The Tennessee Conservative [By Olivia Lupia] –
As bills progress through the committee process in the General Assembly there is the standard method of killing a bill by having a majority of “NO” votes in a committee or on a chamber floor, but there are several other avenues by which a piece of legislation may ultimately die.
One such method is by sending a bill to a “General Subcommittee”, also known as “general subbing”.
The Senate, for example, does not have standing subcommittees, which means the bill would require special examination by a created subcommittee to review, revise, or amend the legislation before referring it back to the full committee who would then restart the process of discussion and voting on that bill.
While it is possible for the bill to be revived in the full committee or by motion on the Senate floor, it is often the case that a sponsor will ask for their legislation to be general subbed to stop it from being completely killed if they know they do not have enough votes for the legislation to pass.
This method potentially preserves a way for the sponsor to refile the legislation next session without issue, as there may be complications in reviving a bill that was officially killed by a committee vote.
As some standing House and Senate committees already have their final regular meetings for the session scheduled, rolling a bill to a General Subcommittee this late essentially kills the bill for this session as it would be nearly impossible for the legislation to make it through the process in time, nor would the sponsors likely wish for it to be reconsidered.
SB1425, sponsored by RINO Senator Richard Briggs (R-Knoxville-District 7), which creates numerous and significant exemptions to Tennessee’s abortion ban was sent to the General Subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday, March 24.
There was no presentation or explanation by Sen. Briggs, and the announcement was included in a list of other bills on the committee’s agenda that were all general subbed.
As Briggs has quickly become notorious as one of the most pro-abortion Republicans in the Assembly, conservatives can celebrate a small victory that this bill is most likely dead for this session. But constituents should be aware that by general subbing the bill, Briggs is indicating his intentions to revive the legislation next year, especially as his stated intentions are to, “redefine abortion and redefine medically necessary termination of pregnancies.”
Other bills that have been sent to respective General Subcommittees this session, basically rendering them dead for this session, include:
SB0467: Would have allowed individuals to hold commercial entities civilly liable for knowingly possessing, purchasing, promoting, producing, selling, sending, transporting, or distributing obscene matter in Tennessee. Sponsored by Sen. Janice Bowling (R-Tullahoma-District 16) and Rep. Jody Barrett (R-Dickson-District 69), the bill is still scheduled for the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee for Wednesday, 3/26 as of this writing.
SB0479: The Restoring State Sovereignty Through Nullification Act, also sponsored by Sen. Bowling, has now hit a dead end for the fourth consecutive year. Rep. Bud Hulsey (R-Kingsport-District 2) is the House sponsor, and though assigned in early February, the bill has yet to make it onto the calendar for the House Public Service Subcommittee and likely will not with the Senate version being general subbed.
SB0723: Addressed geoengineering, making certain weather modification activities conducted by a weather-related company a violation of the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act of 1977. Sponsored by Sen. Adam Lowe (R-Calhoun-District 1) and Rep. Chris Todd, this was one of two pieces of legislation addressing weather modification introduced this session.
The other is SB1033/HB1112 sponsored by Sen. Janice Bowling and Rep. Monty Fritts (R-Kingston-District 32) enacting consequences for geoengineering. This second bill has fared much better and passed the full House on Monday, March 24. SB1033 is set to be heard by the Senate Energy, Agriculture, and Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday, March 26.
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.
2 Responses
Since 1975 there have been 30 million abortions and 90% were to unwed poor young girls on welfare. Those kids would have grown up to be Dems and the Dems would have total control.
I’ll oppose anyone who proposes a law that bans abortions for rape or incest. Doing that would be evil. EVIL!!!
What’s next? Banning birth control? (birth control prevents conception). A law to protect “sperm”? Sperm is alive – look at it under a magnifying glass.
If the Repubs become extremists they will lose votes. I’m old and remember the arguments. Roe was a compromise. Overturning Roe is why we lost in 2022. Look at the harm it caused America because we lost in 2022.
Look in the Bible and Jesus’ teachings – no mention of abortion.
The Talmud permits abortion under certain circumstances and requires it if the woman’s life is at stake. The New Testament was a second chance for God to make himself clear about abortion. Jesus had some strong views of marriage and sex – he considered the Jewish divorce laws too lenient and disapproved of stoning adulteresses. But he said nothing about abortion. Neither did Saint Paul, or the other New Testament authors.
Sadly, they kill the good bills too.