House District 48

Rep. Bryan Terry Rated Among Most Conservative In Tennessee

January 27, 2020 By Admin

Representative Bryan Terry, MD (R-Murfreesboro) earned the Award for Conservative Excellence, the top designation from the American Conservative Union(ACU) which was
published this past week. He has been invited to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) annual meeting to be held in National Harbor, Maryland to accept the award.

“Whether it is standing for the sanctity of life, our Second Amendment rights, our liberties, or sound fiscally conservative policy that enhances our economy, I’m honored to be recognized for
taking the concerns of District 48 to Nashville and producing positive results,” stated Rep. Terry.

The honor from the ACU follows previous recognition Rep. Terry received for his legislative
efforts by Club for Growth and the TN Legislative Report Card. With Club for Growth, Rep.
Terry’s score ranked second amongst all legislators including both House and Senate members.
Whereas, with TN Legislative Report Card, Rep. Terry was named a “model public servant”.

“I appreciate the awareness these various groups bring forth by recognizing the efforts, work,
and results many legislators put forward. Helping citizens be informed is of vital importance, but
in the end, what really matters is the opinion of the constituency,” explained Rep. Terry. “I’ll
continue to value the faith that our community places in me and I’ll keep working for the
betterment of our district and the state of Tennessee.”

Rep. Terry represents District 48 which is the eastern half of Rutherford County. He serves as
the Chairman of the House Health Committee and serves on the Insurance and Calendar and
Rules committees. He, also, serves on the TennCare, Mental Health and Substance Abuse,
Public Health, and Facilities, Licensure, and Regulations subcommittees.

Rep. Bryan Terry Announces 2017 District 48 High School Art Contest

September 21, 2017 By Admin

MURFREESBORO, September 21, 2017– Representative Bryan Terry, MD (R-Murfreesboro) will be hosting the 2017 District 48 High School Art contest on October 26 at 5:30 PM at Patterson Park. Rep. Terry sent out invitations to Oakland, Riverdale, Providence Christian Academy, Middle Tennessee Christian School, Daniel McKee, and Central Magnet School which are high schools either in District 48 or serve students who live in the district. With the Tennessee General Assembly moving from the War Memorial Building to the newly renovated Cordell Hull Building, the top three places will have their artwork displayed in the new District 48 office.

“We really enjoyed the 2016 art contest and the winning art pieces made a valuable addition to the District 48 office. Anyone that came into the office got to see the talent we have in Rutherford County on full display,” explained Terry. “With the move to a new building, I’m excited to see what our students create that we can showcase at the Capitol.”

This year’s contest will feature three celebrity judges. City Councilman Eddie Smotherman, Scott Broden from the Daily News Journal, and Jennifer Grissom from Murfreesboro Little Theatre have all agreed to judge the contest. The artwork is to be a painting, drawing, printmaking, or sculpture. All student participants will receive recognition from the state.

“We have a lot of talented students in Rutherford County. From academics to athletics to the arts, our students usually shine, but they don’t always have an outlet to showcase those talents. I think it is important to provide opportunities to students and foster their talents. I would like to encourage anyone that is interested to participate,” stated Rep. Terry.

Dr. Bryan Terry is the State Representative for District 48 in Tennessee. His office can be reached at rep.Bryan.Terry@capitol.tn.gov or 615-741-2180.

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Rep. Bryan Terry: Obamacare will force insurance rates to skyrocket in 2017, here’s what you need to know

August 24, 2016 By Admin

Murfreesboro, Tenn., August 24, 2016– As Obamacare costs skyrocket, and networks and options shrink, one should know that Obamacare isn’t offering insurance, but unsurance. The Tennessee insurance commissioner is saying that the the Obamacare exchange is nearing collapse.

In District 48, voters should know that one candidate (Rep. Bryan Terry, MD):

-Is a board certified physician licensed in two states
-Was President of the Tennessee Society of Anesthesiologists-resident component.
-Owns a small business and medical practice
-Serves as a HIPAA Compliance officer
-Serves as a Medicare Compliance officer
-Served on the Physician’s Excellence Committee at St. Thomas Rutherford Hospital
-Teaches UT Medical residents
-Teaches Nurse Anesthesia students
-Is being credentialed as an Associate Assistant Professor of UT Graduate Medical Education
-Was honored as Tennessee Legislator of the Year for passing legislation that increased access and decreased costs for patients while fighting the unsurance of Obamacare.

