Hot Topics Expected To Arise For Debate In Tennessee’s 2023 General Session
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The Tennessee Conservative Staff –
Yesterday, January 10th, 2023 marked the beginning of Tennessee lawmakers’ annual legislative session. The next few months will be spent finalizing the upcoming state budget, debating abortion ban exceptions and toll roads, addressing gender reassignment surgeries for minors, and many other topics that affect Tennesseans.
Here are just a few of the upcoming topics:
Abortion Ban Exceptions
Republicans have supermajority control in both the House and Senate in Tennessee. GOP lawmakers, however, have remained split on whether the state’s strict abortion ban should be altered or not.
Upon the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Tennessee’s current ban went into effect, with no exemption for danger to the mother’s life, rape, incest, or medical emergencies. State law requires criminal prosecution of physicians who perform abortions, with a punishment of up to 15 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Senator Richard Briggs (R-Knoxville-District 7) has expressed favor of creating exceptions for rape, incest and medical emergencies, and Senator Ferrell Haile (R-Gallatin-District 18) is exploring options to form a bill that creates exceptions, according to the Tennessee Lookout.
House Speaker Cameron Sexton has said he would support legislation that would create the three exceptions, should it reach the House floor. Representative Yusuf Hakeem (D-Chattanooga-District 28) is currently working to create and file a bill that would create the three exceptions and also include an exception for life-threatening mental health emergencies.
At the moment, it is unclear if Governor Bill Lee would veto the legislation if it passes; he has repeatedly stated that the current bill already includes an exception for life-threatening emergencies.
Gender Reassignment Surgeries for Minors
Senator Jack Johnson (R-Franklin-District 27) and Representative William Lamberth (R-Portland-District 44) are sponsoring the “Protecting Children from Gender Mutilation Act”. This bill would prohibit gender-affirming surgeries and hormone treatments for children. A means would also be provided for children to sue healthcare providers and consenting parents if they are injured as a result of the procedure. Tennessee is the first state to consider legislation of this kind.
The consideration to ban permanent sex reassignment surgeries for children was initiated in Tennessee when Republicans condemned Vanderbilt University Medical Center after they performed gender-reassignment procedures on minors. VUMC claims not to have done genital surgeries on any children but performed an average of five “top surgeries” per year for minors that have parental consent.
Senator Janice Bowling (R-District 16-Tullahoma) has also reintroduced legislation for the 113th General Assembly that aims to put an end to child mutilations in Tennessee.
The ‘Youth Health Protection Act’ was killed by RINOs in the 112th General Assembly, prior to Matt Walsh’s investigation of Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Transgender Clinic performing radical surgeries of minors.
Department of Children’s Services Funding
A scathing audit of Tennessee’s Department of Children’s Services showed that the agency may have knowingly left children in unsafe situations, failing to respond to at least 34 allegations of sexual abuse, sexual harassment or child neglect. The audit showed reports of children sleeping on DCS office floors for hundreds of nights and a 48% turnover rate for caseworker staff.
Lee has been asked by Commissioner Margie Quinn for $156 million in funding to help the department hire and retain staff, as well as update the technology system at the agency.
The life cycle of the DCS is set to expire this year under what the state government refers to as “sunset” provisions.
As the chairman of the Senate Government Operations Committee, it is Senator Kerry Roberts’ responsibility to file the bills necessary to extend the life of state departments, boards, commissions, and authorities will be extended in these bills and he has already filed an life extension bill for the DCS.
Senate Bill 0037 (SB0037) : Sunset Laws – As introduced, extends the department of children’s services to June 30, 2024; requires the department to submit quarterly reports to the chairs of the government operations committees to provide updates on the department’s progress in addressing performance audit findings; requires the department to appear before the education, health, and general welfare joint evaluation committee no later than June 30, 2023, to present information included in the department’s six-month follow-up report submitted to the comptroller of the treasury. – Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 29; Title 4, Chapter 3 and Title 37.
Toll Roads
Plans have been prioritized by the governor to pay for road work to combat congestion that continues as population increases, and Tennessee’s Department of Transportation is seeking approval to work alongside private companies to construct toll lanes in the most congested areas of the state.
According to Commissioner Butch Eley, all toll lanes will be new constructions. These “choice lanes” would not affect currently constructed roadways. No specific locations have been identified, but the lanes would likely be located in the most congested areas in the largest cities in the state. The prices paid by drivers to use the lanes would be set by a private operator.
With a recent press release from the office of Governor Lee, the proposal to institute toll roads or “choice lanes” built and maintained by the private sector through a state partnership was made official.
Third Grade Retention
Aimed at addressing COVID-19 learning decline, lawmakers passed legislation in 2021 that would potentially hold back all third graders who did not “meet” or “exceed” expectations on the annual TCAP tests. The children could be required to repeat the grade, complete tutoring, or attend summer school.
It is likely that lawmakers will consider changes to the law, including retention in earlier grades, and more learning opportunities for third graders to boost success.
School Choice Vouchers
The school choice voucher law was deemed constitutional last year and some lawmakers are looking to expand the program. This fall, many students began applying to the Education Savings Accounts program and are now enrolled in private schools.
The five-year pilot program is currently only in Shelby and Davidson counties and has a limit of 5,000 participants. A bill has been proposed by Senator Todd Gardenhire (R-Chattanooga-District 10) to expand the program to include Hamilton County.
*The Tennessee Conservative will be following these topics, along with many others, closely and will keep you informed as the associated bills make their way through the legislative process.*
There are so many issues with just this short list. First, our current abortion law is just fine. There is NO need to alter it to create exceptions for exceedingly rare circumstances. Second, toll roads. Doesn’t matter if they are “privately” managed and “choice”. We had a 3.5B surplus last year, and are already 700M surplus this year. NO NEW TAXES or TOLLS! Third, school vouchers. The only valid change to consider is: all children, all locations, all income levels, all school systems are allowed to use $ to go anywhere! Dollars follow the kids to their best education option, period!