Legislative Update, February 13, 2021

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).

 

The transcendent importance of love and goodwill in all human relations is shown by their mighty beneficent effect upon the individual and society. --George David Birkhofff

FOR YOUR PRAYER LIST:
You will want to continue to pray for Rep. Mike Carter.  The good news is that he seems to be responding well to chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer.  Also, please continue to pray for Rep. David Byrd. The good news is that he is off of the ventilator and eating on his own. He has been moved to an intensive Rehabilitation Facility. For the next few weeks he is going to be pretty busy trying to recondition his body so that he will be able to get back to living a normal and productive life.



 Well, the 2021 Legislation Session is in full swing!  There are a number of very important, high profile bills that will be addressed, so you will want to be paying close attention to the process and be sure to make your voice heard.  I have a notion that the session will move quickly so that the legislators can get their work completed and get home.

As I mentioned last week, the guidelines for getting into Cordell Hull are Draconian to say the least. I was complaining to an attorney friend of mine and he said I needed a button that said: "I am 80 years old and I can go anywhere I want to go." Well I also have a very talented graphic artist friend and he designed my button which I wore all week and will continue to wear.  I don't know that it helped but it sure was a lot of fun when legislators, staff and other Lobbyists saw it!!




We are proud to say that this is a TN Eagle Forum Bill
SB 0274 by *Rose - HB 0326 by *Moody
Child Custody and Support - As introduced, removes custody, visitation, or inheritance rights for a parent who has been convicted of aggravated statutory rape, statutory rape by an authority figure, or lesser included offenses of rape, from which crime the child was conceived
      We passed this bill in the House last year but the Senate shut down and we could not run it there, so we had to start over this year.
       Present TN law, TCA 36-6-102, removes custody, visitation, or inheritance rights for a CONVICTED rapist. 
        This legislation would also remove parental rights from a rapist who is convicted of or pleads guilty or no contest to lesser offense. The victim of a rape, and a child conceived of such an act, should be protected from the perpetrator of the criminal act. This is a ‘victim centered bill’ and protects a child from some questionable outcomes in a civil custody battle.
STATUS:  SB274 is in Senate Judiciary at 3:00pm on Tuesday. 
ACTION:  Please contact the committee members politely and respectfully asking them to support this bill: 
Sen. Mike Bell sen.mike.bell@capitol.tn.gov Sen. Dawn White sen.dawn.white@capitol.tn.gov Sen. Todd Gardenhire sen.todd.gardenhire@capitol.tn.gov Sen. Jon  Lundberg sen.jon.lundberg@capitol.tn.gov Sen. Sara Kyle sen.sara.kyle@capitol.tn.gov Sen. Katrina Robinson Sen.Katrina.Robinson@capitol.tn.gov Sen. John Stevens sen.john.stevens@capitol.tn.gov Sen. Kerry Roberts sen.kerry.roberts@capitol.tn.gov



PROTECTING WOMEN ATHLETES:
SB 0228  by *Hensley  -- HB 0003 by *Cepicky, , GRIFFEY, GANT, WEAVER, MOODY, HASTON, LAMBERTH, RUDD, SMITH, RAGAN, ZACHARY, DOGGETT, ELDRIDGE, SEXTON J, REEDY, HOWELL, WILLIAMS, CASADA, TODD, CALFEE, BRICKEN, MOON, CRAWFORD, HULSEY, DARBY, HICKS T, GARRETT, HELTON, LYNN, HAWK, TRAVIS, WHITE, RUSSELL
Local Education Agencies - As introduced, requires that a student's gender for purposes of participation in a public middle school or high school interscholastic athletic activity or event be determined by the student's sex at the time of the student's birth, as indicated on the student's original birth certificate
STATUS:  SB228 is in the Senate Education Wednesday, at 2:00pm
ACTION:  Please contact the committee members politely and respectfully asking them to support this bill: 
Sen. Brian Kelsey sen.brian.kelsey@capitol.tn.gov Sen. Jon  Lundberg sen.jon.lundberg@capitol.tn.gov Sen.Raumesh Akbari Sen.Raumesh.Akbari@capitol.tn.gov Sen. Mike Bell sen.mike.bell@capitol.tn.gov Sen. Rusty Crowe sen.rusty.crowe@capitol.tn.gov Sen. Ferrell Haile sen.ferrell.haile@capitol.tn.gov
Sen. Bill Powers sen. bill.powers@capitol.tn.gov  Sen. Dawn White sen.dawn.white@capitol.tn.gov

