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
 

FOR YOUR PRAYER LIST:
Rep. Kevin Raper has had a liver transplant and certainly needs our prayers for a successful recuperation.  Rep. Clay Doggett finally caught what his children had, running a high fever, and being pretty sick. Keep him in your prayers, too.  So many of these kinds of things are going around right now.
Don't know if these storms have left damage in their paths as they have traveled over our state, but we know damage is happening in a number of states and these folks can certainly use our prayers!! 

STUDENT EAGLES DESCEND: 
What a great day our Student Eagles had at the Capitol this week! It was encouraging to see them (there were five) arrive with notebooks filled with committee calendars and bills, eager to learn all they could while shadowing a legislator for the day. The area next to the house hearing rooms was filled with protesters chanting various phrases in opposition to contentious legislation, but our students were not dissuaded. Their busy day, filled with constituent meetings, debates, hearing from lobbyists, and observing a part of the path it takes for an idea to become a law was capped with a visit to the 8th floor for ice cream. Meanwhile, we are rewarded with another group of students who have a better understanding of how our government works. For more information, get in touch with our wonderful leader, Frances Arthur.

Our bill - SB 0392-HB 0322 - makes the weekly drive back and forth from Georgia, and all of our efforts to raise awareness and support, so worthwhile.  Creating a felony conviction for the crime of human smuggling, strengthening the fight against child trafficking (and adults), has become a bipartisan effort as lawmakers work together.  Our vision is for TN to lead the way as other states follow in stopping these horrendous crimes. Gwen Adams, Ex. Dir. TEF  

IMPROVING PUBLIC SAFETY:
SJR 0025 by *Johnson, Rose, Stevens
Constitutional Amendments - Proposes an amendment to Article I, Section 15 of the Constitution of Tennessee to remove the right to bail for the following offenses when the proof is evident or the presumption great: act of terrorism; second-degree murder; aggravated rape of a child; aggravated rape; grave torture; and any other offense, as of November 3, 2026, for which a defendant, if convicted, could not be released prior to the expiration of at least 85 percent of the entire sentence imposed.
STATUS: SJR25 is on the Senate floor Monday.
Tennessee District Attorneys Say Amendment to Restrict Bail Most ‘Significant,’ ‘Important’ Public Safety Plan in Recent Memory.
ACTION: PLEASE click HERE, find your Senator, click on the last name. You will see the phone number, or you can click on the picture to send an email.

NOTE - NOT EASY TO DO:  In order to amend the TN Constitution, a resolution has to be passed in one General Assembly by a simple majority.  Then, in the next General Assembly (2027-28 in the case), with no changes in the language, and pass that session by a 2/3 vote. Then, it will go on the ballot for the people to vote ane must receive 50% + 1 of the votes CAST FOR THE GOVERNOR CANDIDATE. As you can see, this is not easy nor should it be. Changing the Constitution should be difficult and thoughtful.

LIMITING GOVERNOR'S EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT POWERS:
SB 0027 by *Pody , Bailey, White - HB 0324 by *Grills, Hulsey, Warner, Burkhart, Capley
Governor - As introduced, prohibits orders, proclamations, or rules issued by the governor under the governor's emergency management powers from contravening, suspending, or conflicting with a provision of the Tennessee Constitution; restricts governor's ability under such powers to suspend certain procedural provisions of a law, order, rule, or regulation. - Amends TCA Title 4 and Title 58, Chapter 2.
You can click HERE, then on SUMMARY for more information.
STATUS: SB0027 has already passed the Senate 27-3-2. HB324 is in House State & Local Government Committee on Wednesday.
ACTION: Click on the link just above, then on the name under the picture, either call or click on the email link to send a message urging the legislator to support this important bill.  
 

HUMAN TRAFFICKING TO INCLUDE SMUGGLING
SB 0392 by *Taylor  Johnson, White, Rose, Harshbarger
HB 0322 by *Todd  Lamberth, Leatherwood, Keisling, Doggett, Russell, Atchley, Gant, Hill, Carringer, Martin B, Hulsey, Sherrell, Reneau
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: We now have an amendment that we believe addresses the concerns that some folks had expressed and, GUESS WHAT?, HB322 really will be in the Criminal Justice Subcommittee on Wednesday at 9:00am and we are Number 1 on the agenda.
ACTION:  Please click on the committee title link, then let the committee members know how much we appreciate their support.

