'Constitutionally suspect' bill on U.S. Senate vacancies dies in Senate committee

One day after a House committee approved a bill deemed "constitutionally suspect" that would take away the governor’s ability to select a replacement for a vacant U.S. Senate seat in Tennessee, the legislation died in the Senate.

The measure, sponsored by Sen. Brian Kelsey, R-Germantown, and Rep. Mary Littleton, R-Dickson, failed to receive enough support to even hold a discussion when it was taken up in the Senate State and Local Government Committee.

The legislation would have required a joint special session to be held within two weeks of the vacancy occurring. In the event that lawmakers were not in legislative session when the vacancy occurred, the governor would have been required to call a special session, specifically for the purpose of filling the empty seat.

When the bill was taken up in a House committee on Tuesday, a legislative attorney referred to it as "constitutionally suspect."

Read more: http://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/politics/2017/04/05/constitutionally-suspect-bill-us-senate-vacancies-dies-senate-committee/100084064/