MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The majority of members in the Tennessee legislature may be reckless in their approach to governing, but they are not quite as out of control as you might think. At least they had sense enough to listen to reason from Ford Motor Company and other businesses that raised strong concerns about banning workplace mask mandates.
Still, the package of bills approved in the middle of the night this weekend, severely limits what public schools and local health officials can do to fight the spread of COVID-19.
When the legislature started a special session last week to put a stop to virtually every reasonable effort to combat the virus, lawmakers were intent to passing sweeping measures to basically outlaw vaccine and mask mandates This would prevent large local health departments from setting their own COVID policies.
But companies, led by Ford and other automakers, sounded the alarm, particularly about their right to impose mask mandates on their workers. Ford is planning to build a multi-billion electric truck assembly plant in Haywood County and the legislature has approved $900 million dollars in taxpayer incentives for the project.
There was no way even this foolhardy bunch of lawmakers would blow up the most important economic deal in Tennessee history. And yet, they still managed to make the state a laughingstock by putting partisan politics ahead of public health. It’s just another example of a legislature run amok.
I’m Otis Sanford, and that’s my point of view.