John Stevens Running For Reelection: A Look At His Voting Record
Image Credit: tn.gov & Antony-22 / CC
The Tennessee Conservative [By Adelia Kirchner] –
Sen. John Stevens (R- Huntingdon-District 24) has been in office since 2012 and is running for reelection in 2024, defining himself as “Conservative Leadership for Northwest Tennessee,” but his voting record may not win him very many points amongst conservative voters this time around.
Back in 2020, Sen. Stevens was one of 24 senators to vote for tort reform that, if passed, would have provided businesses that “substantially complied with public health guidance” with protection from Covid-19-related lawsuits.
The Freedom Index Legislative Scorecard, which scores lawmakers based on the constitutional nature and implications of their votes, gave Stevens an 83% in 2021.
That score dropped down to a whopping 67% in 2023.
The Tennessee Conservative’s 2022 RINO Report distinguished Stevens as one of the “Top 5 RINOs in the Senate.”
Some of the stances that earned him this distinction include:
Voting in favor of illegal immigration.
SB2464, sponsored by Sen. Shane Reeves (R-District 14), was a piece of bipartisan legislation that opened the door for non-U.S. citizens to receive professional and commercial licenses in Tennessee, making the state a more attractive destination for illegal immigrants.
Stevens was one of 15 Senate Republicans who voted in favor of the legislation and Gov. Bill Lee (R-TN) signed it into law on April 26th, 2022.
SB2264, sponsored by Sen. Frank Niceley (R-Strawberry Plains-District 8), would have granted local law enforcement the authority to enforce federal immigration law and arrest anyone transporting, harboring or facilitating the transport of illegal immigrants into Tennessee.
Stevens was one of three GOP Senators who voted against this legislation in the Senate Judiciary Committee and killed the bill.
Voting in favor of the “Incumbent Protection Bill” to silence TN grassroots.
SB1005, sponsored by Lt. Gov. Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge-District 5) and carried by Sen. Ferrell Haile (R-Gallatin-District 18), was a campaign finance reporting bill that increased regulatory requirements and paperwork for grassroots organizations and nonprofits that try to keep Tennesseans aware of lawmakers’ voting habits and behaviors.
This legislation laid groundwork for silencing many that do not have the manpower to deal with increased red tape.
Stevens voted in favor of this bill and Gov. Lee signed it into law on May 27th, 2022.
Voting in favor of corporate welfare.
The bill that carried Gov. Lee’s 2022 budget was sponsored by Sen. Jack Johnson (R-Franklin-District 27) and approved the allocation of $500 million to Nashville/Davidson County for the infamous new Titans stadium.
Stevens voted in favor of the legislation and Gov. Lee signed it into law on June 1st, 2022.
Stevens also supported corporate welfare by voting in favor of SB2890, sponsored by Sen. Todd Gardenhire (R-Chattanooga-District 10), which allowed the Chattanooga Lookouts to move to a new stadium in the city and retain a sales tax deal to fund it.
He was also one of four GOP Senate Judiciary members that helped send SB1944, a bill sponsored by Sen. Joey Hensley to protect children from obscene materials in school libraries, to “summer study.”
He then went on to “win” The Tennessee Conservative’s 2023 RINO Report designation as one of the “Top 5 RINOs in the Senate.”
Some of the stances that earned him this distinction for the second year in a row include:
Voting in favor of federal government overreach.
SB1092 or the “Restoring State Sovereignty Through Nullification Act”, sponsored by Sen. Janice Bowling (R-Tullahoma-District 16), would have established an orderly process by which the state legislature could have nullified in the State of Tennessee, any unconstitutional federal statute, regulation, agency or executive order.
Stevens was one of the six GOP lawmakers on the Senate State and Local Government Committee who killed the legislation by refusing to second Sen. Mark Pody’s (R-Lebanon-District 17) motion for the bill to be heard in committee.
Voting in favor of linking the state with private interests.
SJR0034, sponsored by Sen. Ferrell Haile and Sen. Ken Yager (R-Kingston-District 12), would have given Tennessee’s Treasurer and Comptroller the power to use taxpayer dollars to purchase and own portions of banks and private companies.
Stevens voted in favor of this resolution in committee and on the Senate floor, however, it did not receive enough votes on the Senate floor and failed to pass.
Voting against parental rights and due process.
SB1319, sponsored by Sen. Paul Bailey (R-Sparta-District 15), seems to relive 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.
Stevens voted in favor of this legislation and the bill was signed into law by Gov. Lee on April 28th, 2023.
Voting in favor of global currency in Tennessee.
SB0268 or “The Money Transmission Modernization Act,” sponsored by Sen. Jack Johnson, redefined what state law currently 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.
Stevens voted in favor of this legislation and Gov. Lee signed it into law on April 4th, 2023, with an effective date of January 1st, 2024.
