Focusing on the History of Nathan Bedford Forrest Bust, discuss the 2021 about the Relocation to the Tennessee State Museum.
2021 Senator Joey Hensley (R-Hohenwald; also a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans) filed a retaliatory bill, SB0600 on February 9, 2021, that if enacted into state law, would cancel the appointments of all 29 members of the Tennessee Historical Commission and create a revisionary Tennessee Historical Commission of 12 entirely new members with the Governor of Tennessee, the House Speaker, and the Lt. Governor each appointing four commission members.  SB0600 was co-sponsored within the Tennessee Senate by Senators Janice Bowling (R-Tullahoma), Frank Niceley (R-Strawberry Plains), and Mark Pody (R-Lebanon).Representative John Ragan (R-Oak Ridge) filed his House companion bill, HB1227, on February 11, 2021, and initially signed on Reps. Paul Sherrell (R-Sparta), Jay D. Reedy (R-Erin), Rusty Grills (R-Newbern), Jerry Sexton (R-Bean Station), Kent Calfee (R-Kingston), Todd Warner (R-Chapel Hill), and Clay Doggett (R-Pulaski) as prime co-sponsors of the House bill seeking to cancel out and revise the Tennessee Historical Commission membership.Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville) and Lt. Gov. Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) in a February 26, 2021, letter to Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery queried as to if the Tennessee Capitol Commission had the authority to seek permission from the Tennessee Historical Commission to remove the Nathan Bedford Forrest bust. McNally reportedly has been a vocal defender of the displaying the Forrest bust at the second floor of the Tennessee General Assembly building.
Acting upon the earlier 2020 amended approval issued by the Tennessee Capitol Commission, the Tennessee Historical Commission on March 17, 2021, itself voted 25–1, following a five-hour meeting, to move the Nathan Bedford Forrest bust, along with two other busts for public display at the nearby Tennessee State Museum.On July 22, 2021, the state Building Commission voted 5–2 to give final approval to relocate the bust to the state museum. The bust was removed the following day. On July 27, 2021, the bust became part of a new exhibit at the Tennessee State Museum.
Erin Tennessee Historical Commission Oak Ridge Crossville Sons of Confederate Veterans Hohenwald Bean Station Tullahoma Chapel Hill Tennessee General Assembly Tennessee State Museum Todd Warner Joey Hensley Nathan Bedford Forrest Cameron Sexton Newbern Jay D. Reedy Sparta Mark Pody Kent Calfee Clay Doggett Paul Sherrell Jerry Sexton Janice Bowling Tennessee Senate Randy McNally Lebanon Pulaski Kingston Rusty Grills John Ragan Strawberry Plains Frank Niceley