Despite concerns from Governor Bill Haslam and groups representing refugees, a House subcommittee approved a resolution that will sue the federal government over its refugee resettlement program.
On Wednesday, the joint resolution was passed in the House State Government Subcommittee and moved forward to a full committee vote. The resolution will become a law if the House approves it since the governor has no authority to veto resolutions. Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey and several powerful lawmakers support the resolution, reports Times Free Press.
After last year's terrorist attack in Paris, fears about refugee resettlement in Tennessee were intensified. Dozens of lawmakers argued that the refugee program leaves the states without a say about who comes in and forces them to foot the bill for health, education, and other taxpayer-funded services provided for migrants.
Breitbart reported that there were more than 70 members of the House of Representatives who have signed on as co-sponsors of the resolution, which is powered by widespread public opposition to the transfer of mostly welfare-dependent and unskilled Middle Eastern refugees into the state.
Sponsors of the resolution like Rep. Susan Lynn Weaver, R-Collierville, R-Lancaster, and Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris, argued that the resolution is needed because the federal government has failed to consult with Tennessee on the continued placement of the migrants. According to The Tennessean, the sponsors also claimed that the feds have shifted the cost of administering the refugee program to the state without lawmakers specifically approving the appropriation of funds.
However, Republican Haslam and his allies in the House have thrown up many hurdles to block the resolution, titled as Senate Joint Resolution 467. If the far left groups, including Governor Haslam, succeed through legislative skullduggery to prevent the resolution from coming to the House for a vote, then the Senate will proceed with the lawsuit on its own.