PROHIBITION AGAINST TRANSMITTING FUNDS:
SB 0268 by *Hensley - HB 0145 by *Bulso
Immigration - As introduced, requires a financial institution to verify the immigration status of a person sending funds electronically outside of the United States and its territories; changes the definition of resident or citizen of this state to mean citizens of the United States and aliens lawfully present in this state; requires the parent, guardian, or legal custodian of a pupil who is not lawfully residing in this state, but who attends a public school in this state, to pay tuition. - Amends TCA Title 1; Title 4; Title 7; Title 45 and Title 49
PART OF WHAT THE BILL DOES:
     This bill prohibits a financial institution in this state from sending or transferring funds electronically to a person or account outside of the United States and its territories without verifying the immigration status of the person who intends to send or transfer the funds.  A financial institution must comply with this bill by requesting from the person requesting to send or transfer funds a validly issued form of government identification and maintaining a copy of such identification for two years.  The department of financial institutions may review these records at any time and request a mandatory report of these records annually.
Go HERE, and click on SUMMARY for more.
STATUS: SB268 is in Senate State and Local Government Committee on Tuesday.
STATUS: HB145 is in the House Banking & Consumer Affairs Subcommittee on the 19th.
ACTION: Please click on the respective committee's link, then on the pictures and urge the members of these committees to vote for this important bill.
 

ADULT CABARET ENTERTAINMENT
SB 1424 by *Hensley - HB 0884 by *Todd
Obscenity and Pornography - As introduced, specifies that a community or municipal center that is being used to offer adult cabaret entertainment is an "adult-oriented establishment" for purposes of regulating its hours of operation, location, and physical characteristics. - Amends TCA Title 7, Chapter 51, Part 14.

Present law establishes various requirements for adult-oriented establishments, including limits on hours of operation, limitations on physical design of the premises, set back limits from schools and other facilities, and requirements for posting human trafficking resource center signs.  Present law defines "adult-oriented establishment" to mean "any commercial establishment, business or service, or portion thereof, that offers as its principal or predominant stock or trade, sexually-oriented material, devices, or paraphernalia or specified sexual activities, or any combination or form thereof, whether printed, filmed, recorded or live and that restricts or purports to restrict admission to adults or to any class of adults."  This bill redefines "adult-oriented establishment" to mean "a facility, establishment, business, or service, or portion thereof, that offers sexually oriented material, devices, or paraphernalia; adult cabaret entertainment; or specified sexual activities, or any combination or form thereof, whether printed, filmed, recorded, or live, and that restricts or purports to restrict admission to adults or to any class of adults."
STATUS: HB884 is in House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday
ACTION: Please click on the committee link, then on the pictures and urge the members to support this bill.

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
STATUS: Unfortunately, HB552 was DEFEATED in the Education Administration Subcommittee of Education Committee1-5: Voting Aya - Glynn; voting no was Cepicky, Hurt, Reedy, Slater, White.
VIDEO:  I really urge you to go HERE, click on the VIDEO tab, then click on the blue VIDEO down on the right side.  It is worth the few minutes it will take. Both the testimonies were very good. One was from my longtime great friend, Claiborne Thornton, Tennessee Home Education Association.

REJECTING WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION:
SB 0669 by *Taylor - HB 1226 by *Lafferty
Infectious Diseases - As introduced, deletes all references to the World Health Organization; requires a pandemic to be declared by the federal centers for disease and prevention control, rather than the World Health Organization, with a subsequent declaration of a state of emergency by the governor for the governor to have exclusive jurisdiction to issue executive orders and directives related to the pandemic until the pandemic ceases to exist. - Amends TCA Title 7 and Title 68.
STATUS: I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to report that the General Assembly has made this decision and by wide margins.  The Senate voted 26-6; the House 70-19 and the bill is now enrolled and ready for the respective speakers' signatures.  WELL DONE!!

"EARLY BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTION AND REPORTING ACT":
SB 0386 by *Taylor - HB 0522 by *Reedy
Education - As introduced, enacts the "Early Behavioral Intervention and Reporting Act"; clarifies that public charter schools are required to have a threat assessment team in the same manner as required of local education agencies. - Amends TCA Title 16; Title 37 and Title 49
PLEASE CLICK HERE, THEN CLICK ON SUMMARY AND READ.
The bill has been re-written. https://www.capitol.tn.gov/Bills/114/Amend/HA0061.pdf
They have phrases that I want to know more information about:"early warning signs", indicators', "exhibiting signs', 'mental health', 'suicidal ideation', 'self-harm'. This fits right in with my first test question:
This is my initial test for legislation:
1. Who gets to define the terms?
2. What could be the unintended consequences?
3. How can my worst enemy use this against me?
The other thing that concerns me is that parents are not mentioned at all. How these terms are defined and who is doing the defining is vital. I will be working to get this information and will let you know. 

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