Tennessee Legislator Wants to Adopt a State Law Identical to President Trump’s Execut
Tennessee Legislator Wants to Adopt a State Law Identical to President Trump’s Executive Order on Refugee Settlement
December 18, 2019
Zachery Schmidt
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A Tennessee state legislator introduced a bill last week that would disallow the Volunteer state from taking in any refugees if the procedures don’t follow President Donald Trump’s Executive Order on refugee settlement.
In September, Trump signed Executive Order 13888 that allowed state governments and local communities to decide whether or not they want to take in refugees. As Commander in Chief, Trump plans to accept 18,000 refugees next year, which will be the lowest number of refugees America has taken in since 1980.
Under Bruce Griffey(R-Paris)’s proposedHB 1578, Tennessee would adopt the same language as in Executive Order 13888. Furthermore, this proposed law would allow local governments to pass a refugee resolution by two-thirds voting. Next, local government’s resolution would have to outline how many refugees their community would take in.
Once a local government adopts a refugee resolution, a Tennessee state legislator would propose the legislation and need it to be approved by a two-thirds majority by both the House and Senate. After being approved by the state legislators, Tennessee’s governor would need to sign it into law.
“We need to protect and help American manufacturing grow while at the same time protect and try to increase wages for those Tennesseans at the bottom of the economic scale. It is the right thing to do, not just for Tennesseans but for ALL AMERICANS,” Griffey said. “It is too soon in my estimation to ease wage pressure by importing refugee labor and/or allowing illegal immigration labor to continue to operate in Tennessee unabated. My motto is ‘Tennesseans First.’”
As a state, Gov. Bill Lee has not yet made a decision on if the Volunteer state will accept refugees.
Griffey sent a letter to the Lee on December 11 asking him not to accept any refugees.
“On behalf of my constituents in the Seventy-Fifth House District, I strongly urge you decline to accept any refugees for resettlement in Tennessee in accordance with President Trump’s ‘Executive Order on Enhancing State and Local Involvement in Refugee Settlement,’” the letter read.
Griffey later goes on to argue that accepting refugees will have “adverse effects” on Tennessean’s wages, cost the state “millions of dollars,” cause problems with vetting refugees, and put a strain on “local jurisdictions within the state.”
“We need to take care of our own first. Only when the vast majority of Tennesseans are employed with good jobs and good wages and in a position to take care of their families without relying upon ‘income assistance from the government,’ should Tennessee ever consider allowing refugees to resettle here,” he said.
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Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of Battleground State News. If you have any tips, email Zachery at zschmidt1717@gmail.com.
Background Photo “Tennessee General Assembly” by Tennessee General Assembly.
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