Image Credit: TN General Assembly
The Tennessee Conservative [By Olivia Lupia] –
After no Republicans motioned for it to be heard in the Senate State and Local Government Committee, a bill which would have allowed committee chairs to put employees of the executive branch under oath when giving testimony was taken off notice in the House, signaling the legislation is officially dead for the year.
SB1721 by Sen. Bobby Harshbarger (R-Hawkins County-District 4) would have allowed the chair of a legislative committee to “require an employee of the executive branch appearing before the committee to offer a material statement under oath or affirmation, subject to the penalty of perjury.”
As defined in the legislation, “employee of the executive branch” included “a liaison, employee or agent of the office of the governor, or the executive head or a liaison, employee, or agent of a department or agency of the executive branch of this state.”
It also would have ordered the executive director of the fiscal review committee to “require an employee of the executive branch who submits a material statement for the purpose of analyzing the fiscal impact of a legislative measure, or for the fiscal impact of a legislative measure, or for the purpose of preparing and distributing a fiscal note…to execute an affidavit attesting that the material statement submitted is true and correct, subject to the penalty of perjury.”
Should the chair of a legislative committee or the executive director of the fiscal review committee have “reasonable suspicion supported by facts that an employee of the executive branch has submitted a false material statement, in whole or in part, with the intent to deceive while under oath,” then that employee would have been subject to investigation by the Senate or House Speakers and potentially referred to the Attorney General for prosecution of a Class C misdemeanor.
SB1721 did not have any discussion by the Senate State and Local Government Committee as the bill failed to receive a second on the motion to hear the bill and it was thereby killed.
That committee is comprised of seven Republicans and only two Democrats, so that means only one committee member even motioned to hear the bill and no Republicans seconded it, allowing it to die.
Sen.richard.briggs@capitol.tn.gov; sen.page.walley@capitol.tn.gov; sen.tom.hatcher@capitol.tn.gov; sen.todd.gardenhire@capitol.tn.gov; sen.ed.jackson@capitol.tn.gov; sen.sara.kyle@capitol.tn.gov; sen.adam.lowe@capitol.tn.gov; sen.kerry.roberts@capitol.tn.gov; sen.jeff.yarbro@capitol.tn.gov
The House companion, HB1698 by Rep. Tim Rudd (R-Murfreesboro-District 34), was faring better, having unanimously passed the House Public Service Subcommittee 6-0 in mid-March and scheduled for the full State & Local Government Committee. But with the bill’s failure in the Senate, it cannot move forward in the House, so it has been taken off notice and shelved for the year.
About the Author: Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
3 Responses
Was the Bill Needed? Depends on if every “employee of the executive branch” included “a liaison, employee or agent of the office of the governor, or the executive head or a liaison, employee, or agent of a department or agency of the executive branch of this state.” and the Senate or House Speakers were totally honest. BUT….. I suspect they are not………..
Arguments in favor (why it might have been useful):
Executive agencies sometimes provide overly optimistic or inaccurate fiscal notes and testimony.
Putting people under oath can discourage deliberate misleading of lawmakers.
It would give the legislature stronger tools to get honest answers, especially on costly bills.
Arguments against (why many Republicans opposed it):
Tennessee already has perjury laws that apply to official statements.
The bill could chill honest testimony and make bureaucrats overly cautious or defensive.
With Republicans controlling the executive branch right now, it felt like creating a weapon that Democrats could use later if they ever regain power.
It was viewed by some as more political theater than a real problem that needed fixing.
Bottom Line:
This was largely an intra-Republican fight. The bill died because enough Republicans decided they didn’t want to impose new strict accountability rules on their own governor’s administration.
Thanx, emailed the pukes, Re. Y’all’s killing of SB1721 to improve accountability;
Yet another despicable disservice to the people you’re SUPPOSED to serve, by one of “our” worst committees.
You mean to tell me that Senator Kerry “PRESENT AND NOT VOTING” Roberts did not vote PRESENT AND NOT VOTING? Wow, what is the world coming to? I also have to wonder……how did Senator Bobby Harshbarger vote on Billy’s Bill, you know that so called Educational Freedom for big donors Act? Just thought they all might be treating Bobby a bit like they’ve treated Jody Barrett! And, finally…..surely these clowns are all breaking sunshine laws when they meet to discuss laws before they vote. I’d imagine the conversation would go like this….”How are you going to vote on SB1721? That’s a tough one…after all, we don’t want to hold our own party’s governor’s employees and bureaucrats accountable, do we? Lets coordinate our votes by refusing to second the motion so this bill dies and we don’t even have to debate it! Yea, that way we can fool the people again!”