A persistent issue in Tennessee government is that of whether state law should trump the preferences of local jurisdictions. Two tests of the proposition are.
TN Legislators File Bill to Allow First Responders to Live where they Choose Jan 06, 2021 at 10:03 am by WGNS
State Senator Brian Kelsey (R-Germantown) today filed SB 29 which would allow first responders to live where they choose. The bill would ban residency requirements statewide for police officers and firefighters. Kelsey says the bill is a matter of public safety and will allow police and fire departments to recruit top tier first responder candidates, regardless of where they live. The lawmaker says, in particular, it will help Tennessee address a deficit of police officers occurring throughout the country.
“This is a public safety bill. It will enable us to hire more police officers, which will help us fight our rising crime rates, said Kelsey. This bill will support our police and fire officers who keep us safe by allowing them to live where they choose.
1/06/2021 - After years of Mid-South voters hitting the polls to decide if first responders should be required to live where they work, Tennessee State Senator Brian Kelsey of Germantown is hoping state lawmakers will decide the issue once and for all.
Kelsey filed a bill Wednesday that would let first responders, such as police officers, live wherever they choose. It would ban residency requirements statewide for law enforcement and firefighters.
Supporters of residency requirements argue first responders better serve their communities when they live in the area where they work.
In August 2020, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland pushed to allow voters to decide whether to relax Shelby County residency requirements, which say officers and firefighters must live in Shelby County. Strickland supported changing that to within 50 miles of Memphis. The city council voted to remove the issue from the November ballot, but the mayor vetoed that in an effort to get it bac