Bill Text: IL HR0189 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Condemns the expulsion of Tennessee State Representatives Justin Jones and Justin Pearson and condemns the attempted expulsion of Tennessee State Rep. Gloria Johnson from the Tennessee House of Representatives.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2023-06-26 - Rule 19(a) / Re-referred to Rules Committee [HR0189 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-HR0189-Introduced.html


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HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, On March 27, 2023, three children and three
3adults were killed in a mass shooting at The Covenant School in
4Nashville, Tennessee; and
5 WHEREAS, The loss of lives spurred thousands of
6Tennesseeans to make their voices heard through protests at
7the Tennessee State Capitol, advocating for reform of laws
8governing firearm access and availability; and
9 WHEREAS, Channeling the voices of their constituents who
10were among those demonstrating, Reps. Justin Jones, Justin
11Pearson, and Gloria Johnson attempted to speak in support of
12reforming gun laws but were denied, and their microphones were
13cut off, preventing them from speaking on that topic and on any
14measure or order of business; denied the ability to speak
15using their desks and microphones, they instead echoed the
16chants for reform from Tennesseans present at their capitol;
17and
18 WHEREAS, Immediately, the Tennessee House of
19Representatives majority began an extraordinary campaign of
20retaliation against Reps. Jones, Pearson, and Johnson,
21including stripping them of committee assignments, removing
22their access to their office space and parking, and

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1threatening expulsion, the most extreme action a legislative
2body can take against one of its members; and
3 WHEREAS, Expelling a member from the legislative body is
4an act so extraordinary that, since the Civil War, the
5Tennessee House had only previously used it to remove members
6attempting to block ratification of the 14th Amendment to the
7United States Constitution, which granted citizenship to
8formerly enslaved people and equal protection of the law to
9all Americans, and to remove members for bribery and sexual
10misconduct; and
11 WHEREAS, Even pursuing the extraordinary step of
12expulsion, the Tennessee House majority never intended to have
13a fair proceeding for Reps. Jones, Pearson, and Johnson, with
14one member of Tennessee's House leadership referring to Rep.
15Jones as a "former representative" prior to the filing of any
16expulsion resolution, any hearings, or proceedings on
17expulsion and without pursuing any other form of conflict
18resolution for alleged violations of decorum; and
19 WHEREAS, On April 6, 2023, after less than a day of
20proceedings, Reps. Jones and Pearson were expelled from the
21Tennessee House for these alleged violations of decorum, but
22Rep. Johnson was not; this, despite lawmakers from the
23majority party admitting that the expulsion resolutions

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1contained "deficiencies", dishonored the legislative process
2and occurred without the Tennessee House's normal step of
3empaneling an ethics committee to review alleged violations of
4their rules; therefore, be it
5 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
6HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
7we condemn the expulsion of Tennessee State Representatives
8Justin Jones and Justin Pearson and condemn the attempted
9expulsion of Tennessee State Rep. Gloria Johnson from the
10Tennessee House of Representatives; and be it further
11 RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
12presented to Reps. Jones, Pearson, and Johnson as a symbol of
13our respect and esteem.
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