NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Some lawmakers in Tennessee would like to change the state constitution, and they’ve filed bills to make it happen.
The process to amend the Tennessee Constitution is lengthy. As outlined in Article XI, Section 3 , any constitutional amendments must be passed by two consecutive general assemblies—the first by a simple majority and the second by a two-thirds majority. If an amendment passes the legislature, it then moves onto a ballot for referendum. This referendum may only happen during a gubernatorial election year—when Tennesseans choose their next governor.
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Friday morning, state leaders announced a bipartisan effort on bail reform through the process of a constitutional amendment. Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville), as well as state lawmakers from the Memphis area and Memphis city leaders, announced a proposed constitutional amendment to grant judges in Tennessee the ability to deny bail for certain defendants.