NASHVILLE, Tennessee — Tennessee lawmakers are heading back to the Capitol on Monday to address legislation that would provide health care providers, schools and businesses broad protections against coronavirus lawsuits.
Republican Gov. Bill Lee announced last week that he was convening a special legislative session to address not only COVID-19 liability but also “telehealth services and laws governing the Capitol grounds.”
The GOP-dominated Statehouse failed to advance the proposal earlier this year when negotiations among lawmakers broke down in the hectic waning hours of legislative work.
The main dividing line over the liability bill was whether to make its protections retroactive to early March, which the Senate supported and the House opposed.
Critics of such legislation argue the legislation is unnecessary, pointing out that liability lawsuits are already one of the toughest cases to bring before a judge — adding additional restrictions would only punish those seeking justice.