2023 TN Legislative Scorecard

HB1479 allows the state treasurer to purchase and sell physical gold and precious metal.

The Tennessee State Senate passed HB1479 on March 13, 2023 by a vote of 33 to 0. We have assigned pluses to the ayes because this bill is a necessary step toward restoring sound money and enforcing the U.S. Constitution’s monetary provisions. According to Article 1, Section 10, of the Constitution, “No State shall…make any Thing but gold and silver Coin a Tender in Payment of Debts.” The States can and must act now to protect Americans’ financial freedom and privacy by both ending the Federal Reserve’s unconstitutional monopoly on money and thwarting government plans to impose a Central Bank Digital Currency.

SB638 broadens the eligibility for education savings accounts (ESAs) to include students who were not enrolled in a Tennessee public school for the full year before receiving an ESA but were enrolled in and attended a Tennessee public school.

The Tennessee State Senate passed SB638 on February 27, 2023 by a vote of 27 to 5. We have assigned pluses to the nays because, while the idea of allowing money to any school of the students and parents choice may initially sound appealing, it raises concerns. This policy essentially directs government funds toward supporting private schools, inevitably attaching certain conditions and implications to this financial support. Private schools should not accept government money.

SB600 prohibits local governments from expending funds for the purposes of assisting a person in obtaining a criminal abortion.

The Tennessee State Senate passed SB600 on March 13, 2023 by a vote of 27 to 6. We have assigned pluses to the ayes because states should continue to 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. Taxpayer dollars at any level of government should not be used to kill babies.

SB269 changes the designation of June 19, known as "Juneteenth," from a day of special observance to a legal holiday.

The Wisconsin State Senate passed SB269 on March 23, 2023 by a vote of 24 to 4. We have assigned pluses to the nays because the United States observes 10 federal holidays, and the state of Tennessee already observes 11. Designating Juneteenth, which at the national level was voted as “National Independence Day” instead of July 4, falsely implies differing independence days based on race. This aligns with divisive strategies, akin to communist tactics of “dividing the people.”

SB1147 prohibits the state and its subdivisions from enacting policies that violate private property rights without due process, particularly those linked to "Agenda 21," the 2030 Agenda, U.N. net-zero emission goals by 2050, or any international law conflicting with the U.S. or state constitution.

The Tennessee State Senate passed SB1147 on April 17, 2023 by a vote of 25 to 6. We have assigned pluses to the ayes because eminent domain or other infringements on an individual's property violates the U.S. Constitution, specifically the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments. The Fifth Amendment explicitly states, “nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.” Furthermore, the Fourteenth Amendment declares, “nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.”