Norris disputes Haslam on resolution
Says gov. mischaracterized refugee measure ordering lawsuit
NASHVILLE — State Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris told Gov. Bill Haslam he’s “troubled” and “uncomfortable with your mischaracterization” of legislation ordering legal action against the federal government over its refugee resettlement program in Tennessee.
In a letter to Haslam on Monday, Norris, R-Collierville, took strong exception to the governor’s remarks Friday about Senate Joint Resolution 467. Haslam declined to sign it, which has no practical effect other than signifying the governor’s position.
The governor’s press secretary, Jennifer Donnals, said later Tuesday, “I’m sure the governor and Leader Norris will have a chance to talk about this at some point, but the governor stands by his statement issued Friday.”
In a brief message outlining why he didn’t sign it, the governor noted SJR467 directs the attorney general to initiate legal action regarding refugee placements in the state and authorizes the House and Senate speakers to hire outside counsel if the attorney general declines. “I trust the attorney general to determine whether the state has a claim in this case or in any other, and I have constitutional concerns about one branch of government telling another what to do,” Haslam wrote.
The governor’s message also said he’s asking state Attorney General Herbert Slatery to “clarify whether the legislative branch actually has the authority to hire outside counsel to represent the state.
“I also question whether seeking to dismantle the (federal) Refugee Act of 1980 is the proper course for our state,” the governor’s message continued. “Rather, I believe the best way to protect Tennesseans from terrorism is to take the steps outlined in my administration’s Public Safety Action Plan, which enhances our ability to analyze information for links to terrorist activity, creates a Cyber Security Advisory Council, restructures our office of homeland security, establishes school safety teams, and provides training for active shooter incidents and explosive device attacks.”
Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey was the resolution’s sponsor, but Norris shepherded it through the Senate, where it carried on 29-4 vote. The House concurred 69-25.
Norris said Tuesday he’s “not upset with Bill Haslam personally. We need to get on with the business of keeping Tennessee safe.”
In his letter, the senator wrote he was trouble by the governor’s statement “and I am uncomfortable with your mischaracterization of this important resolution. First, as we have discussed, the resolution should not have been necessary in the first place. The attorney general should have acted on his own long before now.”
Despite a legislative clamor during last year’s Syrian refugee crisis, Slatery did not try to block resettlement of refugees in the state. He issued an advisory opinion Nov. 30 that Tennessee cannot refuse to accept refugees whom the federal government has processed and admitted to the United States because “such a refusal would impinge on and conflict with the federal government’s authority to regulate the admission of aliens to the U.S. and thus would violate the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution.”
Norris said one goal of the governor’s Public Safety Action Plan, released in January, is to enhance the state’s ability to analyze information for links to terrorist activity. However, federal officials are not providing the information needed for such analysis even though the state has rights to such information under the Refugee Act.
“It is ironic that your administration appears reluctant to enforce those rights,” wrote Norris. “We also need to know who is resettled, where they are resettled, whether they have been properly screened for contagious diseases like tuberculosis and measles, and whether they have been properly vaccinated. Recent outbreaks of measles in Memphis heighten concerns.”
Norris also said the vetting period for refugees has shortened from 18-24 months to 90 days and asked, “What has changed to give us any assurance that this is safe?”
The senator concluded his letter by saying the costs of providing federally mandated services to refugees in Tennessee “continue to mount,” including, he said, a $33 million increase in funding to help teach English as a second language.