Tennessee House Kills Anti-Reparations Bill
Image: Rep. John Ragan, R-Oak Ridge, addressing his bill to prohibit local governments from spending funds to study reparations. Image Credit: John Partipilo & capitol.tn.gov
By Sam Stockard [Tennessee Lookout– CC BY-NC-ND 4.0] & The Tennessee Conservative Staff –
The Tennessee House voted 52-43 Wednesday to defeat an anti-reparations bill despite the efforts by an East Tennessee House Republican to resurrect the measure.
Before introducing the bill, Republican Rep. John Ragan of Oak Ridge circulated a letter to colleagues seeking their support in passing House Bill 0474 to stop counties from looking into reparations and disbursing money to those whose ancestors were enslaved.
Note: HB0474 is a caption bill, meaning the actual bill language is in the amendments.
The measure passed in the Senate on a 26-6 vote but got hung up in the House. Republican Rep. Sam Whitson called for a vote to table Ragan’s legislation.
In response, Ragan told the chamber that people shouldn’t be forced to pay for the wrongdoing of their ancestors. He pointed out that all Japanese shouldn’t be blamed for the bombing of Pearl Harbor and all Muslims shouldn’t be held responsible for the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center.
Ragan noted in the letter that state Sen. Brent Taylor of Memphis brought him the bill and said he will not back down from resistance. He also accused opponents of “blatant bullying and immoral tactics.”
“Frankly, two opposition caucus members have unashamedly engaged in such, hurling repugnant insults and racial slurs in the “People’s House” – apparently without penalty,” Ragan’s letter says. “Regrettably, other members of their caucus have failed to demonstrate the moral courage to oppose such a degradation of our state’s great institution. In fact, some have even supported these actions openly.”
Ragan also said the press, “always hungry for salacious sensationalism and manufactured controversy,” blew the matter out of proportion, causing some lawmakers to consider support of the bill a threat to their re-election.
From The Tennessee Conservative –
House votes on tabling the bill:
Representatives voting aye were: Alexander (R), Baum (R), Behn (D), Burkhart (R), Camper (D), Carr (R), Carringer (R), Chism (D), Clemmons (D), Darby (D), Dixie (D), Faison (R), Farmer (R), Freeman (D), Gillespie (R), Glynn (D), Hakeem (D), Hardaway (D), Harris (D), Haston (R), Hazlewood (R), Hemmer (D), Hicks G (R), Hicks T (R), Holsclaw (R), Howell (R), Jernigan (D), Johnson C (R), Johnson G (D), Jones (D), Kumar (R), Love (R), Marsh (R), McCalmon (R), McKenzie (D), Miller (D), Mitchell (D), Parkinson (D), Pearson (D), Powell (D), Russell (R), Shaw (D), Slater (R), Thompson (D), Towns (D), Travis (R), White (R), Whitson (R), Williams (R), Wright (R), Zachary (R), Mr. Speaker Sexton (R) — 52.
Republican Representatives voting no were: Barrett, Boyd, Bricken, Bulso, Butler, Capley, Cepicky, Cochran, Davis, Doggett, Eldridge, Fritts, Gant, Garrett, Grills, Hale, Hawk, Helton-Haynes, Hill, Hulsey, Hurt, Keisling, Lafferty, Lamberth, Leatherwood, Littleton, Lynn, Martin B, Martin G, Moody, Moon, Powers, Ragan, Raper, Reedy, Rudd, Rudder, Sherrell, Stevens, Terry, Todd, Vital, Warner — 43.
Democratic Reps. Justin Jones of Nashville and Justin J. Pearson of Memphis have been outspoken foes of the bill.
Pearson said shortly before the Wednesday vote, “I am hopeful that this racist bill will be tabled.”
Ragan’s letter asks Republican colleagues to vote their conscience and notes, “It is a good and just bill that helps Tennessee and deserves a vote.”
View Ragan’s letter HERE or below.
About the Author: Sam Stockard is a veteran Tennessee reporter and editor, having written for the Daily News Journal in Murfreesboro, where he served as lead editor when the paper won an award for being the state’s best Sunday newspaper two years in a row. He has led the Capitol Hill bureau for The Daily Memphian. His awards include Best Single Editorial from the Tennessee Press Association. Follow Stockard on Twitter @StockardSam
I don’t feel there will, or can be a fair and equitable judgment as to which race was enslaved. I am of Irish descent and have heard stories from older relatives about their relatives being “indentured servants” a fancy word for slavery. Would we be eligible for payment? It seems it would be never ending.
Sam Whitson is a satan worshipping pedophile.
You want reparations, ok fine, how about going to descendents of those who initiated and perpetuated slavery in America ?
Tribal Cheifs
Ship Owners
Slave Sellers
Slave Owners
Democrats
There’s a list to start with.
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This is insanity! There has been injustice toward his neighbor since man walked the earth. There has been slavery since the beginning of time. We cannot continue supporting victimhood by paying hard-earned money to so-called descendents of slavery or any form of injustice committed in the past.
What should be done is to create laws and a society that prohibited such actions, which I believe America has done. We had Affirmative Action laws which assisted those previously denied entry into University. We have laws against segregation, which allow equal housing, entrance into places of shopping, theater, eating, etc.. We have laws in place for equal employment. We cannot, however, provide cash money to those who were enslaved one hundred years ago or more. That is unresonable. This society has never enslaved anyone. Enough already!