Photo Credit: capitol.tn.gov
The Center Square [By Jon Styf and The Tennessee Conservative Staff]-
Proposed legislation continues to emerge in advance of the Tennessee Legislature’s COVID-19 special session, including six Senate bills that were filed Tuesday.
The special session starts at 4 p.m. today, October 27th.
Senate Bill 9001, sponsored by Sen. Frank Niceley, R-Strawberry Plains, is a companion bill to House Bill 1643. The bill prevents private employers from requiring a COVID-19 vaccination for an individual who already has had COVID-19, and it makes the private employer liable for damages if the vaccination causes the employee injury.
Senate Bill 9002, also sponsored by Niceley, is a companion to House Bill 9003, which prohibits public employers from requiring a COVID-19 vaccine and puts liability on private employers who require a vaccine if health issues arise.
Senator Frank Niceley – (615) 741-2061 – sen.frank.niceley@capitol.tn.gov
Senate Bill 9003, sponsored by Sen. Joey Hensley, R-Hohenwald, is a companion of House Bill 9002, which allows local school board elections to be partisan.
Senate Bill 9004, sponsored by Hensley as a companion to House Bill 9001, places liability on an employer or private institution of higher learning for side effects from a COVID-19 vaccine if the vaccine is required.
Senate Bill 9005, sponsored by Hensley, prevents school districts, public higher education and public charter schools from having COVID-19 contact tracing procedures while allowing those procedures to be created for other communicable diseases.
Senator Joey Hensley – (615) 741-3100 – sen.joey.hensley@capitol.tn.gov
Senate Bill 9006, sponsored by Sen. Paul Rose, R-Tipton, puts a county mayor or top city official in charge of establishing and implementing health policies that affect an area during a health emergency. The county health director, health officer and board of health then would be charged with advising the mayor or highest-ranking city official. House Bill 9014 from Rep. Tom Leatherwood, R-Arlington, is the companion bill.
Senator Paul Rose – (615) 741-1967 – sen.paul.rose@capitol.tn.gov
House Bill 9009, from Rep. Clay Doggett, R-Pulaski, prevents any state funds from being “appropriated or dispersed” to a public or private entity that has a COVID-19 vaccination or mask-wearing requirement for entry. It also allows the Tennessee Department of Finance & Administration to recoup state funds previously sent to an entity that begins a vaccine or mask requirement.
House Bill 9010, also from Doggett, prevents a K-12 school that receives state funds from having a COVID-19 vaccine requirement or from separating students based on vaccination status.
Representative Clay Doggett – (615) 741-7476 – rep.clay.doggett@capitol.tn.gov
House Bill 9011, from Rep. Brandon Ogles, R-Franklin, creates a human rights private cause of action for anyone who suffers an adverse action by another because of a religious objection to the COVID-19 vaccine.
House Bill 9012, also from Ogles, requires any entity that requires a COVID-19 vaccination or proof of a vaccination to allow for a religious exemption for those whose religion or sect is conscientiously opposed to the COVID-19 vaccine.
House Bill 9013, sponsored by Ogles, prevents a health care provider from giving a minor the COVID-19 vaccine without parental consent.
Representative Brandon Ogles – (615) 741-6808 – rep.brandon.ogles@capitol.tn.gov
House Bill 9015, from Rep. London Lamar, D-Memphis, establishes uniform mask requirements for local school districts that implement mask-wearing rules.
House Bill 9016, also from Lamar, allows private employers to adopt a dress code that requires a mask for anyone on the business premises and provides immunity to those employers.
Representative London Lamar – (615) 741-3830 – rep.london.lamar@capitol.tn.gov
House Bill 9017, from Rep. Tim Rudd, R-Murfreesboro, prevents the state from entering into a state contract or providing incentives to an employer that requires the COVID-19 vaccine.
House Bill 9018, from Rudd, allows for a replacement for a district attorney will be appointed in cases where a sitting district attorney says he or she will not prosecute a certain offense.
Representative Tim Rudd – (615) 741-2804 – rep.tim.rudd@capitol.tn.gov
Rep. Chris Todd, R-Madison County, filed four bills Tuesday. House Bill 9019 enacts the “Tennessee Religious Objection to COVID-19 Treatment Act,” and House Bill 9020 enacts the “Tennessee COVID-19 Treatment Freedom Act,” which prevents the board of medical examiners and board of osteopathic examination from disciplining a licensed physician related to the physician’s prescription, recommendation, use or opinion relative to COVID-19 treatment.
