Legislative Update March 4 2023

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).

 

No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth!   Ronald Reagan

 

FOR YOUR PRAYER LIST:
The General Assembly is now running at full speed and, in fact, starting to close house subcommittees is probably on the horizon. Please pray for wisdom, clarity, thoroughness, thoughtfulness, etc., and leaving personalities out as these very important decisions are made.  Special request: One of our lawmakers is spending this weekend out of state making hospice and palliative care plans for a mother. Never an easy thing to face and to do. 

 

ANDREW'S CORNER:
Even though we are in the busy season, we are still getting that ball rolling. This week we had a few lovely opportunities to sit with legislators and hear their knowledge and passion. They are doing hard things in a hard time and thanking God nonetheless. 

 

PROPOSED CHANGES TO TENNESSEE'S PRO-LIFE LAW:
SB 0745 by *Briggs - HB 0883 by *Helton-Haynes , Rudder, Hazlewood, Farmer, Whitson
Abortion - As introduced, requires the state capitol commission to be responsible, through funds appropriated to the commission, after funds from the construction and placement have been exhausted, for the upkeep and maintenance of a monument on the capitol campus that is in memory of the victims of abortion.

STATUS:  SB745 was postponed until March 14; HB883 was postponed until March 22. 

What does this mean?  It means that our involvement is MAKING A DIFFERENCE!!
This started with a 'caption' bill, meaning that what you read on the General Assembly website had NOTHING to do with what was planned.  
The first Amendment was adopted in House Subcommittee Population Health, but it was opposed by pro-lifers, so the next amendment was written. It is not available to the public through the Tennessee General Assembly website, but it can be read here in its current form. The strong pro-life opposition continued and the bills were postponed. 

SOLUTION: Leave Vanderbilt and the TN Medical Association, etc., out of the talks, put the three or four places from the The Human Life Protection Act on a piece of paper that legitimately could use some clarification, and pass that!!   Please stay tuned - we will keep you posted.  

INTERESTING NOTE: HB883 had 10 cosponsors and now it only has four!

 

ABORTION TO A CERTAIN GESTATIONAL AGE:
SB 0857 by *Haile , Briggs, Yager, Massey, Powers
HB 1440 by *Rudder , HELTON-HAYNES, HAZLEWOOD, WHITE, WHITSON, KUMAR, MOON
Abortion - As introduced, exempts from the offense of criminal abortion an abortion that is performed on a patient whose pregnancy is the result of rape or incest if the abortion is performed prior to a certain gestational age; requires the physician performing the abortion to confirm that the patient reported the offense to the appropriate law enforcement agency and submitted to a forensic medical examination prior to the procedure; adds a mandatory minimum sentence of three years incarceration for filing a false report of rape or incest for the purpose of obtaining an abortion.
STATUS:  Some House sponsors have withdrawn and SB857 has been assigned to the General Subcommittee of Senate Judiciary Committee, meaning it probably will not be heard this year. 

 

LOCAL GOVERNMENTS PROHIBITED FROM ABORTION FUNDING:
SB 0600 by *Hensley - HB 0090 by *Moody , LAMBERTH, BULSO, LEATHERWOOD
Local Government, General - As introduced, prohibits local governments from expending funds for the purposes of assisting a person in obtaining an abortion
STATUS: So glad to report that SB600 passed Senate Judiciary 7-2.
Sens voting aye were: Gardenhire, Lundberg, Roberts, Rose, Stevens, Taylor, White -- 7.   Sens voting no were: Kyle, Lamar -- 2.
HB 90 will be in Cities & Counties Subcommittee on Wednesday.
ACTION:  Please contact these members and urge each to support this important bill:
Rep. Jerome Moon rep.jerome.moon@capitol.tn.gov
Rep. Rebecca Alexander rep.rebecca.alexander@capitol.tn.gov
Rep. John Crawford rep.john.crawford@capitol.tn.gov
Rep .Michael Hale  rep.michael.hale@capitol.tn.gov
Rep. John Holsclaw  rep.john.holsclaw@capitol.tn.gov
Rep William Slater.  rep.william.slater@capitol.tn.gov
Rep. Dave Wright   rep.dave.wright@capitol.tn.gov

 

BILL FOR THE LIFE OF OUR CONSTITUTION?
SB 1092 by *Bowling - HB 0726 by *Hulsey , FRITTS, REEDY, CRAWFORD, BARRETT, BULSO, DOGGETT, HURT, LAFFERTY 
General Assembly - As introduced, enacts the "Restoring State Sovereignty Through Nullification Act," which establishes processes by which the general assembly may nullify an unconstitutional federal statute, regulation, agency order, or executive order

Horowitz: Tennessee lawmaker introduces the single most important bill for the life of our Constitution
What happens when the federal government promulgates a blatantly unconstitutional and life-altering regulation on our life, liberty, and property that no reasonable person can believe is within the confines of the constitutionally enumerated powers? What happens if a federal court invents a right out of whole cloth, such as mandating gay marriage upon the states two years after conceding it’s a state issue? Are we completely at the mercy of that edict and forced to embark on the impossible task of amending the Constitution the government or the court just illegally amended? Hell no. And a Tennessee representative is leading the charge with a new bill that will restore the constitutional balance of power once and for all.

