State Representative Dave Wright (R-Knoxville), the state House sponsor of the bill that establishes residency requirements for federal candidates in Tennessee, told The Tennessee Star that he plans to make the language in his version match State Senator Frank Niceley’s (R-Rutledge) state Senate-passed version.
“All I’m trying to do is to get a bill to the floor in the House so I can motion to substitute and conform to the Senate version.” said Wright. “I would hope that I can get this to Calendar and Rules on Thursday morning for it to be on the floor next week.”
A motion to substitute and conform to the Senate-passed bill SB2616, means that both bills would become identical in language. Then the House would vote on the bill with Niceley’s language in it.
The Senate-passed version establishes that candidates for federal office in primaries will need to be Tennessee residents for three years in order to be eligible for the primary ballot. That requirement matches the requirement for candidates for the Tennessee General Assembly. “In order to qualify as a candidate in a primary election for United States senate or for member of the United States house of representatives, a person shall meet the residency requirements for state senators and representatives contained in the Tennessee constitution. ”
The current House version was recommended for passage by the House Local Government Committee on Tuesday and has been referred to the House Calendar and Rules Committee, whose responsibility it is to schedule it for a floor vote. That floor vote is where Wright would make the motion to substitute and conform to the Senate bill’s language.
If these bills pass with the identical language, the legislation would go to Governor Bill Lee’s desk. If he signs the legislation, then it would take effect for this year’s elections and would significantly shake up the Tennessee 5th Congressional District Republican primary.
If the expected final version is enacted into law, Tennessee newcomer and former State Department spokesman Morgan Ortagus would be off the 5th-district GOP primary ballot, as would recent New York transplant David Vitalli. California native Robby Starbuck would also likely be ineligible as well.
Ortagus previously told The Star that the legislation is the purview of the General Assembly. It is unknown if Ortagus, Starbuck, or Vitalli would mount a legal challenge.
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Aaron Gulbransen is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected]. Follow Aaron on GETTR.
Photo “Dave Wright” by Lisa Hood Skinner. Background Photo “Tennessee State Capitol” by Andre Porter. CC BY-SA 3.0.
