Becky Massey Running For Reelection: A Look At Her Voting Record

Image Credit: beckymassey.com & Antony-22 / CC

The Tennessee Conservative [By Adelia Kirchner] –

Self-proclaimed Conservative Republican, Senator Becky Massey (R-Knoxville-District 6), is running for reelection in 2024 but her voting record is not winning her very many points amongst conservatives as she faces opposition by way of conservative candidate Monica Irvine in the upcoming election.

Senator Massey has maintained a troubling voting record since she was elected to office in 2011.

This includes not voting in favor of parental rights or school choice and instead choosing to support corporate welfare, toll roads, and weaker abortion laws. Sen. Massey has also voted against medical freedom and was part of Gov. Lee’s “inner circle” on gun control legislation.

Back in 2017, Sen. Massey helped push through former Gov. Haslam’s “IMPROVE Act” as a member of the Senate Transportation & Safety Committee.

This led to a 7-cent tax increase per gallon of gasoline and a 12-cent tax increase per gallon of diesel in Tennessee.

She supported corporate welfare back in 2021 when millions of taxpayer dollars were allocated towards the cost of a minor-league baseball stadium, which would become home to the Tennessee Smokies baseball team, in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Massey also signed Sen. Haile’s letter endorsing and pushing the “emergency use authorized” Covid-19 vaccine on Tennesseans.

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In 2022, she voted in favor of Sen. Richard Briggs’ (R-Knoxville-District 7) HPV vaccine legislation.

SB0148 was a failed caption bill that would have authorized healthcare providers to not only treat minors for STDS, but also would’ve allowed them to provide “treatment to a minor to prevent STDs, without the knowledge or consent of the parents or legal guardians of the minor.”

Sen. Massey also appeared in The Tennessee Conservative’s 2022 RINO Report for voting against medical freedom. 

SJR0993, sponsored by Sen. Bowling, would have declared an individual’s right to refuse medical treatment. Additionally, it would have required that an individual’s other rights not be denied due to refusal of medical treatment.

Sen. Massey was one of five Republicans who killed this resolution in committee.

Massey also voted in favor of legislation (SB2464) that paved the way for non-U.S. citizens to obtain professional and commercial licenses in the Volunteer State.

She voted for the ‘Incumbent Protection Bill’ to silence Tennessee grassroots (SB1005)

Massey, again, supported corporate welfare by voting for legislation (SB2890) allowing Chattanooga Lookouts to retain sales tax deal to fund their new stadium and by voting in favor of Governor Lee’s 2023 budget, which allocated $8.9 Billion more in state dollars than the 2022 budget and included $550 Million To help fund a new domed stadium in Nashville for The Tennessee Titans.

In The Tennessee Conservative’s 2023 RINO Report distinguished Sen. Massey as one of the “Top 5 RINOS in the Senate.”

Some of the stances that earned her this distinction include:

Co-Sponsoring Legislation to Weaken Tennessee Abortion Law.

SB0857, sponsored by Sen. Ferrell Haile (R-Gallatin-District 18), was a piece of legislation introduced to exempt women whose pregnancies where the result of a rape or incest, from the criminal offense tied to abortion in Tennessee.

This bill as introduced, imposed on the “Human Life Protection Act,” which according to Tennessee Right to Life was saving an estimated 900 children from being aborted across the state each month as of February 2023.

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Despite supporting most pro-life legislation including SB0600 which banned counties and cities from funding abortions for employees, Massey was one of several Republicans co-sponsoring SB0857.

This legislation was not passed as introduced in the legislature.

Voting in favor of Toll Roads.

SB0273, sponsored by Sen. Jack Johnson (R-Franklin-District 27), enacted the “Transportation Modernization Act” and allowed the Department of Transportation to make deals with private companies to add toll lanes to Tennessee highways.

Toll collections would reportedly go to the private company in order to “recoup their portion of negotiated project costs.”

The bill was passed by the legislature and Gov. Lee signed it into law on April 17^th, 2023. Sen. Massey was a proponent of the bill and voted in favor of it in committee and on the Senate floor.