The federal government is only supreme over state laws if its laws are “in pursuance” of the Constitution. If we allow the federal government’s actions to be supreme – not just in a gray area of dispute, but when they are unambiguously unconstitutional – then we quite literally have no Constitution. If the federal courts are the final arbiters of the Constitution, then again, we have no separation of powers to speak of. This is the era we are living through today, and if there is ever any hope of restoring the Constitution, we must follow our founders, who believed that the Constitution rests in the whole of the people.

 

 

STATUS:
HB726 is in Public Service Subcommittee on Tuesday.
ACTION: Please contact these members and urge them to VOTE YES on this bill.  Feel free to use the article above.
Rep. Iris Rudder rep.iris.rudder@capitol.tn.gov
Rep. Rebecca Alexander rep.rebecca.alexander@capitol.tn.gov
Rep. Rick Eldridge rep.rick.eldridge@capitol.tn.gov 
Rep. Curtis Johnson rep.curtis.johnson@capitol.tn.gov
Rep. Kelly Keisling  rep.kelly.keisling@capitol.tn.gov
Rep. Dennis Powers rep.dennis.powers@capitol.tn.gov

 

US CONSTITUTION REQUIRING TERM LIMITS
HJR 0005 by *Todd , Sparks, Warner
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.
Please review these articles on this very important issue:
1. The Problems with ARTIFICIAL Term Limits
2. States Likely Could Not Control Constitutional Convention on Balanced Budget Amendment or Other Issues
3. Term Limits Don't Work 

STATUS: HJR005 is in Public Service Subcommittee on Tuesday
ACTON: Please contact these legislators and ask them to OPPOSE this resolution 
Rep. Iris Rudder rep.iris.rudder@capitol.tn.gov , 
Rep. Rebecca Alexander rep.rebecca.alexander@capitol.tn.gov , 
Rep. Vincent Dixie rep.vincent.dixie@capitol.tn.gov, 
Rep. Rick Eldridge rep.rick.eldridge@capitol.tn.gov , 
Rep. Dennis Powers rep.dennis.powers@capitol.tn.gov , 
Rep. Curtis Johnson rep.curtis.johnson@capitol.tn.gov, 
Rep. Kelly Keisling  rep.kelly.keisling@capitol.tn.gov

 

INITIATIVE AND REFERENDUM FOR TENNESSEE??
SJR 0041 by *Yarbro
Constitutional Amendments - Proposes constitutional amendment to allow people to propose laws by initiative
As I am sure each of you fully understand, Tennessee is a Republic, we ELECT our representatives to come to Nashville, represent us and do the business of the state. 

Please review: WHY NOT INITIATIVE AND REFERENDUM? .

STATUS:  SJR 41 is on Senate Judiciary on Tuesday.
ACTION:  Please contact these members and urge each to OPPOSE this resolution.
legislation.
Sen. Todd Gardenhire sen.todd.gardenhire@capitol.tn.gov
Sen. Dawn White sen.dawn.white@capitol.tn.gov
Sen. Paul Rose sen.paul.rose@capitol.tn.gov
Sen. Jon  Lundberg sen.jon.lundberg@capitol.tn.gov
Sen. Kerry Roberts sen.kerry.roberts@capitol.tn.gov 
Sen. John Stevens sen.john.stevens@capitol.tn.gov 
Sen. Brent Taylor sen.brent.taylor@capitol.tn.gov

 

LEGALIZING ‘MEDICAL’ MARIJUANA:
SB 1104 by *Bowling - HB 1441 by *Rudder
Health Care - As introduced, enacts the "Tennessee Medical Cannabis Act," which establishes a medical cannabis program to be administered by the medical cannabis commission
STATUS: Thankfully SB1104 Failed 3-6:
Sens. voting aye were: Kyle, Lamar, Roberts -- 3.
Sens. voting no were: Gardenhire, Lundberg, Rose, Stevens, Taylor, White -- 6.

 

 

PARENTAL CONSENT REQUIRED:
SB 1111 by *Bowling - HB 1380 by *Ragan , FRITTS
Public Health - As introduced, enacts the "Mature Minor Doctrine Clarification Act.
This bill prohibits a healthcare provider from providing a vaccination to a minor unless the healthcare provider first receives written informed consent from a parent or legal guardian of the minor. This bill requires the healthcare provider to document receipt of, and include in the minor's medical record proof of, such consent
STATUS: HB1380 was taken "off notice" to work on it and bring back an improved version.We hope it will be back for action.
 

NEWS OF NOTE:

By Capping Out-Of-Pocket Price, Eli Lilly Could Transform Insulin Market .

Private school voucher and charter-friendly bills sail through Tennessee Senate .

DCS chief: State has stopped housing kids in offices in all but one county .

                             

                                          COULD BE, THIS YEAR!!