Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee has signed on to a bill that would raise tougher fines for protesters who break certain laws during demonstrations.
The General Assembly of the Volunteer State passed the measure last week, and Lee signed it into law without an announcement Thursday.
People who camp illegally on state property now face a Class E crime, punishable by a maximum of six years in prison, instead of a crime.
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People convicted of a crime in Tennessee also lose the right to vote.
In addition, the law requires that people convicted of aggravated rioting serve a mandatory 45-day sentence, increase the fine for blocking highway access to emergency vehicles, and increase the penalty for aggravated assault against a first responder to a Class crime C.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (right, on stage) talks to reporters at Memphis International Airport about the state’s response to the new coronavirus on Friday, March 27, 2020, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo / Adrian Sainz).
A Class C crime carries a $ 15,000 fine and a mandatory minimum sentence of 90 days.
After nearly two months of ongoing protests outside the state Capitol, the bill passed the GOP-led General Assembly after a three-day special legislative session. Lawmakers have also passed legislation on COVID-19 immunity for liability and telemedicine.
Lee and other Tennessee Republicans have defended the bill, pointing to fires that were set inside and outside a courthouse in May.
‘I think what we saw was a courthouse on fire and businesses were broken into and cars were damaged. “We saw lawlessness that needed to be addressed immediately,” Lee told reporters on Thursday.
That said, Lee has admitted that there were parts of the legislation that he “would have done differently.”
The move comes on the heels of nearly two months of protests in Nashville, sparked by the death of George Floyd, with protesters calling for racial justice reform and a meeting with Lee.
While Lee refused to meet with her, he commuted to meet a handful of black leaders and promised to address “racial reconciliation” and other issues.
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Hedy Weinberg, the leader of the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee, told the Associated Press Friday night that they were “very disappointed” by Lee’s decision to enact the law.
“While the governor often talks about reforming the ordinance, this bill is in conflict with those words and wastes valuable taxable funds to severely criminalize dissenters,” she said.
