***Update 3.23.23 – Senator Adam Lowe gives his reasoning for not supporting this bill. Article below has been updated with his statement.***
Image Credit: capitol.tn.gov
The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –
Yesterday, March 21st, 2023, the Republican supermajority in the Tennessee Senate’s State and Local Government Committee killed a bill aimed at banning adult performers from performing “adult cabaret” that is “harmful to minors” by failing to offer a second for the bill to be considered and voted on.
Sponsor of Senate Bill 0841 (SB0841), Senator Joey Hensley (R-Hohenwald-District 28 ) offered an explanation of the bill to the committee when called on by Committee Chairman Richard Briggs (R-Knoxville-District 7).
Hensley said, “It (the bill) would require a person to obtain an entertainment permit if a county has an adult-oriented establishment or prior to performing an adult cabaret entertainment for compensation and would prohibit public, private and commercial establishments from allowing persons under the age of 18 to attend a performance featuring adult cabaret entertainment.”
Following Hensley’s explanation, Briggs asked the committee for a motion for the bill to be considered and voted on.
Senator Mark Pody (R-Lebanon-District 17 ) made the first motion and Briggs asked for second, but the other committee members only offered silence.
With no second offered, Briggs gaveled the bill as failed for a lack of second.
While Briggs has previously related to us that the chair of a committee cannot offer a motion for a bill to move forward, earlier in yesterday’s meeting he offered a motion to move a bill forward, that was then seconded.
All committee members were present at yesterday’s meeting but only Senator Pody offered support for Hensley’s bill.
Senator Adam Lowe (R-Calhoun-District 1) told a constituent that he did not support the bill because he viewed it as legitimizing drag “as a working trade alongside of plumbers and electricians.”
“I do not support this obscure hobby being identified as a licensed trade. That is consistent with the values of my district,” said Lowe.
Senate State and Local Government Committee members that failed to support the bill include:
Sen. Richard Briggs (R) (Chair) – sen.richard.briggs@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-1766
Sen. Page Walley (R) (Vice-Chair) – sen.page.walley@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-2368
Sen. Ed Jackson (R) – sen.ed.jackson@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-1810
Sen. Sara Kyle (D) – sen.sara.kyle@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-4167
Sen. Adam Lowe (R) – sen.adam.lowe@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-1946
Sen. John Stevens (R) – sen.john.stevens@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-4576
Sen. Ken Yager (R) – sen.ken.yager@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-1449
Sen. Jeff Yarbro (D) – sen.jeff.yarbro@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-3291
The House version of the bill, sponsored by Representative Clay Doggett (R-Pulaski-District 7) passed on the House floor on March 6th with a 74 – 23 vote in favor.
The bill passed the House along party lines with Democrat Representatives Beck, Camper, Chism, Clemmons, Dixie, Freeman, Glynn, Hakeem, Hardaway, Harris, Jernigan, Johnson G, Jones, Love, McKenzie, Miller, Mitchell, Parkinson, Pearson, Powell, Shaw, Thompson, and Towns voting against.
Even though the bill passed in the House, with the legislation failing in the Senate Local and Government Committee, it cannot progress forward to become law and is dead for this session.
About the Author: Jason Vaughn, Media Coordinator for The Tennessee Conservative ~ Jason previously worked for a legacy publishing company based in Crossville, TN in a variety of roles through his career. Most recently, he served as Deputy Director for their flagship publication. Prior, he was a freelance journalist writing articles that appeared in the Herald Citizen, the Crossville Chronicle and The Oracle among others. He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor’s in English-Journalism, with minors in Broadcast Journalism and History. Contact Jason at news@TennesseeConservativeNews.com
15 Responses
The Perversitives of the TN Senate strike again. Fresh from their vote to retain the lead pervert McNally
Don’t get mad conservatives, get even. Simply put a line item in the family budget in order to accumulate a fund to be spent before the Republican primary in August 2024 in support of candidates who will make the Tennessee Republican Party truly conservative. Incumbents don’t like to be primaried. They HATE to be primaried by a financially strong opponent.
As long as the corrupt TNGOP doesn’t even regulate their own to follow state law, i.e., Lying Pfizer shill Richard Briggs who didn’t even live in the district he was elected to, “give us your money and vote harder” isn’t accomplishing anything. The TNGOP, YEARS LATER, just jerrymanders the district so he can stay in the lakehouse he was always in. The TNGOP will remove carpetbaggers from the ballot but are just fine with Lying Richard.
This points out a basic flaw in the rules of the TN Legislature. If a Bill passes either the House or the Senate, a committee should NOT be able to kill it – a Senator should be able to bring it to the floor for a vote. The current approach sounds like Communist China and allows a few to control legislation, thereby giving them too much power.
What in Hell are these perverted idiots doing.
I wrote my Senator an email asking him to explain his lack of action.
I expect to hear nothing.
More TN Senate Pfake Pfizer Contingent Pfaggotry.
Very disheartening to read this, and bewildering to me, as this should be a no brainier for any real conservative. We’re moving to TN soon. Sounds like ya’ll need reinforcements!
We have all heard the slogan “Don’t California my Tennessee” but by the looks of it , Tennessee is doing a great job on their own at turning Tennessee into California!
Good luck with that!
All you have to do is look at Lockdown Lee’s corporate welfare to see it is already California: Google, Facebook, Amazon, NFL, etc.
Time to vote out these so-called republicans.
Tenn. voters will remember this come election day. GOP showing their true colors.
good to see the 1st amendment upheld, even if it was via lack of effort by the gop. Drag is art, and if you are that interested in it, go to a show, check it out. There are versions of it just like movies that are suitable for all ages, and some are adult themed and appropriately labeled. Dont continue to lead TN down the path of social regression if you dont agree with it dont go, but you cant tell the rest of the population what to do. See how that works.
This should have passed, protect the children from a pervert should be a law. Shame on those who are going along with sexual perversion.
The population can see what it wants to in adult settings.. if a person does not understand that cabaret activity s not for minors then it would seem that person is either a victim or perpetrator and without boundaries to understand.
People need to wake up and get involved in elections. Many of these people need to GO. They are shills for someone besides their constituents.