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).
DON'T KNOW WHO YOUR SENATOR OR REPRESENTATIVE IS?
Just go HERE and you can find out!!
LIVE VIDEO
| "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." Abraham Lincoln |
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FOR YOUR PRAYER LIST:
The request continues - the race is REALLY on - committees are already closing. There is concern that the rush to adjourn is going to leave important bills unaddressed in committee. Please pray for thoughtfulness, attention, cooperation, clarity, as these decisions will touch each of us.
MESSAGE FROM OUR AMAZING STUDENT EAGLE LEADER, FRANCES ARTHUR:
Nearly 40 Student Eagles from clubs across the state will be at the Cordell Hull Building on two days later this month to shadow a legislator for a day. Student Eagles are required to read their respective legislator’s bills in order to qualify for this opportunity. Please keep these students and legislators in your prayers as they prepare for this exciting day!
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RIGHT TO DIE:
SB 0640 by *Campbell - HB 0598 by *Freeman
Right to Die - As introduced, creates a process whereby an adult suffering from a terminal disease may request medication for the purpose of ending the adult's life in a humane and dignified manner if certain requirements are met. - Amends TCA Title 32; Title 39; Title 56; Title 63 and Title 68
STATUS: HB598 failed in the Population Health Subcommittee 2-8:
Reps.voting aye were: Clemmons, Brooks -- 2.
Reps.voting no were: Carringer, Gillespie, Helton-Haynes, Kumar, Rudder, Sherrell, Terry, Travis -- 8.
HOWEVER: While the vote was right and what we desired, I want to URGE you to click HERE, scroll down the left side to HB598, then click and listen to the discussion and especially the witnesses who addressed the committee. It was so touching and so true. I can PROMISE it is worth a few minutes of your time.
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HUMAN TRAFFICKING TO INCLUDE SMUGGLING
SB 0392 by *Taylor, Johnson, White
HB 0322 by *Barrett, Lamberth, Leatherwood, Todd, Keisling, Doggett, Russell, Atchley, Gant, Hill, Carringer, Martin B, Hulsey, Sherrell
Criminal Offenses - As introduced, creates the offense of human smuggling; creates the offense of harboring or hiding, or assisting another in harboring or hiding, within this state an individual who the person knows or should have known has illegally entered or remained in the United States; authorizes the attorney general to take certain actions against a person or organization who commits or is about to commit a human trafficking offense or an aggravated human trafficking offense. - Amends TCA Title 39
STATUS:
I am so glad to report that the Attorney General liked our bill but suggested a couple of changes to improve their ability to effectively use it. The TN Bureau of Investigation had some concerns that we have endeavored to solve; some non-profits had some concerns that I think we have absolved.
Our bill has been re-written to meet these needs and to PROHIBIT THE ABUSE OF SMUGGLING (AND ALL THAT MEANS) AND SAVE THE LIVES OF CHILDREN AND ADULTS AS WELL AS PUNISH THE PERPETRATOR
The TN District Attorneys Conference is supporting the amended bill.
Monday night and very early Tuesday morning, I made 19 new (16-page) packets to get to all our sponsors the new language. My daughter, Sherri Patray from Jacksonville, FL, was here, and we got all those packets to our sponsors. She had never been here when the Legislature was in session, so she got to meet a lot of my friends!!
A point of personal privilege - we put the first new packet in the hands of our House sponsor, Rep. Jody Barrett. See above picture.
ACTION: HB322 is scheduled in the Criminal Justice Subcommittee on Wednesday at 9:00am. I have a challenge for you on Monday or Tuesday. Will you click on the committee link and then on each picture and either use the email link or call the phone number provided and THANK the member for protecting our children and adults from the abuse of smuggling and maybe saving their lives by voting YES on HB322?
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FAMILY RIGHT TO EDUCATION EMANCIPATION ACT:
SB 0494 by *Bowling , Hensley - HB 0552 by *Warner , Reneau, Barrett
Education - As introduced, enacts the "Family Right to Educational Emancipation (FREE) Act," which creates a new category of independent home schools that are not subject to the data collection, reporting, or assessment requirements applicable to existing independent home school programs and that exempts such home school students and parents from compulsory school attendance requirements; prohibits the department of safety from conditioning the issuance of a driver license or learner's permit on a school-aged applicant's attendance record or enrollment status. - Amends TCA Title 37; Title 49; Title 50 and Title 55
NOTE: This bill enacts the "Family Right to Educational Emancipation (FREE) Act," which creates a separate and distinct type of home school through which parents and legal guardians may elect to educate their child at home without having to comply with the requirements set by this state for other schools, including attendance and certain testing required of home schools. If a parent or legal guardian elects to conduct such a home school, then neither the state nor a local government or agency may infringe on the rights of the parent or legal guardian to make decisions concerning their child's home school education, including, but not limited to, the curriculum, courses of study, and methods of instruction selected or used
"The Home Education Association Board has reviewed the FREE Act and determined to support passage of the bill in the House and Senate. The FREE Act will add in the law another means by which families can home school. This group will be free of compulsory attendance."
STATUS: For more details, please click HERE, then on SUMMARY.
ACTION: SB494 is on the Senate Education Committee calendar for March 12. PLEASE click on the committee title, then a click on a picture takes you right to a committee members' email and phone number.
