TikTok ban legislation becomes law: How Tennessee legislators voted and what's next

Joyce Orlando, USA TODAY NETWORK

TikTok could soon become unavailable for U.S. residents if the social media platform's parent company doesn't give up the reigns.

On Tuesday, the Senate voted to ban the video sharing site in the United States if the China-based company that owns TikTok, ByteDance, does not sell the company. Roughly 170 million Americans use TikTok, some of which use the platform as a source of income.

The passage of legislation to ban the platform has sparked a major debate in the country that has pitted users and First Amendment advocates against those with growing national security concerns.

On Wednesday, President Joe Biden signed the bill into law. The app said it will exhaust every available legal avenue before considering a sale.

Here's what the sell-or-ban entails and how Tennessee congressional members voted on it.

When will TikTok be banned?

Don't worry, TikTok won't just disappear off of your phone this week. The bill gives Beijing-based ByteDance nine months to sell the company, with a possible additional three months if a sale is in progress. Which is longer than the original measure proposed by the House, it only gave the company six months to sell off the social media site.

If a sale doesn’t happen then TikTok will be banned... well as long as there aren't any court challenges that push the time frame.

Why is TikTok getting banned?

TikTok is one of the most popular social media sites in the United States, but lawmakers fear that it could be a threat to national security because of its ties to China.

Biden administration intelligence briefings have raised concerns among congressional members about the possibility of the Chinese government spying on Americans and spreading propaganda through the app, reported USA TODAY.

What was the legislation that had the TikTok ban in it?

The ban on TikTok wasn't a separate legislative piece. It was shoehorned into a piece that provides foreign aid.

The legislation to ban the social media platform in the U.S. was included as part of a larger $95 billion package that provides foreign aid to Ukraine and Israel.

How did Tennessee congressional members vote on the TikTok ban bill?

The House on Saturday approved the emergency spending package that housed the sell-or-ban bill for TikTok on a bipartisan 360-to-58 vote. The Senate passed the measure 79-18 Tuesday.

Here's how Tennessee congressmembers voted:

Senate(Tuesday)

  • Marsha Blackburn (R): Opposed

  • Bill Hagerty(R): Opposed

House (Saturday)

  • Tim Burchett (R): Support

  • Steve Cohen (D): Support

  • Chuck Fleischmann (R): Support

  • Mark Green (R): Support

  • Diana Harshbarger (R): Support

  • David Kustoff (R): Support

  • John Rose (R): Support

Republican House Representatives Scott DesJarlais and Andrew Ogles did not vote on the bill.

Congress votes to ban TikTok. What's next?

On Wednesday, President Joe Biden signed the bill into law. Now the ball is in ByteDance's court on whether to sell or face a ban in the U.S.

"This unconstitutional law is a TikTok ban, and we will challenge it in court," the company said in a statement Wednesday. "We believe the facts and the law are clearly on our side, and we will ultimately prevail."

TikTok has successfully fought back similar attempts to ban the app.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: When will TikTok be banned? How TN legislators voted and what's next

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