Representative Chris Todd – (615) 741-7475 – rep.chris.todd@capitol.tn.gov
Click HERE to view all the bills currently up for consideration in this week’s Special Session.
Find your State Representative HERE.
Find your State Senator HERE.
Senate Health Committee Members to Contact:
Rusty Crowe – sen.rusty.crowe@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-2468
Ferrell Haile – sen.ferrell.haile@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-1999
Joey Hensley – sen.joey.hensley@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-3100
Ed Jackson – sen.ed.jackson@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-1810
Becky Massey – sen.becky.massey@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-1648
Shane Reeves – sen.shane.reeves@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-1066
Art Swann – sen.art.swann@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-0981
Bo Watson – sen.bo.watson@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-3227
House Health Committee Members to Contact:
Rebecca Alexander – rep.rebecca.alexander@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-2251
Clark Boyd – rep.clark.boyd@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-7086
David Byrd – rep.david.byrd@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-2190
Ron Gant – rep.ron.gant@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-6890
Mark Hall – rep.mark.hall@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-1350
Esther Helton – rep.esther.helton@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-1934
Tim Hicks – rep.tim.hicks@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-1717
Doc Kumar – rep.sabi.kumar@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-2860
Tom Leatherwood – rep.tom.leatherwood@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-7084
Pat Marsh – rep.pat.marsh@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-6824
Bob Ramsey – rep.bob.ramsey@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-3560
Robin Smith – rep.robin.smith@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-2548
Bryan Terry – rep.bryan.terry@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-2180
Kevin Vaughan – rep.kevin.vaughan@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-1866
Sam Whitson – rep.sam.whitson@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-1864
Ryan Williams – rep.ryan.williams@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-1875
About the Author: Jon Styf, The Center Square Staff Reporter – Jon Styf is an award-winning editor and reporter who has worked in Illinois, Texas, Wisconsin, Florida and Michigan in local newsrooms over the past 20 years, working for Shaw Media, Hearst and several other companies. Follow Jon on Twitter @JonStyf.
7 Responses
These bills do not offer enough protection. We need to be clear; our new normal is government OUT of our personal business. We need laws protecting us from masks, tests, mandates, and injections. There is quite enough evidence calling into question the benefits of masks, testing, and injections. And any law that gives people the right to be compensated for damages is too little too late. Why should someone be forced to get an injection to keep their job but have the satisfaction of knowing if they suffer permanent heart damage, auto immune disease, or paralysis, their employer will pay their medical bills?? How is that helpful as far as the person’s quality of life is concerned? They are still forced to play Russian roulette with their health. How about, dear congressmen, you simply refuse to play the game? I don’t know about other Tennesseans, but I am utterly disgusted with our representation. They all need to be booted out on their butts and we need to start over. We have rights! They don’t GIVE us our rights. Our rights should be protected. They are NOT protecting our rights.
I want a hard fast rule, no exceptions for employers, no vaccine mandates of any kind, its my health, I know what’s best for me, if I’m forced to get the shot, which doesn’t stop covid, its to late for me, even if I collect damages the damage is done to my body.
I hope and pray, that mandates, stop. The vaccines, isn’t like the ones we grew up with. Fauci, should be locked up, for what has brought, to our world. Disgusting, using dogs or any animals, to test this death vaccines. The government, works for the people. People, need to read the constitution. I will move to Florida, before we continue, to live as slaves, Yes that’s what’s going on. And if we don’t see concrete, laws, against mandates, I will vote every one out of office, before I move.and I’m not alone .This insanely, needs to stop, now.
We need for them to stop vaccine and mask mandates. It should be everybody’s personal choice. The vaccine prevents you from becoming very ill… maybe, but you can still get it and pass it on.
The injections don’t even prevent serious illness. There are thousands of people still being hospitalized who are fully “vaccinated.” It’s a joke.
I shouldn’t be forced to put ANYTHING in my body that I don’t want to put in it in order to keep a job that I love. Should I be treated any different than anyone else because I decided not to put something into my body? No.
Think outside of the box: If government/employer can require folks to put things into their bodies…what is to stop them from requiring folks to remove things from their bodies?