The results of the most recent election cycle are set to take effect this month as the latest round of federal elected officials were sworn in at our nation’s Capitol last week and our state officials will be sworn in today in Nashville. With significant change at the state and federal levels including a new Governor and General Assembly, renewed hope springs for citizens across the state and across the nation. While I have serious doubts and reservations for progress at the federal level with Pelosi as the Speaker of the House, Tennessee is in position to further improve our standing as a leader in our nation. I’m looking forward to the opportunity and the challenge.
Throughout my time in service to our community, our shared values have been consistent and I expect this session to have a strong focus on many of our concerns. Below is a primer for this session with some topics I expect to be discussed.
Safety: School safety and judicial reform will be on the agenda.
Health: TennCare oversight and review may lead to some significant improvements in the system. Health insurance and prescription costs will be discussed. Mental health, opioids, and medical cannabis will, also, be on our agenda.
Affordability: Keeping Tennessee a low tax state will be a priority.
Recreation and Tourism: A sports gambling bill has been offered and will be discussed.
Education: Testing, funding, teacher recruitment, school choice, and higher education costs are expected to be discussed.
Voice: Transparency, accountability, and open government will garner more attention, as citizen groups continue to bring awareness to these issues.
Agriculture: With hemp legalization at the federal level and agricultural medicine becoming a booming market, I expect there to be discussions on the impact on Tennessee and how we can help our rural communities compete.
Liberties: I expect free speech, second amendment, and personal liberties to experience legislation on various fronts. A “red flag” bill has already been proposed.
Unborn: More pro-life legislation is expected to be filed this session. One can look at recent successful measures from other states to ascertain what to expect.
Economy: Removing barriers to employment and entrepreneurship will be amongst the priorities of the General Assembly.
Security: Democrats may attempt to attract illegal immigration to Tennessee, but don’t look for those bills to gain much traction.
More than likely, there will be over 1000 bills filed. As we get into session, look for my weekly update on Facebook.
With Liberty,
Dr. Bryan Terry
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