Image Credit: Hicks W. Jr Gary / Facebook & Antony-22 / CC
The Tennessee Conservative Staff –
Representative Gary Hicks (R-Rogersville-District 9) assumed office in January of 2016 and ran unopposed in the August 1st primary election this year, winning 6,107 votes in his favor.
With eight years in office, Rep. Hicks does not have the most conservative track record. So, let’s take a look at some of the highlights of his voting record from the last several years.
Tennessee House District 9 includes Hancock and part of Claiborne and Hawkins Counties.
In 2020, Hicks voted in favor of the “Tennessee Recovery and Safe Harbor Act” which the small business association, NFIB, supported.
This tort reform aimed to provide protection from pandemic-related lawsuits for businesses that “substantially complied with public health guidance.”
Fortunately, this bill died after a conference committee report failed to receive a constitutional majority in the House of Representatives.
In 2022, Hicks showed his support for illegal immigration by voting in favor of HB2309, which was a bipartisan piece of legislation that opened the door for non-U.S. citizens to obtain professional and commercial licenses in the State of Tennessee, making the state a more attractive destination for illegal immigrants.
He also voted in favor of censoring conservatives and silencing Tennessee grassroots through the “Incumbent Protection Bill,” a campaign finance bill that increased regulatory requirements and paperwork for grassroots organizations and nonprofits trying to inform Tennesseans about lawmakers’ voting habits and behaviors.
This legislation laid the groundwork for silencing many that do not have the manpower to deal with increased red tape.
The Freedom Index Legislative Scorecard, which scores lawmakers based on the constitutional nature and implications of their votes, gave Hicks a score of 67% for the 2021-22 legislative session.
The following year, Hicks appeared in The Tennessee Conservative’s 2023 RINO Report as one of the “Top 5 RINOs in the Tennessee House.”
The main action that earned him this distinction was supporting illegal immigration once again as Chair of the House Finance, Ways & Means Subcommittee.
HB0835 was a conservative piece of legislation that would have required cross-checking of Tennessee’s voter registration database with other relevant databases in order to ensure non-U.S. citizens are not registered to vote in Tennessee.
This bill was “hijacked” by Hicks without the bill sponsor’s consent and Hicks took HB0835 “off notice” for the remainder of the 2023 legislative session.
In 2023, Hicks was also the prime sponsor of HB1519 which provided for certain exceptions to the Class E felony that members of the General Assembly face for bidding on, selling or offering for sale any service to a state entity or for having a financial interest in the bid, sale, or offer for sale of any service to a state entity.
This bill was signed into law by Gov. Lee on April 28th, 2023.
Other actions taken by Hicks in 2023 include:
Voting in favor of legislation to weaken abortion law.
HB0883 enacted a subjective standard for physicians to adhere to, potentially allowing for health professionals to willfully permit an abortion for a patient in bad faith.
Hicks voted in favor of this legislation and it was signed into law by Gov. Bill Lee (R-TN) on April 28th, 2023.
Voting in favor of legislation that works against parental rights and due process.
HB1109 seemingly relieved DCS of having to properly notify parents of removal orders while at the same time making it a criminal offense for families to hide children outside of the state when that child is in DCS custody.
Since DCS is not required to verify the credibility of anonymous sources who make allegations of child abuse or neglect, this legislation could be making it easier to bypass due process, criminalize parents, and take their children away.
Hicks voted in favor of this legislation and Gov. Lee signed it into law on April 28th, 2023.
Voting in favor of global currency in Tennessee.
HB0316 or “The Money Transmission Modernization Act,” redefined what state law recognizes as “money,” paving the way for foreign governmental entities to exchange a currency (i.e. CBDC) that is not currently recognized by banks owned and operated in Tennessee.
Hicks voted in favor of this legislation and Gov. Lee signed it into law on April 4th, 2023.
Voting in favor of toll roads via public-private partnerships.
HB0321 or the “Transportation Modernization Act of 2023” was signed into law by Gov. Lee on April 17th, 2023.
In 2024, Hicks started the legislative session off strong by being one of the eight GOP representatives who favored a lack of government transparency by voting to keep their voting records secret.
Rep. Bryan Richey (R-Maryville-District 20) proposed a rule change in the Tennessee House of representatives that would have required all votes in House committee and subcommittee hearings to be held as roll call votes instead of voice votes which don’t keep a record of how representatives vote.
In the House Select Committee on Rules, Hicks was part of a unanimous voice vote that killed the rule change proposal.
The Tennessee Conservative’s 2024 RINO REPORT shouted Hicks out for this and several other actions he took as Chair of the House Finance, Ways & Means Subcommittee.
Hicks also killed HB1632 by placing it “behind the budget.”
This legislation did pass on the Senate side of things and if passed by both chambers of the legislature, would have allowed parents to file civil suits in order to ensure compliance with the “Age-Appropriate Materials Act of 2022.”
Another piece of legislation that passed in the Senate but was killed by Hicks placing it “behind the budget” in the House was HB1617, which sought to extend the amount of time that a perpetrator remains on the Tennessee Sex Offender Registry from 10 to 15 years.
Other actions taken by Hicks in 2024 include:
Voting in favor of global currency in Tennessee once again.
HB1901 defined “central bank digital currency” or CBDC and revised the definitions of “money” and “deposit account,” for purposes of the Uniform Commercial Code.
Gov. Lee signed this bill into law on April 11th, 2024.
Refusing to vote on “opportunity schools.”
HB2922 was a sneaky caption bill that created boarding schools for “at risk” youth in Tennessee.
This could result in children as young as 11-years-old being ordered to enroll, separated from their families and communities, and sent across the state.
Hicks was recorded as “present not voting” on the House Floor.
Voting to expedite termination of parental rights.
HB1808 required the Department of Children’s Services (DCS) to expedite the termination of parental rights for “substantial non-compliance” a subjective term with no clear statutory definition.
The legislation allows a judge to determine if a parent is not in compliance with the responsibilities outlined in their permanency plan.
Voting in favor of legislation that could enable violent offenders to go undiscovered.
HB1695 prevented the public from accessing the autopsies of minors who are victims of violent crimes, making it easier for some crimes to be covered up.
Voting against government transparency.
HB1692 allowed Department of Tourism records involving millions in taxpayer dollars to be hidden from the public if the tourism commissioner and attorney general agree public access to the information should be blocked.
The Freedom Index Legislative Scorecard gave Hicks a score of 80 for the 2024 legislative session.
Additionally, the Tennessee Legislative Report Card gave Hicks a vote score of 88 for the 2024 legislative session, a lifetime vote score of 86, and an F grade in leadership.
The report card, which can be viewed in full HERE, also analyzes information from the Tennessee Registry of Election Finance, which shows that 84.88% of Hicks’ campaign contributions stem from special interests.
In the upcoming general election scheduled to take place on November 5th of this year, Hicks faces no Democrat or Independent opposition.
