2022 TN Legislative Scorecard 2021-

SJR9005 declares the right of the Tennessee General Assembly to nullify federal COVID-19 restrictions that violate the United States Constitution. It also urges the Attorney General and Reporter of the State of Tennessee to take appropriate legal action on behalf of the state’s citizens. The Senate passed SJR9005 on October 29, 2021, by a vote of 22 to 5. We have assigned pluses to the ayes because whenever the federal government assumes unconstitutional powers, nullification of such acts by the several states is the proper remedy. The American people retain a natural right to nullification, which should be used to restore the powers reserved to the states under the U.S. Constitution. Nullification is protected by the Bill of Rights, especially the 9th and 10th Amendments.

SB0858 prohibits state or local governments from requiring, or mandating that a private business require, proof of COVID-19 vaccination as a condition for entry or utilization of services. It also removes the authority of county boards of health in relation to the adoption and enforcement of rules and regulations, and limits the ordering of quarantines under state law. The Senate passed SB0858 on May 4, 2021, by a vote of 25 to 6. We have assigned pluses to the ayes because compelling American citizens to receive medical treatment violates their fundamental rights protected by the Bill of Rights and the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. In addition, oversight of local emergency powers is a proper function of the state and county legislative bodies of government. Under Article IV, Section 4, of the U.S. Constitution, each state is guaranteed a republican form of government, which requires a limitation and separation of powers.

SB1370 permits a cause of action for wrongful death against someone who kills a mother and her unborn child regardless of gestational age. It also prohibits wrongful birth or wrongful life lawsuits on behalf of any person based on a claim that a child would have not or should not have been born or would or should have been aborted.

The Senate passed SB1370 on April 29, 2021, by a vote of 25 to 6. We have assigned pluses to the ayes because states should act to ban abortion and guarantee the right to life for all persons. The right to life is the most fundamental, God-given, and unalienable right asserted in the Declaration of Independence and protected by the 5th and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

SB1229 requires an LEA or public charter school to notify a student’s parent or guardian prior to commencing instruction of a “sexual orientation or gender identity” curriculum. It also permits a parent or guardian to excuse their child from such instruction. The Senate passed SB1229 on April 5, 2021, by a vote of 24 to 6. We have assigned pluses to the ayes because a child’s education is the responsibility of--and a fundamental right of choice retained by--the parents, not the government. Parental rights, as with all other constitutional rights, are protected by the Bill of Rights and the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

SB0765 allows permitless carry of a handgun if a person meets age requirements, lawfully possesses the handgun, and is in a place that the person is lawfully present.

The Senate passed SB0765 on March 18, 2021, by a vote of 23 to 9. We have assigned pluses to the ayes because the fundamental right of the American people to keep and bear arms should not be infringed, as guaranteed by the 2nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.