Serving Hohenwald, Lewis County Tennessee Since 1898
Serving Hohenwald, Lewis County Tennessee Since 1898
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The 113th General Assembly has adjourned for 2024, and it was a very successful year. We have taken measures for Tennessee to be a better place to live, work and to raise a family. Tennessee workers are essential to our state’s economic growth and prosperity On September 2, while many of our citizens enjoy a day of recreation and rest on Labor Day, it is also important to set aside time to honor the working folks of this state and reflect on what Labor Day means to our country. The origins of L...
The 113th General Assembly has adjourned for 2024, and it was a very successful year. We have taken measures for Tennessee to be a better place to live, work and to raise a family. The General Assembly strongly supports law enforcement in their brave work to keep our communities safe Tennessee is blessed to have some of the finest local and state law enforcement officers in the country. I am so grateful for their service and sacrifice to keep our communities safe. Our law enforcement have our...
New law safeguards parental rights this school year In the General Assembly this year we passed the Family Rights and Responsibilities Act which protects parents’ fundamental rights and responsibilities to make education, health care, moral and religious decisions for their child. As school starts back, it’s important for parents and schools to be aware of this law and understand how it affects students. Parents love and know their child best, and this new law puts parents – not the gover...
The 113th General Assembly has adjourned for 2024, and it was a very successful year. We have taken measures for Tennessee to be a better place to live, work and to raise a family. This is some of the legislation that was passed during this session. Veterans / First Responders Bonuses for skilled military personnel - A new law this year allows the Department of Military to administer a critical skills retention bonus program to fill critical military operations specialties within the Tennessee...
The 113th General Assembly has adjourned for 2024, and it was a very successful year. We have taken measures for Tennessee to be a better place to live, work and to raise a family. Voting is the cornerstone of our democracy and the best way to preserve Tennessee values Tennessee is proud to be ranked #1 in country for election integrity Following the assassination attempt against President Trump, the engagement at the Republican National Convention, which convened the following week, was off...
The 113th General Assembly has adjourned for 2024, and it was a very successful year. We have taken measures for Tennessee to be a better place to live, work and to raise a family. This is some of the legislation that was passed during this session. Tax Cuts / Jobs / Commerce Simplifying franchise tax and returning money to taxpayers - This year, lawmakers cut taxes by simplifying the state’s franchise tax – a business tax on net worth. This adjustment will offer relief to taxpayers, mod...
The 113th General Assembly has adjourned for 2024, and it was a very successful year. We have taken measures for Tennessee to be a better place to live, work and to raise a family. This is some of the legislation that was passed during this session. Committed to Public Education Supporting Tennessee Public Schools and Tennessee Students Over the last decade, the state has invested more than $3.5 billion in public education. More recently, Tennessee has made historic investments in public...
Legislation passed to protect children and family values, Prohibiting gender transition surgeries and irreversible hormone treatments for minors Tennessee lawmakers have been at the forefront of the fight to stop hormone treatments in children to change their gender identity. Tennessee led the nation when we took our first steps to ban hormone treatment for children. Since then, we have expanded those efforts and now under current law, medical “transition” surgeries that remove body parts to...
The 113th General Assembly has adjourned for 2024, and it was a very successful year. We have taken measures for Tennessee to be a better place to live, work and to raise a family. This is some of the legislation that was passed during this session. Protecting Victims Marsy’s Law - Victims’ Rights - Tennessee lawmakers passed a measure proposing to put Marsy’s Law in the state constitution to ensure crime victims’ rights are protected. Marsy’s Law will ensure that victims have equal access to ju...
Legislation passed to fight illegal immigration Tennessee stands with Texas in fight to secure our southern border Lawmakers passed a resolution supporting Texas in the fight against illegal immigrants flooding into the United States at the southern border. Because the federal government has failed to do its job to protect our border, Texas absolutely has the right to defend itself from this invasion. The overwhelming chaos at the border is enabling terrorists and drug cartels to invade our coun...
The 113th General Assembly has adjourned for 2024, and it was a very successful year. We have taken measures for Tennessee to be a better place to live, work and to raise a family. This is some of the legislation that was passed during this session. Higher Education Policies for AI in higher education – Legislation, which I sponsored, passed this session requiring the governing boards of public colleges and universities, public charter schools, and local boards of education to regulate the r...
The 113th General Assembly has adjourned for 2024, and it was a very successful year. We have taken measures for Tennessee to be a better place to live, work and to raise a family. This is some of the legislation that was passed during this session. Improving access to charter school facilities - Legislation passed to ensure public charter school students have access to the same quality facilities as other public school students. The new law requires school districts to regularly provide a list...
The 113th General Assembly has adjourned for 2024, and it was a very successful year. We have taken measures for Tennessee to be a better place to live, work and to raise a family. This is some of the legislation that was passed during this session. Protecting Children and Family Values Protecting Children from Social Media Act - A new law restores parental authority online by requiring social media companies to verify the ages of account holders and obtain parental consent for minors to create...
