Image: Bill Sponsor Rep. Debra Moody presents her bill to the House Cities and Counties Subcommittee. Image Credit: capitol.tn.gov
The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –
The Tennessee House Cities and Counties Subcommittee passed a bill that aims to prevent local governments from spending taxpayer dollars to assist individuals in obtaining abortions.
House Bill 0090 (HB0090), sponsored by Representative Debra Moody (R-Covington-District 81), states in its summary, “as introduced, prohibits local governments from expending funds for the purposes of assisting a person in obtaining an abortion. – Amends TCA Title 5; Title 6; Title 7 and Title 8.”
After Moody gave a brief overview of the bill, the floor was opened for questions.
Representative Sam McKenzie (D-Knoxville-District 15) asked if there were any other prohibitions in state law that direct “local government how to manage and direct their own employees.”
Moody stated that she did not know but that this was an issue that deals with taxpayer money and that is why the bill was being brought before the House.
McKenzie requested that the subcommittee go out of session to consult with legal as to whether the state had the authority to tell local governments how to handle their employees. State legal services noted that they were unsure and would need to take a deeper look and could have an answer for McKenzie by the end of the day.
After the subcommittee went back into session, McKenzie stated that he felt like there was ambiguity in the bill and that it may be unconstitutional. He requested that the subcommittee roll the bill for a week and wait for an answer from legal.
When asked how she would like to proceed, Moody stated that she wanted to go ahead and take a vote, stating that she would like to see the bill passed to the full committee and noted “we can bone up on things then.”
McKenzie stated again that he believed they needed to clear up the ambiguity; however, the chair moved for a vote.
Ayes prevailed in a voice vote with only McKenzie recorded as voting against the bill.
The bill will move on to the House Local Government Committee’s March 14th agenda.
If you wish to express support for this legislation, contact the committee members prior to their meeting on March 14th. Contact information below.
Rep. John Crawford (R) -Chair – rep.john.crawford@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-7623
Rep. Dave Wright (R) – Vice Chair – rep.dave.wright@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-6879
Rep. Rebecca K. Alexander (R) – rep.rebecca.alexander@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-2251
Rep. Jeff Burkhart (R) – rep.jeff.burkhart@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-6804
Rep. Dale Carr (R) – Chair – rep.dale.carr@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-5981
Rep. Clay Doggett (R) – rep.clay.doggett@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-7476
Rep. Michael Hale (R) – rep.michael.hale@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-2192
Rep. Esther Helton-Haynes (R) – rep.esther.helton@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-1934
Rep. John B. Holsclaw (R) – rep.john.holsclaw@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-7450
Rep. Harold Love, Jr. (D) – rep.harold.love@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-3831
Rep. Greg Martin (R) – rep.greg.martin@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-2548
Rep. Sam McKenzie (D) – rep.sam.mckenzie@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-0768
Rep. Larry Miller (D) – rep.larry.miller@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-4453
Rep. Jerome Moon (R) – rep.jerome.moon@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-5481
Rep. Kevin D. Raper (R) – rep.kevin.raper@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-1350
Rep. Jay D. Reedy (R) – rep.jay.reedy@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-7098
Rep. Tim Rudd (R) – rep.tim.rudd@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-2804
Rep. Johnny Shaw (D) – rep.johnny.shaw@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-4538
Rep. William Slater (R) – rep.william.slater@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-2534
Rep. Robert Stevens (R) – rep.robert.stevens@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-3830
Rep. Dwayne Thompson (D) – rep.dwayne.thompson@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-1920
The Senate version of the bill (SB0600) sponsored by Senator Joey Hensley (R-Hohenwald-District 28) was scheduled to be heard today (March 9th) on the Senate floor but was instead reset on the calendar to March 13th.
If you wish to voice your support to your Senator for this bill, you can find their contact information HERE.
About the Author: Jason Vaughn, Media Coordinator for The Tennessee Conservative ~ Jason previously worked for a legacy publishing company based in Crossville, TN in a variety of roles through his career. Most recently, he served as Deputy Director for their flagship publication. Prior, he was a freelance journalist writing articles that appeared in the Herald Citizen, the Crossville Chronicle and The Oracle among others. He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor’s in English-Journalism, with minors in Broadcast Journalism and History. Contact Jason at news@TennesseeConservativeNews.com
