The first legislative session of the 112th General Assembly has officially adjourned. If you were keeping score at home, the gavel hitting the Speaker’s desk last Wednesday evening did not happen soon enough. Entering the year, I had a sliver of hope that some of the usual partisanship would be set aside so that our body could unite behind the singular purpose of helping Tennessee families and local economies recover from the pandemic. After all, if the pandemic accomplished anything, it highlighted the educational and health care disparities plaguing our state, as well as inherent flaws within vital state programs (e.g. unemployment).
As is too often the case with my aims for bipartisan policy-making and unity of purpose, my hopes were dashed at the outset of the special session in January. On day one, the governor turned to the GOP political playbook and came out swinging at Nashville and Memphis. He then proposed an education package that placed more weight on standardized testing and third-grade students’ shoulders rather than addressing the many real challenges facing students and educators, which the pandemic served to exacerbate. The session only became more challenging from there. For the most part, this legislative session was consumed by the supermajority’s smokescreen agenda consisting of anti-vaccination, permitless handgun carry, fetal tissue burial, and discriminatory legislation that was strategically crafted to grab headlines and distract most Tennesseans from repeat attacks on voting rights and the judiciary, unemployment cuts, increased privatization of public education, and a wholesale failure to address the pandemic’s serious impacts on families and local economies.
THE POSITIVE SIDE OF THINGS
It is easy for advocates, citizens, and legislators to become downhearted or dispirited at times in this political climate, especially when you consider the legislation I referenced above. Like I often say, I feel like I spend much more time fighting against bad legislation than I get to spend fighting for sound policy. However, there are some really good days when we have big wins, relatively speaking, and are able to make a positive difference in the lives of Tennessee families. After this particularly rough legislative session, the remainder of this newsletter is focused on some of the positive notes from this year. I’ll save my long list of criticisms of the harm we did and the action we failed to take for a later day.
At the outset of our session, Speaker Sexton appointed me to the House Health, Civil Justice, and Education Administration committees, as well as the Civil Justice and K-12 subcommittees. From my seat on those substantive committees, I was able to provide District 55 a strong voice on almost every major issue and policy battle that came before the legislature this year.
I sponsored or co-sponsored approximately 50 bills that are expected to be enacted into law over the past four months. Over the next few weeks, I will be sharing more information about several of these bills in subsequent newsletters.
I also had the privilege of honoring the lives and achievements of several Tennesseans who lived, worked or otherwise had a direct impact on our District 55 and Nashville. A comprehensive list of all those I honored with a memorializing resolution this year can be found here.
Throughout the session, several of us successfully worked in a bipartisan manner to defeat several bad policy initiatives in the House. These included: a resolution to remove Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle from the bench and multiple attacks on the judiciary; multiple bills to limit vaccinations and dissuade Tennesseans from getting vaccinated (e.g. HB10, HB172, HB1269, HB1147, etc.); and, a resolution to designate the Bible as the official State Book. *This is by no means a comprehensive list of wins, but rather a cross-section of various topics.
This year, despite several concerns, I voted in favor of the final $42.6 billion state budget. Some of the key reasons for my support included increased funding for TSU, TCAT, Tennessee Promise and LaunchTN’s SBIR Matching Fund, as well as monetary support for Thistle Farms, End Slavery Tennessee, The Next Door, Renewal House, Tennessee State Fair (to be hosted by the Wilson Co. Fair), and the Tennessee Anti-Slavery Alliance.
REDISTRICTING
Because the final census data has not yet been delivered to states, we took no action on redistricting this session. I anticipate addressing this in a possible special session later this year or at the outset of the legislative session next year. I understand that most of the data will be delivered on or about July 31st.
STAYING IN TOUCH
Please remember to follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to stay informed about my activity in the state legislature. Please remember, if your group is hosting a virtual meeting, please be sure and let me know so I can listen in or attend to provide information.
STAY SAFE
Please remember to wear your face coverings when in public and get vaccinated when able.
IN THE NEWS
SUPPORT
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