The 113th General Assembly has adjourned for 2024, and it was a very successful year. We have taken measures for Tennessee to be a better place to live, work and to raise a family. This is some of the legislation that was passed during this session. Dr. Benjamin Mauck Act – A new law, which I sponsored, increases penalties for assault in a healthcare facility. On July 11, 2023, Dr. Benjamin Mauck was shot point blank three times in his Collierville medical facility. One week prior, his life had...
The 113th General Assembly has adjourned for 2024, and it was a very successful year. We have taken measures for Tennessee to be a better place to live, work and to raise a family. This is some of the legislation that was passed during this session. Illegal Immigration Strengthened Sanctuary City Ban / SB 2576 This year we passed a law to require all law enforcement in Tennessee to notify the appropriate federal authorities if an individual they come into contact with is found to be in the...
The 113th General Assembly has adjourned for 2024, and it was a very successful year. We have taken measures for Tennessee to be a better place to live, work and to raise a family. This is some of the legislation that was passed during this session. Felony offense for repeat misdemeanors / SB 2155 We passed legislation this year that creates a Class E felony offense for certain repeat misdemeanor offenses. There are 37 qualifying misdemeanor offenses. After 5 or more convictions of qualifying...
The 113th General Assembly has adjourned for 2024, and it was a very successful year. We have taken measures for Tennessee to be a better place to live, work and to raise a family. Public Safety / Crime Jillian’s Law / SB 1769 Jillian’s Law passed which requires criminal defendants deemed incompetent to stand trial to be committed to an appropriate treatment facility. The legislation came from the murder of Jillian Ludwig, an 18-year-old Belmont University freshman who was fatally shot while walking in a Nashville park on Nov. 7, 2023. Her kil...
The 113th General Assembly has adjourned for 2024, and it was a very successful year. We have taken measures for Tennessee to be a better place to live, work and to raise a family. I will go over the laws passed this session over the next few weeks. 2024 Budget Highlights This year lawmakers faced new budgeting challenges as state revenue collections slowed. Fortunately, years of consistent conservative budgeting from lawmakers enabled the state to be well-prepared to face declining revenues....
Jillian’s law passes Senate floor As part of a strong push to improve public safety in Tennessee, this bill would close a legal loophole for defendants found incompetent to stand trial. Senate Bill 1769, would require criminal defendants deemed incompetent to stand trial to be committed to an appropriate treatment facility. Current state law does not provide this requirement. The legislation was introduced following the murder of Jillian Ludwig, an 18-year-old Belmont University freshman who was fatally shot while walking in a Nashville park on...
TN Senate passes penalties for abortion trafficking TN Senate this week reaffirmed their commitment to protecting the unborn and passed legislation to make abortion trafficking of a minor a Class A misdemeanor. Senate Bill 1971, seeks to protect parental rights and stop adults who attempt to circumvent the state’s current abortion law by helping to facilitate an abortion for a minor without parental consent. The General Assembly in 2019 laid the groundwork to ensure life is protected at c...
Senate advances constitutional amendments protecting right to bear arms in Tennessee The TN Senate is proceeding with two proposals to amend the Tennessee Constitution to strengthen Tennesseans’ Second Amendment rights. Senate Joint Resolution 904 advanced to protect citizens’ right to bear arms in the Tennessee Constitution and limit the legislature’s ability to pass restrictive gun laws. The measure proposes to replace the current constitutional provision that authorizes the legislature to “r...
Death penalty could be option for convicted child rapists The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced legislation to increase the penalty for child rapists in Tennessee. Senate Bill 1834, would expand the death penalty to defendants convicted of rape of a child. The legislation will strengthen existing state law by increasing the penalty for rape or aggravated rape of a child to death, life in prison without the possibility of parole, or life in prison. Current law classifies the offense as a Class...
Several bills advance to improve school safety This week, several measures advanced to continue efforts to improve school safety across the state for public and private K-12 schools as well as at higher education institutions. Those school safety bills are highlighted below. School de-escalation training – The Senate Education Committee advanced school safety legislation to require de-escalation training for teachers and administrators in Tennessee. Senate Bill 1721, which I sponsored would e...
Senate takes major steps to protect children from danger online This week, lawmakers prioritized legislation to protect children from harmful online content, as well as protect the religious freedom of foster and adoptive parents in Tennessee. Other legislation advanced this week to crack down on the opioid crisis by punishing distributors of deadly drugs and expanding the ability for providers to treat opioid addiction. Protecting Children from Social Media Act - It is vital to ensure the...
8 Legislative Update Smart Heart Act protects health and safety of Tennessee students Legislation, which I sponsored, aims to protect the health and safety of Tennessee students. In 2015, the Tennessee General Assembly passed legislation that annually informs and educates coaches and athletes of symptoms of cardiac arrest. Senate Bill 2175 expands upon this act by requiring the governing authority of schools with grades nine through twelve to provide automated external defibrillators (AED) accessible to students during school hours and...