STATUS:  HB003 was in the House K-12 Subcommittee on Tuesday where it passed on a voice vote with Rep. Clemmons requesting to be recorded as a NO.  It is in House Education Administration Committee on Wednesday at 3:30pm.
ACTION: Please contact the committee members politely and respectfully asking them to support this bill:
Rep. Charlie Baum rep.charlie.baum@capitol.tn.gov Rep. Mark Cochran rep.mark.cochran@capitol.tn.gov Rep. John Gillespie rep.john.gillespie@capitol.tn.gov Rep. Yusuf Hakeem rep.yusuf.hakeem@capitol.tn.gov  Rep. Justin Lafferty rep.justin.lafferty@capitol.tn.gov Rep. Harold Love rep.harold.love@capitol.tn.gov Rep. Antonio Parkinson rep.antonio.parkinson@capitol.tn.gov

Women Shouldn’t Accept Third Place In A Race They Won . 
Female high school athletes fear for their future with inclusion of transgender women in sports .

 

SB 0007 by *Pody, , Niceley, Bowling, Hensley; HB 0010 by *Reedy , CRAWFORD, WARNER, RUDDER, CEPICKY, OGLES, HALL, CALFEE, WEAVER, DOGGETT
Among other things, this bill removes the provisions that limit a person's objecting on religious grounds to vaccinations, examinations, and medical treatments. Additionally, this bill creates protection from state agencies, departments, and political subdivisions promulgating or enforcing ordinances or resolutions that require medical examinations, immunization, and treatment to individuals who object on religious or right of conscience grounds.
STATUS:  HB0010 is scheduled in the Health Subcommittee on Tuesday at noon.
ACTION: Please contact the committee members politely and respectfully asking them to support this bill:
Rep. Bob Ramsey rep.bob.ramsey@capitol.tn.gov Rep. Clark Boyd rep.clark.boyd@capitol.tn.gov Rep. Bob Freeman rep.bob.freeman@capitol.tn.gov Rep. Darren Jernigan rep.darren.jernigan@capitol.tn.gov Rep. Sabi Kumar rep.sabi.kumar@capitol.tn.gov  Rep. Pat Marsh rep.pat.marsh@capitol.tn.gov Rep. Paul Sherrell rep.paul.sherrell@capitol.tn.gov Rep. Robin Smith rep.robin.smith@capitol.tn.gov Rep. Bryan Terry rep.bryan.terry@capitol.tn.gov


 

PROTECTING THE US SUPREME COURT:
SJR 0049 by *Bell
General Assembly, Statement of Intent or Position - Urges Congress to propose to the states for ratification an amendment stating that the United States Supreme Court shall be composed of nine justices
NOTE:  This is a very important issue and although a Resolution does not carry the weight of law, it does express the 'sense of the body' and the Tennessee General Assembly  certainly needs to express their support for a Constitutional Amendment to keep the Court at nine justices.
STATUS: SJR49 is in Senate Judiciary on Tuesday.
ACTION: You will want to urge the members of the committee to support this proposal.
Sen. Dawn White sen.dawn.white@capitol.tn.gov Sen. Todd Gardenhire sen.todd.gardenhire@capitol.tn.gov Sen. Jon  Lundberg sen.jon.lundberg@capitol.tn.gov Sen. Sara Kyle sen.sara.kyle@capitol.tn.gov Sen. Katrina Robinson Sen.Katrina.Robinson@capitol.tn.gov Sen. John Stevens sen.john.stevens@capitol.tn.gov Sen. Kerry Roberts sen.kerry.roberts@capitol.tn.gov Sen. Paul Rose sen.paul.rose@capitol.tn.gov
  
How Democrats Could Pack the Supreme Court in 2021 .
Ted Cruz Introduces Major Constitutional Amendment .

Former Tennessee Attorney General Paul Summers Discusses the Keep Nine Amendment Project .

With all the legislative restrictions on visitation at Cordell Hull this session, please know that you can, AND SHOULD, watch the committee meetings as well as the respective floor sessions.  You can see the Senate HERE;  and the House HERE.