Tennessee House Implements Ticket System for Some Public Gallery Seats, Drawing Criticism of Limiting Access
• Tennessee House GOP leaders now require tickets to access some public gallery seats, sparking criticism about limiting public access
• Tickets distributed by House members to reserve seats; other sections remain first-come, first-served
• Change made to guarantee seats for visitors traveling from outside Nashville, per House Speaker Cameron Sexton
• Comes after GOP leaders briefly tried banning public signs last summer during heated special session over gun laws
• Part of new limits on debate time and speaking privileges, following tumultuous 2022 session including expulsions of 2 Black Democratic lawmakers