HB552 is in House Education Administration Subcommittee March 11, Click on the committee title, then on each picture to make a call or send an email of support.
This is a very important proposal and this vote will certainly be an important measure of this important issue!! Make YOUR voice heard!!
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FOREIGN INFLUENCE IN ELECTION ACTIVITY
SB1060 by Lowe - HB888 by Todd
Campaigns and Campaign Finance - As introduced, prohibits political campaign committees formed to support or oppose a measure from receiving, soliciting, or accepting contributions or expenditures from a foreign national; requires such political campaign committees and persons
making independent expenditures supporting or opposing a measure to file certain disclosures regarding funding sources with the registry of election finance. - Amends TCA Title 2, Chapter 10.
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ELECTRONIC PORTALS FOR VOTING
SB133 Johnson - HB69 Lamberth
Election Laws - As introduced, requires the coordinator of elections, in collaboration with the department of safety and Tennessee bureau of investigation, to create two electronic portals prior to January 1, 2028, for purposes of verifying an applicant's eligibility to vote based upon United States citizenship and conviction of a felony prior to registering the applicant to vote; requires department of safety to issue lawful permanent residents a temporary driver license, instead of a standard license, to aid in determining voter eligibility for someone who presents a Tennessee driver license as identification. - Amends TCA Title 2; Title 4; Title 38; Title
39; Title 41 and Title 55.
STATUS: Both bills are in the House Elections & Campaign Finance Subcommittee on Tuesday,
ACTION: Please click on the committee name, then on the member's pictures to send an email or make a phone call expressing your support for both of these bills.
TENNESSEE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS ACT:
SB 0364 by *Briggs - HB 0225 by *Haston
Local Education Agencies - As introduced, repeals the "Tennessee Community Schools Act"; enacts the "Tennessee Full Service Community Schools Act." - Amends TCA Title 49.
I URGE you to carefully read the SUMMARY: CLICK HERE, then click on SUMMARY at the top of the graphic. Here are some of the things that I found concerning:
" full service community school that integrates pipeline services"
" As used in this bill, "pipeline services" means a continuum of coordinated academic, health, and social supports, services, and opportunities designed for children from birth through their entry into postsecondary institutions to support successful education and career attainment, such as (i) high-quality early education programs; (ii) high-quality school and out-of-school-time programs and strategies; (iii) expanded learning opportunities; (iv) support for a child's grade-level transition into elementary school, from elementary school to middle school, from middle school to high school, from high school to a postsecondary institution, and from a postsecondary institution into the workforce; (v) family and community engagement and supportive interventions, which may include programs designed to engage and support the needs of families at school or at home; and (vi) social, health, nutrition, and mental health services and supports."
"This bill creates a full service community schools grant program to be administered by the University of Tennessee ("the university") to promote the establishment and sustainability of full service community schools throughout this state."
An LEA that is expanding its full service community school through feeder-patterns with other schools in the LEA.
Tennessee Bill May See Taxpayers Bankroll DEI-Driven Communities in Schools Group
STATUS: HB225 passed out of the House K-12 Subcommittee and will be in the House Education Committee on Tuesday.
ACTION: If you share my concerns about this bill, please click on the committee title and then the member's picture to send an email or make a call.
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VOYEURISM VICTIMS ACT
SB 0335 by *Yarbro , Massey, Campbell - HB 0602 by *Freeman , Hawk, Hakeem, Mitchell, Dixie, Behn, Hemmer, Powell, Gillespie, Cepicky
Criminal Offenses - As introduced, enacts the "Voyeurism Victims Act," which expands the offense of unlawful photography to include an unauthorized photograph that the defendant knew would include the unclothed intimate area of the victim or the victim engaged in sexual activity; authorizes the issuance of an order of protection for a person who has been subjected to, threatened with, or placed in fear of unlawful photography. - Amends TCA Title 28; Title 29; Title 36, Chapter 3, Part 6; Title 39 and Title 40, Chapter 2.
PASSED THE SENATE 32-0. Passed the House committees and is on the House floor Monday.
UNLAWFUL PHOTOGRAPHY:
SB 0685 by *White - HB 0099 by *Bulso
Criminal Offenses - As introduced, increases the penalties for certain violations of the offense of unlawful photography; requires the court, rather than allowing the court discretion, to order a person convicted of certain unlawful photography offenses to register as a sexual offender; makes various other changes to the offense of unlawful photography. - Amends TCA Section 39-13-605 and Title 40, Chapter 39, Part 2.
PASSED SENATE JUDICIARY 7-2, NO OTHER ACTION
UNLAWFUL PHOTOGRAPHY:
SB 0482 by *Bowling - HB 0403 by *Crawford
Criminal Offenses - As introduced, expands the offense of unlawful photography to include a photograph that the defendant knew would include the victim engaged in sexual activity; increases the penalty for the offense of unlawful photography from a Class A misdemeanor or a Class E felony to a Class D felony in certain circumstances; authorizes the issuance of an order of protection for a person who has been subjected to, threatened with, or placed in fear of unlawful photography. - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 13 and Title 40.
PASSED HOUSE JUDICIARY 20-0; NOT HEARD IN SENATE YET.
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