THE LATEST NEWS

The final week is here—and I’m happy to report that the last of my legislation has officially crossed the finish line. 📝  Status of My Bills This Week HB 853 – Parental Rights in Medical Records (Passed the House floor) Closes loopholes in statues to ensure parents  the right to access the medical records of their minor children—including prescription and rehabilitation records—even in cases where treatment was provided without parental consent under existing law. This ensur

We are officially entering the final stretch of session. Committees are wrapping up, and next week we expect to move into full flow motion , meaning long days on the House floor and a high volume of votes. 📝  Status of My Bills This Week HB849 – AI Personhood PASSED the House Floor:  Clarifies that artificial intelligence, machines, and databases are not legal persons. Goes to the Governor for signature.  HB1692 – Adoption Reform  PASSED the House Floor:  Allows judges dis

In Tennessee, we all agree that children deserve safe, stable, and loving homes. But sometimes, our laws—designed with good intentions—create unnecessary barriers for the very families stepping up to provide that stability. House Bill 1692 is about fixing one of those barriers. This legislation was brought to me by an attorney who handles adoptions in rural communities. She shared a pattern she sees far too often: a young mother, facing difficult circumstances, asks someone

This week on the House floor, we passed a wide range of legislation impacting families, education, healthcare, and public safety. But first an update on my bills: 📝  Status of My Bills This Week HB 1694 – K-9 Emergency Medical Care & Transport Act ✅ Passed both chambers and is headed to the Governor’s desk. Digital Device Bill ✅ Passed and headed to the Governor’s desk. Adoption Reform (HB 1692) ✅  Moving to House floor with bipartisan support AI Personhood (HB 849) ✅ Mo

When I took office, I took an oath—not to a party, not to a platform—but to the Constitution . That oath carries a simple but powerful responsibility: to protect the rights of the people, even when it is inconvenient, even when it is politically difficult. I opposed HB1971. The intent while well meaning and even appealing on the surface was to stop “activist judges” or “special interest groups.” But when you look into how this bill could actually work, a very different pictu

Officer John Isler with K9 Baba Photos courtesy of Chattanooga Police Dept In Tennessee, we ask a lot of our first responders. We ask them to run toward danger when others are running away. We ask them to make split-second decisions that save lives. And increasingly, we rely on highly trained K-9s to stand right beside them—tracking missing children, detecting explosives, apprehending violent suspects, and protecting both officer

As we move deeper into session, bills are moving quickly through committees and   House floor agendas are longer. Here’s a breakdown of key legislation and what’s ahead. 🚧 Transportation Committee Highlights HB1457 – Pregnant Handicap Parking (High-Risk Only) Refines eligibility criteria to better prioritize those with the greatest need. HB1790 – School Bus Driver Age Endorsement Allows local Boards of Education to lower the minimum age from 25 to 23, if they choose. HB2474

In 2024, the Tennessee General Assembly affirmed a simple but essential principle: parents have the right to access their child’s medical records. That principle was codified in the  Family Rights and Responsibilities Act , recognizing that parents are not outsiders in their children’s lives. They are responsible for their care, their safety, and their well-being. However not all sections of Tennessee law were updated to reflect that standard.And when the law is inconsistent,

We are entering a critical phase of session. About half of subcommittees have now closed. You'll start to see committee schedules shift and some committees meeting twice a week to get through long agendas. Things are moving quickly, and decisions made in the next few weeks will determine what ultimately reaches the House floor. Here’s what happened last week: Transportation Committee Highlights HB1457 (Handicap Parking): After discussion, the sponsor rolled the bill to a spe

Technology is advancing faster than the law. Artificial intelligence now drafts contracts, manages investment portfolios, analyzes medical data, writes legislative summaries, and can even simulate human conversation convincingly. Around the world, AI systems have been installed as corporate executives , given board-level voting authority, and used as political “candidates” with human proxies. That may sound futuristic — but it is already happening! So here is the question: W

The pace is picking up quickly as we approach the final weeks of session. Many subcommittees are now on their last calendars, which means most bills will move—or die—within the next two weeks. Here is a recap of the highlights from this week:  🚧 Transportation Subcommittee Two bills passed in Transportation this week addressing safety and driver qualification standards: HB1706 makes it a Class A misdemeanor for a person unlawfully present in the United States to operate a c

School meals play an important role in the daily lives of many Tennessee students. While families ultimately make food choices at home, meals served through school nutrition programs are different. When the state provides food to children through a taxpayer-funded program, it is reasonable for us to set thoughtful standards for what is served. That principle is the foundation behind House Bill 1853. The bill simply removes petroleum-based artificial food dyes from foods serve

Private land should mean exactly what it says: land that belongs to you. Land where others—including the government—cannot enter without permission or a warrant. Most Tennesseans assume that is already how the law works. But many would be surprised to learn that, in practice, government agents have sometimes treated private property as if it were open to them. Tennessee is one of several states where government agents have accessed private property without a warrant and witho

Here are the highlights from this week: 🚧 Transportation Subcommittee I unfortunately missed most of the Transportation Subcommittee meeting this week because two of my bills were being heard in another committee, and the debate ran much longer than expected. However, several notable bills did move forward. HB 1690   This bill requires vehicle owners to provide proof of financial responsibility (auto insurance) before the Department of Revenue or a county clerk can process

🚦 Transportation  Committee Update Transportation Committee did not meet this week as the House paused regular committees to focus on budget hearings. Instead of public hearings, my days were filled with meetings with department liaisons, constituents, and colleagues to continue working through amendments and preparing bills for upcoming committee presentations. 🏛️ Budget Week at the Capitol House committees paused so we could focus fully on the state budget. Twenty-two dep

At its heart, HB 851 — the Residency Integrity Act — addresses a straightforward principle: Voting in Tennessee elections should be reserved for Tennessee residents. That is not a partisan statement. It is a constitutional one. The Tennessee Constitution requires residency in order to vote. Yet current statute includes language that allows: “A United States citizen who was born abroad and who has never lived in the United States may register temporarily and vote in the count

Here’s your update from the Capitol. 🚦 Transportation  Committee Update HB1457 – Pregnancy Placards Rolled to next week. Thank you to everyone who shared feedback. We’ll see whether the sponsor brings more changes based on the feedback. If you missed the details on this, see last week’s newsletter here . Two bills dealing with illegal immigration passed subcommittee and move to Full Committee: HB1706 – Makes it a Class A misdemeanor for someone to knowingly and unlawfully

At a time when grocery prices are unpredictable, supply chains are fragile, and families are looking for practical ways to provide for themselves, Tennessee has an opportunity to secure something both timeless and urgently relevant: the right of its people to grow and obtain their own food. The proposed Right to Food constitutional amendment HJR 780 is not radical. It is, in fact, deeply traditional. For most of human history—and for much of Tennessee’s history—families grew

Walk into almost any classroom today and you’ll see it: kids with screens open, headphones on, clicking through assignments, games, and “learning platforms” that promise to personalize instruction. We were told this would make students more engaged, more “future ready,” and more successful. But after years of device-driven education, we have to be honest about what we’re seeing: kids are not retaining what they learn on screens the same way they retain what they learn through

It was a fast-paced week at the Capitol as committees continue moving bills forward ahead of upcoming deadlines. Here are highlights, key votes, and what’s coming next: 🚦 Transportation Sub Committee Update HB1457 – Pregnancy Placards This bill  allows pregnant women in the 2nd or 3rd trimester or those with high-risk pregnancies to obtain a temporary disabled placard. I strongly support being welcoming to life and supporting mothers. However, I also received calls from memb