Image Credit: MarkPody.com & Antony-22 /CC
Tennessee Conservative News [By Olivia Lupia] –
Senator Mark Pody (R- Lebanon-District 17) is running for reelection after completing a second term in the Tennessee Senate. First elected in 2010 to the Tennessee House, then winning a special election for his Senate seat in 2017, Pody says he has been “fighting for our Tennessee values, protecting our constitutional rights, and ensuring a prosperous economy for hardworking families across our district.”
Here, we offer a look at some of his legislative highlights over the past few years while serving in the Tennessee Senate as Pody faces off against a challenger for the Republican primary nomination in August 2026.
Senator Pody has been named amongst the top 5 conservative Senators in every edition of The Tennessee Conservative’s RINO Report 2022-2025 and has earned the label of “Conservative Fighter” several times for sponsoring and fighting for conservative policies.
2022
Sponsored Legislation To Require Employers To Verify Employee Citizenship Status: SB2297 sought to require employers with six or more employees to use the federal E-Verify system in hiring, which would have ensured only U.S. citizens or qualified aliens were able to obtain jobs in Tennessee. The bill was sent to a summer study in the House, halting its progress for the year. A similar bill was finally passed by the 2026 General Assembly, lowering the threshold from six to one employees required for the use of E-Verify.
Sponsored Legislation Creating Transparency For Taxpayer-Funded Lobbyists: SB2687 would have required employers of lobbyists to include in their filings with the state ethics commission the total amount of expenses that were funded in whole or part by taxpayer money, including expenses for lobbying, consulting, advocacy, and the use third-party associations used for any of those purposes. The bill was never heard in the Senate as the House sponsor took the bill off notice after he was notified the bill would not receive a second to be heard in subcommittee, immediately killing it.
Sponsored Legislation Eliminating Critical Race Theory From The Workplace: SB2298 sought to prohibit employers from requiring employees or applicants to complete or participate in training, orientation, or program promoting certain discriminatory concepts. The bill was “General Subbed” in the Senate after being sent to summer study in the House.
Sponsored Legislation Securing Patient Visitation Rights: SB2276 would have ensured patients are allowed visitation by family members and advocates in the case of inability to make one’s own medical decisions and required informed consent for authorized emergency treatments. After the House committee refused to act on the bill, it was “Genera Subbed” in the Senate.
2023
In this year, Pody earned the distinction of the Senate’s Conservative Legislator of the Year for his continued leadership and advocacy for conservative policies.
Co-Sponsored Legislation Criminalizing Sexualized Public Performances: Protecting children from being exposed to drag shows and highly sexualized performances in public spaces, SB0003 enacted consequences for individuals of a Class A misdemeanor for first violations and a Class E felony for subsequent offenses. The bill passed mainly along party lines in both chambers before being signed into law by Gov. Lee.
Voted To Prevent Local Governments From Paying For Abortions: SB0600 ensures that no taxpayer funds are spent by local governments to undermine the Human Life Protection Act by providing benefits to employers for a criminal abortion or providing reimbursements for out-of-state abortions.
Eliminated An Exception For Obscene Materials In Educational Materials: Pody voted in favor of SB1059 which makes it illegal to possess obscene material on school property and makes it a Class E felony for book publishers, distributors, or sellers to “knowingly sell or distribute obscene matter” to public schools.
Prevented State Government From Ownership In Private Corporations: SJR0034 was a proposed constitutional amendment to allow Tennessee to invest funds in private companies like Ford or the Titans, becoming legitimate shareholders, linking the success and failure of the state and corporate entities together, and inserting government control into private business. Pody’s “No” vote on the resolution helped prevent it from reaching the threshold for passage.
Supported Homeschool Freedoms: By voting “Yes” on SB0644, Pody ensured homeschool parents would no longer be required to provide proof of immunizations and receipt of health services or examinations to local education agencies, securing parents’ rights to protect their home-schooled child’s privacy and make their own healthcare choices for their children.
2024
In addition to his legislative work in the Capitol, Sen. Pody joined The Tennessee Conservative’s Protect Tennessee’s Borders Rally in working to tackle illegal immigration, especially as Republican leadership was continuously stonewalling conservative legislation on the topic.
Sponsored Legislation Blocking Government Overreach: SB1999 was intended to prevent executive branch overreach in the state by asserting the enforcement of a Class A misdemeanor for violation of an executive order must first have a majority vote by the General Assembly. The bill had to be General Subbed in the Senate after it died in the House for lack of a second.
Ensured Religious Freedom For Tennessee Clergy: Pody sponsored SB0596 which protects religious leaders or civil servants from solemnizing a marriage if the person objects to doing so based on religious beliefs or conscience. The bill became law after passing the General Assembly along party lines.
Voted Against Legislation Specifying Minors’ Autopsy Reports Are Not Public Record: SB2020 blocks public access to the autopsy reports of children who are victims of violent crime, inadvertently impeding the public’s right to access important information, restricting the ability of the community and public watchdogs to oversee and understand the circumstances surrounding violent crimes, and potentially leading to a lack of trust in the investigative process. Pody was one of only 3 Senators to vote “No” to allowing violent offenders to potentially escape accountability, but the bill was passed in both the House and Senate with bipartisan support.
Revived Bill Securing Patient Visitation Rights: Pody renewed his 2022 legislation ensuring patients have visitation rights in SB1641 which prohibits hospitals from restricting or terminating in-person visitation of patients based upon a declaration of disaster or emergency by the governor or another political subdivision of the state. Thanks to Pody’s continued advocacy for vulnerable patients and their families, this bill became law despite Democrat objection.
