Lt. Governor Randy McNally

Lt. Governor Randy McNally (R), District 5, scored 67% on votes, placing him in the 18th-23rd position (tied with a number of other members) out of 33 members. That puts him into the lower 50 percentile. His leadership merits were in the negative, prescribing the F grade on leadership. Merits are accrued based on sponsorships and co-sponsorships of good bills and other acts of valor or good conduct. Demerits are accrued for the opposite.

Here are the bills we chose to oppose but McNally supported:

• SB0136 – “The Crown Act” protecting ethnic hairstyles in the work place
• SB1201 – A campaign reform bill that would make defeating incumbents even more difficult
• SB2464, which would make illegal immigrants eligible for professional licenses in Tennessee
• SB2890, giving an 80% tax break to the Cincinnati Reds for their farm team in Chattanooga
• SB2901, giving $500,000,000 to the Tennessee Titans for a new stadium
• SB8002, giving $678,218,300 to the Ford Motor Company in support of a mega site for electric vehicle manufacture

These bills beg the question: who is Senator McNally serving? Look at each bill individually and ask yourself who benefits. Do you feel enabled or rewarded by any of the above legislation?

The Speaker of the Senate has the responsibility of seeing that the people’s voice is heard in the legislation passed or blocked, according to the will of the majority.  These members are, after all, representatives of the people.

It is interesting to note that nine of twenty-eight bills that were chosen for their importance passed through the people’s house—the Tennessee House of Representatives—but were either not taken up at all, or were immediately killed, in the senate by one means or another. We consider that an arrogant dereliction of duty. Here are the nine important bills that the senate ignored, ensuring that they would not become law in Tennessee:

• HB0800/SB1216 – Griffey/ Hensley – Prohibits the TN textbook commission from recommending or listing, the TN BOE from approving or granting a waiver for local adoption, and LEAs/charter schools from adopting or using textbooks, materials or supplemental materials that promote, normalize, support, or address lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, or transgender issues or lifestyles

• HB1735/SB2291 – Todd/Bell – Lowers the age requirement to obtain an enhanced or concealed handgun carry permit or lawfully carry a handgun in public from 21 to 18 years of age

• HB1753/SB1834 – Smith/Hensley – Requires TCAP tests to be administered in a paper format for students in grades 3 through 8.  Gives an LEA/charter school the option to administer end-of-course assessments in a paper format if it objects to a computerized or online format

• HB2203/SB2643 – Todd/Gardenhire – Prohibits foreign nationals, corporations, and interest groups from interfering with state and local governmental affairs by financing political agendas, preferences, and activities that don’t involve the election of individuals to public office

• HB2277/SB2544 – Hawk/Yarbro – Deletes Davidson County exceptions to general law requirements for petitions for recall, referendum, or initiative (Davidson county is the only to have these exceptions)

• HB2408/SB329 – Byrd/Hensley – Prohibits a teacher from being disciplined or having remedial actions taken against them if the teacher is teaching to TN academic standards or using state-approved instructional materials

• HB2466/SB2444 – Leatherwood/Bell – Prohibits a local government from providing monetary assistance to an elective abortion provider

• HB2569/SB2440 – Ragan/Bell – Prohibits the state from discriminating against, or granting preferential treatment to, an individual or group based on the individual’s or group’s race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in the operation of any aspect of public employment, public education, or public contracting

• HB2633/SB2777 – Cochran/Bell –  A teacher or employee of a public school is not required to refer to a student using the student’s preferred pronoun if the pronoun does not align with the student’s biological sex, insulating those employees from civil liability and adverse employment action

There are other bills that were treated similarly but these were among the bills chosen for their importance to the citizens of Tennessee under the current cloud of governmental tyranny and constitutional malfeasance. We must do better.