He also voted to eliminate maximum class sizes in Tennessee public schools; voted in favor of allowing physicians to permit abortions for their patients; voted in favor of toll roads; and was rumored to be Gov. Lee’s pick to carry “Red Flag Gun Laws.”
The Tennessee Legislative Report Card gave Stevens a voting score of 79 with a C in leadership for the 2023 legislative session.
The report card also analyzed information from the Tennessee Registry of Election Finance, showing that 60% of Stevens’ campaign contributions came from special interests.
During the 2024 legislative session, Stevens remained consistent with his previous votes against state sovereignty, voting in favor federal government overreach once again.
SB2775 or the “Restoring State Sovereignty Through Nullification Act” was refiled by Sen. Bowling and written off by the majority-Republican legislature for the third year in a row.
Stevens was one of four senators who voted to send the legislation to “summer study” effectively halting the bill’s progress in the legislature for this year.
Another bill to prevent federal government overreach, SB2804, was sponsored by Sen. Joey Hensley and would have prohibited the use of taxpayer-funded local and state law enforcement for intelligence gathering operations focused on Tennesseans.
Stevens was one of 7 GOP lawmakers on the Senate Judiciary Committee who killed the bill by refusing to second a motion for the bill to be heard in committee.
Voting against parental rights.
SB2660, sponsored by Sen. Dawn White (R-Murfreesboro-District 13), requires DCS to expediate the termination of parental rights for “substantial non-compliance” a subjective term with no clear statutory definition.
Stevens voted in favor of this bill and it was signed into law by Gov. Lee on April 4th, 2024.
Voting against government transparency.
SB2020, sponsored by Sen. Shane Reeves, blocks public access to the autopsy reports of children who are victims of violent crime, as long as the child’s parent or legal guardian is not a suspect in the circumstances surrounding the minor’s death.
Stevens voted in favor of this legislation in committee and on the Senate floor.
Gov. Lee signed the bill into law on May 3rd, 2024.
SB2093, sponsored by Sen. Jack Johnson, allows 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.
Stevens voted in favor of this bill in committee and on the Senate floor.
Voting in favor of what critics called a “red flag gun law.”
SB1673, sponsored by Sen. Becky Massey (R-Knoxville-District 6), expands mandatory reporting laws for mental health professionals.
Critics have voiced concerns about privacy laws, where reported information will be stored and how it will be used, and about providing mental health professionals with civil, criminal and regulatory immunity given the subjective way in which a mental health professional could perceive something to be a threat.
Stevens voted in favor of this legislation and Gov. Lee signed it into law on April 23rd, 2024.
Gov. Lee signed the bill into law on April 22nd, 2024.
Not voting on legislation to prohibit pride flags in the classroom.
SB1722, sponsored by Sen. Joey Hensley, would have banned the display of Pride flags and other ideological or political flags in Tennessee public school classrooms.
Stevens was one of eight Republican senators who allegedly “took a walk to skip the vote,” contributing to the legislation’s failure to receive a constitutional majority or at least a substantive nay vote on the Senate floor.
Voting in favor of global currency in Tennessee.
Stevens sponsored SB0479 this year which goes hand in hand with 2023’s “Money Transmission Modernization Act” by officially adopting 2022 Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) Amendments which produce regulations for digital currencies.
This legislation has introduced the concept of “controllable electronic records” into Tennessee Code.
It seems District 24 voters have a choice to make in Tennessee’s upcoming primary election on August 1st because Stevens will not be the only GOP candidate on the ballot.
Former legislative assistant to Rep. Bruce Griffey, Charles “Charlie” Cooper, is running against Stevens as “a Christian, husband, father, veteran and Constitutional Conservative Republican.”
“I want to go to Nashville to serve THE PEOPLE, not elite special interests,” his campaign social media reads.
EARLY VOTING: JULY 12-27 2024 ELECTION DAY: AUGUST 1, 2024
About the Author: Adelia Kirchner is a Tennessee resident and reporter for the Tennessee Conservative. Currently the host of Subtle Rampage Podcast, she has also worked for the South Dakota State Legislature and interned for Senator Bill Hagerty’s Office in Nashville, Tennessee. You can reach Adelia at adelia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
Thank you for this report! I HATE that I know so little when I vote and am thankful to know who seems to vote against We The People!!
These in depth articles are very helpful to voters!
Thank you!
Sadly, seems to be unopposed.
Failed to see Charlie’s opposing. I’ll be trying to help him.
I personally know Charlie Cooper and he is an OUTSTANDING Constitutional Conservative who will stand with others of that bent to quell the influence of the RINOS. We also will be supporting him although he is not in our County. If you have the resources I hope you will too!
These incumbents have tremendous money behind them from various pacs. They are fighting hard to keep the status quo: a strangle hold on our legislature the puts lobbyists first and their constituents last. If you choose this to change you must stand with these brave candidates and support them in any way you can!