Sponsored Legislation To Increase Sex Offender Registry Time: SB2630 sought to extend the amount of time that a perpetrator remains on the Tennessee Sex Offender Registry from 10 to 15 years. The bill passed the Senate unanimously but was placed behind the budget in the House and eventually taken off notice.
Voted Against Expediting Parental Rights Termination: SB2660 requires DCS to expedite the termination of parental rights for “substantial non-compliance”, a subjective term with no clear definition. Despite Pody’s “No” vote, the legislation handily passed the Senate, going on to pass the House and be signed into law by Gov. Lee.
2025
Protected Tennesseans’ Constitutional Rights: Pody sponsored SB0027 which limited the governor’s emergency powers by prohibiting them from suspending any part of the Tennessee Constitution in the issuance of an emergency order, proclamation, or rule. Though the bill passed both chambers with bipartisan support, Gov. Lee refused to sign it, allowing it to pass into law without his endorsement.
Voted Against Establishing A Legal “Right” To Reproductive Technologies: The controversial “Fertility and Contraceptive Protection Act” was framed as a reproductive healthcare protection measure but was deemed dangerous by conservatives and pro-life advocacy groups for its disregard of both the state and scientific definitions of “unborn child”. SB0449 essentially codified the ability to indiscriminately create and discard human embryos through fertility treatments and technologies like IFV and was supported by Planned Parenthood and the ACLU. Sen. Pody voted to protect life by voting “No”, but the bill still became state law.
Sponsored Prayer And Fasting Resolution: The passage of HJR0051 enacted an annual statewide month of prayer and fasting in July to worship the Lord, seek repentance, and ask the Holy Spirit to move within the halls of government, classrooms, business, and homes, “bringing peace, hope, love, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, temperance, forbearance, and joy,” each year.
Legislative Blunders- The Tennessee Conservative considered “Yes” votes on the following bills to be the prevailing conservative position. However, some known conservatives like Sen. Pody who voted “No” did not shirk from constituents in answering questions about their votes and offered explanations for their positions.
Voted Against Preventing Taxpayer-Funded Education For Illegal Aliens: SB1044 would have required illegal immigrants to pay tuition at local public schools for their children’s education. The bill failed to garner enough votes to pass the Senate Education Committee, likely due in part to similarities to another bill being run by Republican leadership dealing with illegal alien education.
Voted Against Allowing Disenrollment Of Illegal Alien Students: One of the most contentions pieces of the session, SB0836 authorized LEAs and public charter schools to refuse to enroll students illegally present in the U.S. After passing the Senate in a narrow vote, with Republicans divided on the issue, the bill stalled in the House and the end of session.
Regarding his “No” votes on these bills, Sen. Pody said, “In my heart, I couldn’t vote against the kids. It wasn’t the kids’ fault, they’re here because of what their parents or guardians did, it wasn’t because of what they did,” in an interview with The Tennessee Conservative.
2026
Sponsored Legislation Giving Equal Protections To Unborn Children: SB0738 would have closed a loophole in Tennessee law and applied the same standards of justice and enforcement for the unborn that exist for the homicide or assault of born persons. The legislation was never heard in the Senate as the House Population Health Subcommittee killed it when no member would motion for the bill to be read.
Prioritized Individual Choice In Health Decisions: SB0162 would have simply added fluoridating a public water system to the list of prohibited acts concerning water systems in Tennessee. By voting “Yes”, Pody stood in favor of informed consent and the right of Tennesseans to make their own health decisions regarding chemicals and additives in their food and water supplies. The legislation died in committee for the second consecutive year by only one vote.
Sponsored Legislation Expanding Parental Access To Children’s Medical Records: With the passage of SB0259 parents will be provided with greater transparency regarding their children’s medical treatments. The bill closes a legal loophole and ensures a parent or legal guardian can access their child’s health and treatment records including records regarding mental health, medical treatments, rehabilitation, prescription records, or for treatments provided to the child without parental consent.
Voted To Preserve Citizens’ Right To Sue The State: This legislation became one of the most controversial pieces of 2026 as opponents of SB1958 contended it strips an individual’s right to challenge constitutionally questionable laws unless they are first harmed by it. Pody voted “No” on the bill, attempting to preserve the ability of citizens to keep their government accountable, but the bill became Tennessee law.
Supported Homeschool Freedoms: SB2636 gives homeschool families additional options for mandated standardized testing and removes a part of Tennessee code which has never been used regarding remediation for homeschool students based on low testing scores that could have potentially forced homeschoolers back into public schools. Pody’s “Yes” vote helped put these educational freedoms into law.
Sponsored Religious Liberty Bills: Pody carried several pieces of legislation aiming to preserve or expand religious liberty in Tennessee. A proposal to allow school chaplains and encouraging schools was General Subbed while a different bill encouraging schools to display the Ten Commandments and other founding documents was signed into law.
According to the Tennessee Legislative Report Card, Sen. Pody has a high-ranking 93 vote score, overall lifetime score of 84, and a B for leadership grade. Approximately 35% of his campaign contributions since 2010 have come from PACs & special interest groups. For more details, read the full report HERE.
Pody’s primary challenger is Theodore “Butch” Baker, a Tennessee native who has substantial experience in the music industry through work as a recording artist, songwriter, producer, and publishing executive. Baker calls himself “a Christian, conservative, and a firm believer in common-sense values” who will “fight to protect our constitutional rights, promote responsible government, defend conservative values, and strengthen Tennessee families.”
To learn more about Baker, visit his official campaign website: https://butchbaker.com/
About the Author: Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
One Response
He’s done far more good than bad.
Forcing us to fund “educating” illegals” is his worst bad.