take this action of expulsion rather
than to act on gun control measures to protect children.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 13, 2023
Ms. Kamlager-Dove (for herself, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Mr.
Ivey, Ms. Pressley, Ms. Norton, Mr. Carter of Louisiana, Mr. Bowman,
Mr. Evans, Mr. Mullin, Ms. Williams of Georgia, Mrs. Watson Coleman,
and Mr. Green of Texas) submitted the following resolution; which was
referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Condemning the expulsion of two Black, duly elected Tennessee
Representatives as a blatant act of racism and an attack on the
democracy of the United States and observing that the Tennessee House
of Representatives preferred to take this action of expulsion rather
than to act on gun control measures to protect children.
Whereas, on November 8, 2022, the people of House District 52 elected Justin
Jones in the general election for the Tennessee House of
Representatives;
Whereas, on November 8, 2022, the people of House District 90 elected Gloria
Johnson in the general election for the Tennessee House of
Representatives;
Whereas, on March 14, 2023, the people of House District 86 elected Justin J.
Pearson in the special election for the Tennessee House of
Representatives;
Whereas, on March 27, 2023, a school shooting with legally bought weapons took
place at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee;
Whereas, on March 30, 2023, Representatives Pearson, Jones, and Johnson led a
gun control protest on the House floor following the mass shooting,
advocating for the passage of gun reform legislation;
Whereas Republicans in the Tennessee General Assembly claimed that these elected
officials brought ``disorder and dishonor'' to the Tennessee House of
Representatives for fighting for common-sense gun reform legislation
following the tragic murder of three children and three adults at The
Covenant School;
Whereas, on April 6, 2023, the Tennessee House of Representatives expelled two
Black lawmakers, Justin Jones in a 72 to 25 vote and Justin J. Pearson
in a 69 to 26 vote, for exercising their constitutional right to
protest;
Whereas expulsion has only been used in rare circumstances including in 1866 for
attempting to prevent passage of the 14th Amendment, in 1980 for
bribery, and in 2016 for sexual misconduct;
Whereas the White lawmaker, Representative Gloria Johnson, who joined the
protest alongside Representative Jones and Representative Pearson, was
not expelled;
Whereas Representative Jones and Representative Pearson represented the State's
largest cities, with large Black populations;
Whereas, as a result, over 136,000 Tennesseans in Memphis and Nashville have had
their democratic right to representation stripped from them;
Whereas this act of expelling Representative Jones and Representative Pearson
silences Black American voices, further perpetuating the historical
disenfranchisement of Black Americans;
Whereas until the United States reckons with its blatant and perpetual racism,
the country will continue to be divided, and democracy will continue to
be threatened;
Whereas elected officials in the United States must understand it is their duty
to break the American cycle of systemic racism seeped within the
country;
Whereas it is the responsibility of all elected officials to make decisions for
the benefit of all Americans;
Whereas, as of March 2023, roughly 130 counted mass shootings have occurred in
the United States in 2023;
Whereas, in June 2021, Tennessee Republicans enacted a law to allow permitless
carry of handguns, both concealed and unconcealed, for people 21 years
or older;
Whereas, in February 2023, Tennessee Republicans introduced a bill to expand
permitless carry to include all firearms despite concerns from the
Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security;
Whereas section 1 of the 15th Amendment to the Constitution states: ``The right
of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged
by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or
previous condition of servitude.'';
Whereas the continuation of democracy in the United States is an active process
that requires the vigilance and action of those who are appointed and
elected to preserve it; and
Whereas the continuation of democracy in the United States requires
accountability for those who seek to damage it: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) condemns the expulsion of elected members of the
Tennessee General Assembly, Justin Jones and Justin J. Pearson;
(2) recognizes these expulsions are attacks on the
fundamental ideals and livelihoods of American democracy;
(3) acknowledges that the expulsion of two Black lawmakers
in a show of overt racism was the preferred action of the
Republican-led Tennessee House of Representatives so as to
avoid further discussion of gun control measures that could
prevent the death of more innocent schoolchildren and teachers;
and
(4) believes we have a gun violence crisis and that State
and Federal lawmakers should take action to prevent future gun
violence.
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