“I feel like this will be a transformational change,” she said. “[…] this bill makes a big effort in addressing our road needs.”

Not voting in favor of Parental Rights.

SB1111, sponsored by Sen. Janice Bowling (R-Tullahoma-District 16), was a piece of legislation intended to counteract Tennessee’s “Mature Minor Doctrine” by requiring the written consent of a parent or legal guardian in order for a healthcare provider to administer a vaccine to a minor. 

The bill was passed by the legislature and Gov. Lee signed it into law on May 17^th, 2023.

Sen. Massey was one of two Senate Republicans recorded as “present not voting.” However, once SB1111 passed in the House of Representatives she did vote to concur in the House amendments.

Not voting for School Choice.

SB0012, sponsored by Sen. Todd Gardenhire (R-Chattanooga-District 10), was meant to expand Tennessee’s Education Savings Account or school choice pilot program to Hamilton County. 

The bill was passed by the legislature and signed into law by Gov. Lee on May 5^th, 2023.

Sen. Massey was one of four Senate Republicans recorded as “present and not voting.”

Part of Gov. Lee’s “Inner Circle” on Gun Control Legislation.

Prior to Tennessee’s extraordinary special session on public safety this August, reports came out that Gov. Lee was holding closed door meetings with Democrat lawmakers and some Republicans for the purpose of discussing potential gun control legislation.

It was allegedly a group of about 12 to 15 state legislators that were privy to Gov. Lee’s “inner circle” discussions. Sen. Massey was one of three Republican Senators noted as attending these meetings.

Additional 2023 Massey Votes:

Massey voted in favor of enabling individual public school districts to set their own maximum class sizes. (SB0197)

She voted Yes on a resolution (SJR0034) that sought to give power to Tennessee’s Treasurer and Comptroller to use taxpayer dollars to purchase a portion of a company or bank.

Massey voted in favor of “The Money Transmission Modernization Act” or SB0268 that paved the way for global currency in Tennessee.

For 2023, the Tennessee Legislative Report Card gave Sen. Massey a voting score of 76 with a D- grade given for leadership. The report card shows that 54.6% of her campaign contributions come from special interests. Click HERE to see the full report.

In 2024, Massey “took a walk to skip the vote” on a bill (SB1722) that would ban the display of Pride flags – and other flags that are ideological or political in nature in Tennessee classrooms.

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She sponsored SB1673, a bill characterized by critics as a “Red Flag bill,”  that expands mandatory reporting laws for mental health professionals by requiring them to report patients to authorities if the professional deems them to be a threat against a group of people related to a school or against a family member of the patient.

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Massey voted for SB2020, a bill that prevents autopsies of minors who are victims of violent crimes from becoming part of public record, thereby protecting violent offenders and making it too easy for crimes to be covered up while keeping criminals from being brought to justice.

She voted for SB2820, a sneaky caption bill that creates boarding schools for “at risk” youth that can result in children as young as 11-years-old being enrolled and sent across the state, separating them from their families and communities.

Massey voted for SB2660, a bill that aims to terminate the parental rights of Tennesseans after only 90 days of “substantial non-compliance” to a permanency plan for foster/adoptive children.  

A permanency plan is a pathway for parents to regain custody of their child(ren) and includes a list of responsibilities and actions that parents must take if they hope to be reunited as a family.

Because permanency plans are often seen by courts and child advocacy agencies as an admission of guilt, parents may have a difficult time exonerating themselves from any wrongdoing once they agree to abide by the plan. This is problematic when a parent is falsely accused and the DCS becomes involved. 

She also voted in favor of obscuring deals made through the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development using taxpayer dollars (SB2093), blocking public access to any documents deemed “sensitive” for an extended period of time and well after the taxpayer dollars have already been distributed.

Despite the votes listed here, Sen. Massey has taken many conservative stances, voting for things like permanently extending protections from Covid-19 mandates or protecting the medical privacy of homeschooling families. 

However, it remains important that voters familiarize themselves with the voting records of incumbent senators and representatives before deciding who the most conservative candidate choices are in the upcoming election.

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.