IV 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 292 

Condemning the expulsion of two Black, duly elected Tennessee Representatives as a blatant act of racism and an attack on the democracy of 

the United States and observing that the Tennessee House of Representatives preferred to take this action of expulsion rather than to act 

on gun control measures to protect children. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 13, 2023 

Ms. KAMLAGER-DOVE (for herself, Mr. COHEN, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. 

IVEY, Ms. PRESSLEY, Ms. NORTON, Mr. CARTER of Louisiana, Mr. BOWMAN, Mr. EVANS, Mr. MULLIN, Ms. WILLIAMS of Georgia, Mrs. WATSON

COLEMAN, and Mr. GREEN of Texas) submitted the following resolution; 

which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Condemning the expulsion of two Black, duly elected Tennessee Representatives as a blatant act of racism and 

an attack on the democracy of the United States and 

observing that the Tennessee House of Representatives 

preferred to take this action of expulsion rather than 

to act on gun control measures to protect children. 

Whereas, on November 8, 2022, the people of House District 

52 elected Justin Jones in the general election for the 

Tennessee House of Representatives; 


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Whereas, on November 8, 2022, the people of House District 

90 elected Gloria Johnson in the general election for the 

Tennessee House of Representatives; 

Whereas, on March 14, 2023, the people of House District 

86 elected Justin J. Pearson in the special election for 

the Tennessee House of Representatives; 

Whereas, on March 27, 2023, a school shooting with legally 

bought weapons took place at The Covenant School in 

Nashville, Tennessee; 

Whereas, on March 30, 2023, Representatives Pearson, 

Jones, and Johnson led a gun control protest on the 

House floor following the mass shooting, advocating for 

the passage of gun reform legislation; 

Whereas Republicans in the Tennessee General Assembly 

claimed that these elected officials brought ‘‘disorder and 

dishonor’’ to the Tennessee House of Representatives for 

fighting for common-sense gun reform legislation following the tragic murder of three children and three 

adults at The Covenant School; 

Whereas, on April 6, 2023, the Tennessee House of Representatives expelled two Black lawmakers, Justin Jones 

in a 72 to 25 vote and Justin J. Pearson in a 69 to 26 

vote, for exercising their constitutional right to protest; 

Whereas expulsion has only been used in rare circumstances 

including in 1866 for attempting to prevent passage of 

the 14th Amendment, in 1980 for bribery, and in 2016 

for sexual misconduct; 

Whereas the White lawmaker, Representative Gloria Johnson, 

who joined the protest alongside Representative Jones 

and Representative Pearson, was not expelled; 


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Whereas Representative Jones and Representative Pearson 

represented the State’s largest cities, with large Black 

populations; 

Whereas, as a result, over 136,000 Tennesseans in Memphis 

and Nashville have had their democratic right to representation stripped from them; 

Whereas this act of expelling Representative Jones and Representative Pearson silences Black American voices, further perpetuating the historical disenfranchisement of 

Black Americans; 

Whereas until the United States reckons with its blatant and 

perpetual racism, the country will continue to be divided, 

and democracy will continue to be threatened; 

Whereas elected officials in the United States must understand it is their duty to break the American cycle of systemic racism seeped within the country; 

Whereas it is the responsibility of all elected officials to make 

decisions for the benefit of all Americans; 

Whereas, as of March 2023, roughly 130 counted mass shootings have occurred in the United States in 2023; 

Whereas, in June 2021, Tennessee Republicans enacted a law 

to allow permitless carry of handguns, both concealed 

and unconcealed, for people 21 years or older; 

Whereas, in February 2023, Tennessee Republicans introduced a bill to expand permitless carry to include all firearms despite concerns from the Tennessee Department of 

Safety and Homeland Security; 

Whereas section 1 of the 15th Amendment to the Constitution states: ‘‘The right of citizens of the United States 

to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United 


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States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.’’; 

Whereas the continuation of democracy in the United States 

is an active process that requires the vigilance and action 

of those who are appointed and elected to preserve it; and 

Whereas the continuation of democracy in the United States 

requires accountability for those who seek to damage it: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) condemns the expulsion of elected members 

3 of the Tennessee General Assembly, Justin Jones 

4 and Justin J. Pearson; 

5 (2) recognizes these expulsions are attacks on 

6 the fundamental ideals and livelihoods of American 

7 democracy; 

8 (3) acknowledges that the expulsion of two 

9 Black lawmakers in a show of overt racism was the 

10 preferred action of the Republican-led Tennessee 

11 House of Representatives so as to avoid further dis12 cussion of gun control measures that could prevent 

13 the death of more innocent schoolchildren and teach14 ers; and 

15 (4) believes we have a gun violence crisis and 

16 that State and Federal lawmakers should take ac17 tion to prevent future gun violence. 

Æ 


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