Legislative Update, January 29, 2022

Tennessee General Assembly information, click HERE. For information on State Senators, including phone numbers and email addresses, click HERE; for House members, click HERE. For information on legislation, click HERE.
Don't forget that you can now watch the Senate committee meetings and floor sessions online by going HERE; House committee meetings and floor sessions online HERE.
Phone calls can go to the legislative Switchboard at 615-741-3011 or to the Toll Free number 1-800-449-8366+1 last four digits of office phone number (available online).

 

“These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in the crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it NOW, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.”  — Thomas Paine

 

FOR YOUR PRAYER LIST:
Camie Green, wife of Cong. Mark Green, lost her dad this week.  You will want to remember that family.  Sen. Janice Bowling has Covid, so you will want to be praying for her as well as the legislative staff and the lobbyists who have this vicious virus.  

 

SESSION NOTES:
Normally, the second session of a General Assembly gets started with a BANG!  Since there are all the bills left from last year ready to go, but that doesn't seem to be the case this year.  It seems like a pretty slow start other than the redistricting bills.

However, Governor Lee will bring his State of the State address on Monday evening at 6:00pm, at a Joint Convention of the Senate and House members on the floor of the House.  You can (and should) watch it HERE.  He will address school funding among other important budget issues.  We have been told that he will be addressing the books and materials used in the classroom that expose our children to obscenities.  
Maybe after this presentation, the pace of the General Assembly will pick up.  Another help will be the fact that the bill filing deadline in the House is February 2nd; in the Senate it is February 3rd.   
State Representative Johnny Garrett Talks BEP, ESAs, and Top Priorties This Session .

 

Tennessee General Assembly Gives Redistricting Plans to Governor, Democrats Repeat Plans to Sue .

 

STATE HOUSE DISTRICTS: 
SB 0779 by *Johnson - HB 1035 by *Marsh
Redistricting, Legislative - As introduced, updates references to 2020 redistricting law. - Amends TCA Section 3-1-103
Passed the Senate 23-6; Passed the House 70-27
 

STATE SENATE DISTRICTS:
SB 0780 by *Johnson - HB 1037 by *Johnson C
Redistricting, Legislative - As introduced, updates references to 2020 redistricting law. - Amends TCA Section 3-1-102.
Passed the Senate 26-5; passed the House 71-26.

 

HOUSE CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS :
SB 0781 by *Johnson - HB 1034 by *Marsh
Redistricting, Congressional - As introduced, updates references to 2020 TIGER system and geography. - Amends TCA Section 2-16-103.
Passed the Senate 26-5; Passed the House 70-26.

 

Tennessee Democratic Party Sends Fundraising Email Shortly After House Passes Redistricting

January 26, 2022 Aaron Gulbransen

The Tennessee Democratic Party sent a fundraising email out shortly after the Tennessee House passed the redistricting proposals.

The email came from the Digital Director for the Tennessee Democratic Party, Cassie Jackson, and makes a monetary request for the stated purpose of funding a lawsuit to fight the new redistricting maps.

The specific court and parties to a potential lawsuit are unclear in the fundraising request. There’s another wrinkle regarding a potential lawsuit on the congressional maps, since Congressman Jim Cooper has announced that he is not running for reelection.

 

 

 

 

Gov. Bill Lee taps associate solicitor general Sarah Campbell for Tennessee Supreme Court seat .

The nominee is scheduled to be confirmed by the Senate Judiciary Committee at 3:00pm on Tuesday, February 1st.

 

 

 

PROTECTING RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
SB 1837 by *Hensley - HB 1694 by *Casada
Religion and Religious Organizations - As introduced, prohibits the state, a political subdivision, or a public official from prohibiting, or imposing additional restrictions on, the lawful operations of a church or religious organization, including religious services or activities, during a state of emergency, major disaster, or natural disaster. - Amends TCA Title 58.
STATUS:  HB1694 is in the Public Service Subcommittee on Wednesday.

ACTION: Please click on link above, click on the picture  and call or email to express your support.

 

 

PROTECTING PRIVACY 
SB 0320 by *Hensley - HB 0794 by *Weaver
Business and Commerce - As introduced, prohibits a person from denying an individual the full and equal enjoyment of goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, and accommodations of a place of public accommodation, resort, or amusement on the grounds of the wearing or use of a medical device, or whether the individual has received medical treatment. 
Under present law, it is a discriminatory practice for a person to deny an individual the full and equal enjoyment of a public accommodation on the grounds of race, creed, color, religion, sex, age, or national origin. A person who is aggrieved by a discriminatory practice in a public accommodation may file a complaint with the human rights commission or file a civil suit.

This bill adds the wearing or use of a medical device and whether a person has received medical treatment to the grounds for which it is a discriminatory practice for a person to deny an individual the full and equal enjoyment of a public accommodation. The full text of this bill defines "medical device" and "medical treatment".
STATUS:  SB320 was repeatedly on the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee Calendar and postponed, the last time to 2022. 
STATUS: HB794 is scheduled  in the  Business & Utilities Subcommittee on Wednesday.
PLEASE click on the committee link, then the picture to politely let your voice be heard!!  This is very important. 

 

 

WE WILL STRONGLY OPPOSING THESE BILLS AS THEY COME UP IN COMMITTEE:

 

ARTICLE V CONVENTION FOR TERM LIMITS:
HJR 0008 by *Todd ,  Eldridge, Mannis, Garrett, Zachary, Doggett, Calfee, Williams, Ogles, Bricken, Hurt 
Constitutional Conventions - Makes application to Congress for the purpose of calling an Article V convention to propose an amendment to the United States Constitution to set a limit on the number of terms to which a person may be elected as a member of the Congress of the United States.
NOTE: This Resolution barely passed the House with 54 votes and now moves to the Senate.

 

INDIAN GAMBLING TRIBAL TRUST LANDS:
SB 1656 by *Jackson - HB 1642 by *Hurt
Gaming - As introduced, recognizes a federally recognized Indian tribe residing on tribal trust lands within this state for purposes of obtaining a gaming license from the national Indian gaming commission to conduct gaming operations on the tribal trust lands of the Indian tribe. - Amends TCA Title 3; Title 4; Title 12 and Title 66

 

LEAGALIZING MARIJUANA??
SB 1973 by *Kyle - HB 1634 by *Griffey
Election Laws - As introduced, requires county election commissions to include three non-binding questions related to the legalization of marijuana on the November 2022 ballot; requires the secretary of state to compile the results of the public policy opinion poll and forward the results to the members of the general assembly. - Amends TCA Title 2.

 

 

NOTES OF INTEREST:

Rep. Curtis Halford announced that he would not be running for re-election.

Students who were part of Tennessee pre-K program continue to trail peers who weren’t, study shows . 

 

Tennessee considers projects for $328M in unassigned federal pandemic money .

State report shows $62B in Tennessee infrastructure needs .

Senate to take up Robinson ethics case, potential ouster on Feb. 2 .

Glen Casada, former state speaker of the house, running for Williamson County Clerk .

 

Griffey Says Wife Rebecca Will Run for His Seat in the 75th State House District .

State Representative Mark White Talks About Tweaking Critical Race Theory Legislation .

Governor Lee Sends Off Tennessee National Guard Members Before They Deploy to the Southern Border .