KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Two East Tennessee Representatives clashed during a discussion of a bill about reparations on the House floor on Tuesday.
"I was actually quoting, or extracting a bit of a quote, from a Black writer for the African Vibes magazine," Rep. John Ragan (R-Oak Ridge) said. "I never got to say that because (Rep. Sam McKenzie) interrupted."
Ragan presented a bill blocking local governments from spending money to study or to distribute reparations. HB 0474 defines reparations as "money or benefits provided to an individual who is the descendant of persons who were enslaved as compensation for the enslavement of the individual's ancestors." Its Senate version passed on April 6.
"There can never be a morally appropriate reason for unjustly depriving a person of their god-given liberty and selling them into servitude," Ragan said from the House floor. "This is true whether the enslaver is an African monarchy or a cartel."
Rep. Sam McKenzie (D - Knoxville) immediately walked up to the well of the House, taking offense to the comparison between slavery and cartels. He is also the chairman of the Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators.
"It belittles the 400 years that Africans were enslaved in this country," McKenzie said in an interview after the floor session. "It belittles the fact that we built this country for free. Free and forced labor."
In an interview on Wednesday, Ragan held firm on his belief he didn't say anything wrong.
"Why should he be upset with me? Those weren't my words," Ragan said. "If he's taking exception to what members of his own race are saying about it, that's a different category of things to be upset over."
Republicans and Democrats huddled near the parliamentarian as they discussed Ragan's comments. McKenzie had a heated conversation with Republican Majority Leader William Lamberth (R - Portland).
"It probably wasn't a PG-type conversation," McKenzie said.
Republican lawmakers moved to postpone discussion on the bill. It wasn't discussed at a subsequent House floor session on Tuesday.
"We are a deliberative body that's supposed to present logically sound facts and debate points of law," Ragan said. "The chance never materialized because he interrupted me."
The House will convene another floor session on Thursday morning.