Photo: The Tennessee House of Representatives on January 20th, engaging in a Moment of Silence in recognition of National Sanctity of Life Day – moment of silence called by Rep. Robin Smith (R-Hixson) Photo Credit: capitol.tn.gov
The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –
A range of bills Conservatives will likely care about has been introduced this week in the Tennessee General Assembly.
Republican-led bills with subjects ranging from Election Integrity, Employee Medical Freedom, Natural Immunity, Penalties for Sexual Predators to E-Verify, and Vehicle Sales Tax Exemption for members of the Tennessee National Guard are all soon-to-be up for debate in the Tennessee General Assembly.
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House Bill 1883 (HB1883) – Election Integrity
Sponsored by Representative Tim Rudd (R-Murfreesboro-District 34) and filed for introduction on January 20th, 2022, HB1883 would require the division of elections within the secretary of state’s office to conduct random forensic audits of a selected number of counties and voting machine vendors after each statewide November general election, beginning in 2024. – Amends TCA Title 2 and Title 4.
House Bill 1867 (HB1867) / Senate Bill 1823 (SB1823) – Employee Medical Freedom
HB1867, sponsored by Representative Jason Zachary (R-Knoxville-District 14) and SB1823, sponsored by Jack Johnson (R-Franklin-District 23) as introduced, seeks to require an employer with a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy to grant an exemption to the policy to any person who provides a medical reason supported by a statement from a licensed healthcare practitioner or a religious reason, and makes other related changes.
The bills also specify that a healthcare practitioner that provides such a statement is acting within the practitioner’s scope of practice, immune from civil liability, and protected from disciplinary action by a health-related board. – Amends TCA Title 14.
House Bill 1871 (HB1871) – Recognizing Natural Immunity
Sponsored by Representative Bud Hulsey (R-Kingsport-District 2) and filed for introduction on January 20th, 2022, this bill aims to prohibit governmental entities, local education agencies, schools, and private businesses from adopting or enforcing laws, rules, or practices that fail to recognize natural immunity as providing a level of immune protection that is at least as protective as a COVID-19 vaccine or treat individuals with natural immunity differently than individuals who have received the COVID-19 vaccine. – Amends TCA Title 4; Title 7; Title 8; Title 14; Title 50; Title 63 and Title 68.
House Bill 1766 (HB1766) / Senate Bill 1793 (SB1793) – Convicted Sexual Predators Of Children
HB1766, sponsored by Representative Dan Howell (R-Cleveland-District 22) and SB1793, sponsored by Senator John Stevens (R-Huntington-District 24) would require a court to revoke bail immediately, notwithstanding sentencing hearings, motions for a new trial, or related post-guilt determination hearings, for a defendant who is convicted of continuous sexual abuse of a child. – Amends TCA Title 40, Chapter 11, Part 1.
Upon the writing of this article, HB1766 has been introduced and SB1793 has been introduced and Passed on First Consideration.
House Bill 1855 (HB1855) / Senate Bill 1792 (SB1792) – Penalties For Sexual Predators Of Children
HB1855, sponsored by Representative Clay Doggett (R-Pulaski-District 70) and SB1792, sponsored by Senator Mike Bell (R-Riceville-District 9) aim to revise continuous sexual abuse of a child to clarify that an offense involving three or more violations of aggravated rape, rape, aggravated sexual battery, rape of a child, solicitation of sexual abuse of a minor, or aggravated rape of a child is a Class A felony; an offense involving two violations of such offenses is a Class B felony; and an offense involving one or no violations of such offenses is a Class C felony. – Amends TCA Title 38; Title 39; Title 40; Title 41; Title 53 and Title 55.
At the time of the writing of this article, HB 1855 has been introduced and SB1792 has been introduced and Passed on First Consideration.
House Bill 1853 (HB1853) / Senate Bill 1780 (SB1780) – E-verify Revisions
HB1853, sponsored by Representative Clark Boyd (R-Lebanon-District 46) and SB1780, sponsored by Senator Jon Lundberg (R-Bristol-District 4) seeks to lower the threshold for employers having to verify work authorization status of new hires through E-Verify from those with 50 or more employees to those with 25 or more employees; requires the office of employment verification assistance to offer, at no charge, E-Verify sign ups and work authorization status checks for employers with less than 50 employees; protects employers acting upon false results generated by E-Verify; prohibits certain wrongful or retaliatory discharge or discrimination actions; prohibits certain rehires. – Amends TCA Title 4; Title 12; Title 39; Title 50 and Title 67.
At the time of the writing of this article, HB1853 has been introduced and SB1780 has been introduced and Passed on First Consideration.
House Bill 1893 (HB1893) / Senate Bill 1787 (SB1787) – Vehicle Sales Tax Exemption For Members Of Tennessee National Guard
HB1893, sponsored by Representative John Ragan (R-Oak Ridge-District 33) and SB1787, sponsored by Senator Jon Lundberg (R-Bristol-District 4) seeks to extend the current sales tax exemption on motor vehicles purchased by members of the armed forces to Tennessee national guard military technicians and members of the Tennessee national guard who are on part-time duty; applies to one vehicle purchased during a five-year period. – Amends TCA Section 67-6-303.
ALSO INTRODUCED THIS WEEK:
• Representative Todd Warner’s VOTE Act To Determine 2020 Election Accuracy
• Representative Bruce Griffey’s Second Amendment Bill In Honor Of Kyle Rittenhouse
LAST WEEK’S 10 BILLS TO FOLLOW:
Bills For Tennessee Conservatives To Watch In The General Assembly
If you would like to contact your Tennessee legislators about these bills or any other issues, you can find them HERE.
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 Directory 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
