Tennessee bill to untangle gun and voting rights restoration is killed for the year

By JONATHAN MATTISE
Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee lawmakers have killed a bipartisan bill for the year that would have let residents convicted of felonies apply to vote again without also restoring their gun rights. Democratic Rep. Antonio Parkinson and Republican Sen. Paul Bailey advanced the bill late in Tennessee’s annual legislative session. However, a split House committee voted 8-6 Wednesday to send the bill to a summer study ahead of next year’s legislative session. That means the bill is dead for 2024, barring some unusual procedural move. Some Republicans argued they prefer to study citizenship rights issues in state law more broadly over the summer and propose changes next year.