Metro Nashville Council posted the meeting agenda for its Tuesday, August 16 meeting, highlighted by a resolution accepting a grant to promote vaccines and resolutions spending over $50 million in American Rescue Plan funds.

RS2022-1708, sponsored by councilmembers Burkley Allen, Erin Evans, Ginny Welsch, Zulfat Suara, and Joy Styles, is a “resolution accepting a grant from the State of Tennessee, Department of Health, to the Metropolitan Government, acting by and through the Metropolitan Board of Health, to promote the proper use of all recommended vaccines and respond to vaccine preventable diseases in collaboration with the CDC and other partners.”

RS2022-1696 is a “resolution appropriating $25,000,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds from Fund #30216 to the Metropolitan Development and Housing Authority to provide low-cost loans to developers for the addition of deeply affordable housing units, with loan proceeds to be used to address affordable housing and homeless services.”

It is sponsored by councilmembers Sandra Sepulveda, Jennifer Gamble, Sean Parker, Burkley Allen, Ginny Welsch, and Zulfat Suara.

RS2022-1697, sponsored by councilmembers Sandra Sepulveda, Jennifer Gamble, Sean Parker, Burkley Allen, Ginny Welsch, and Zulfat Suara, is a “resolution appropriating $9,000,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds from Fund #30216 to the Metro Homeless Impact Division of Metro Social Services to build capacity in Housing First case management services, including establishing Assertive Community Treatment teams.”

RS2022-1698 is a “resolution appropriating $9,000,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds from Fund #30216 to the Metro Homeless Impact Division of Metro Social Services for temporary interim gap housing.”

It is sponsored by councilmembers Sandra Sepulveda, Jennifer Gamble, Sean Parker, Burkley Allen, Ginny Welsch, Russ Bradford, Zulfat Suara, and Joy Styles.

RS2022-1699, sponsored by councilmembers Sandra Sepulveda, Jennifer Gamble, Sean Parker, Burkley Allen, Ginny Welsch, Russ Bradford, and Zulfat Suara, is a “resolution appropriating $7,000,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds from Fund #30216 to the Metro Homeless Impact Division of Metro Social Services to establish a low barrier housing collective and to fund competitive grants for support services.”

Metro Nashville Council will additionally consider BL2022-1115, an ordinance on third reading “amending Section 13.08.080 of the Metropolitan Code of Laws pertaining to the use of License Plate Scanner (LPR) technology to exclude assisting with immigration enforcement as an allowed use of LPRs.”

The legislation is sponsored by councilmembers Bob Mendes, Dave Rosenberg, Burkley Allen, Ginny Welsch, Zulfat Suara, Tom Cash, Sean Parker, Emily Benedict, and Delishia Porterfield.

When initially filed, council staff declared the legislation illegal under current state law, and action was repeatedly deferred.

BL2022-1115 was amended by sponsor Bob Mendes at the August 2 meeting and passed on the second reading.

Only Councilmember Robert Swope voted against passing the bill on second reading.

The amendment reads:

I hereby move to amend Ordinance No. BL2022-1115 as follows:

1. By adding additional recitals at the end of the current recitals as follows: WHEREAS, the Metro Council acknowledges that under current federal law at 8 U.S.C. §1373, a local government may not restrict any government official from sending or receiving information about the immigration status of any person; and WHEREAS, the Metro Council acknowledges that under current state law at T.C.A. §7-68-101, et seq., a local government may not restrict any government official from communicating or cooperating with verifying or reporting the immigration status of any person; and WHEREAS, consistent with these state and federal laws, the Metro Council hereby states its intention to not interfere with sending, receiving, verifying, or reporting the immigration status of any person; provided however, the Metro Council further states its intention to not allow the use of LPR data any more broadly or expansively for immigration enforcement than strictly required by applicable state and federal law.

2. By amending Section 1, proposed Metropolitan Code of Laws Section 13.08.080(G)(1)(a)(ii)(6), as follows: (6) to assist any federal official in the identification, apprehension, detention, or removal of any person in connection with the immigration laws of the United States, except to the extent the use of the LPR system or LPR information is sought to verify or report the immigration status of any person.

As is customary, the meeting will start at 6:30 p.m. at the Nashville Metro Courthouse.

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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 GETTRTwitterTruth Social, and Parler.