Meanwhile, here are the facts on the other candidate wanting to push the Obama-Clinton agenda:
-Is on record praising Obamacare
-Is on record saying he doesn’t know why Tennessee didn’t expand Obamacare with the key phrase being “I don’t know”
-Is on record proudly proclaiming that he has watched enough House reruns to be a real pain to the next doctor he sees
-Jokes about serious, life-threatening medical conditions

-Like Hillary Clinton, deletes data and information that could be detrimental to his campaign and tries to hide it from voters (Good thing we caught them before they were deleted – See tweet below).

Last legislative session, Rep. Terry spoke in two different committees on bi-partisan legislation to bring awareness to the disease Lupus. With close to 300 health care related bills and resolutions coming through the General Assembly, the choice is clear. Re-elect Rep. Bryan Terry, MD, a candidate that takes patient care seriously, and not the unqualified Democrat opponent that jokes about conditions like lupus.

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Rep. Bryan Terry Proves His Process Works For Rutherford County

August 11, 2016 By Admin

MURFREESBORO, August 11, 2016– As we look towards the general election in November, we will be faced with a myriad of choices from the state to the federal level. Rep. Bryan Terry has previously presented his process for finding solutions to problems. He describes it as a businesslike approach that works for business, medicine, government, and even family decisions. It involves four steps: premise, goals, options, and feasibility of the options to meet the goals.

The premise is the underlying assumption that must be true in order for the goals, options, and ultimately solutions to be valid. For a state representative race like District 48, the premise is that your vote matters and that it matters who represents the district. In 2014, a state representative race in Knoxville was decided by around 40 votes. The Fourth District congressional race in 2014 was decided by a similar amount. Every vote does matter, and can shape the direction of a community, the state, or the nation if the elected official works for you and the district.

Self governance is exercising your individual liberty, personal responsibility, and civic authority to control instituted government. As one of but a handful of self governance trained elected officials nationwide, Rep. Bryan Terry not only has to tools to help citizens make an impact on government, he has the track record of doing so. From working on issues with individuals, to high school and college students, to community groups, he has helped everyday citizens craft laws, change governmental rules, and raise awareness in areas such as education, health care, the judicial system, and our landfill.

Mishelle Perkins, a co-founder of the Center for Self Governance, which is a nationwide educational organization to instruct citizens on how to impact government, stated, “It’s remarkable to see what an engaged, active, and informed legislator like Dr. Bryan Terry can do in a short period of time. He’s earned the reputation as a thinker and a doer, and quickly earned the trust of the community, other legislators, and statewide groups, as well.”

While most freshmen lawmakers lay back and follow the pack, Rep. Terry took the lead on several issues that earned him not only praise, but a line of citizens, community leaders, and groups looking to him to carry legislation in 2017. In just his first year, Rep. Terry earned the title of Legislator of the Year from the Tennessee Academy of Pediatrics for passing a provider credentialing bill that increased patient access and decreased costs for patients statewide. The bill had failed for the previous ten years; yet, Dr. Terry was able to obtain unanimous support. Additionally, for his work in helping new legislators, Dr. Terry was elected as the Republican Chairman of the Bipartisan Freshman Caucus. As such, he spearheaded an effort to increase bipartisan support of positive legislation for Tennessee.

“What is frustrating for constituents and voters is that many candidates, like my opponent, run on partisanship, divisive and false rhetoric, and the tired playbook of empty political promises without an actual plan. I’ve put my background and training into action and results for the district,” stated Rep. Terry. “Prior to my election, I described to the district my principles, the process, and the plan of action to work with citizens. Together, we’ve made a difference for our district and the state,” explained Rep. Terry

During his first term, Rep. Terry worked with Central Magnet students and co-sponsored legislation on their behalf. They were the only high school students to have a legislator work with them in this manner. Additionally, he co-sponsored the Racial Profiling Prevention Act by advocating for MTSU students. He worked with individual citizens on issues like textbook adoption, validity of teacher evaluations, child custody proceedings, and bringing awareness of achievement of women in business to name a few.

On behalf of the county with unanimous support of the county commission, Dr. Terry sponsored legislation to allow Rutherford County to try a pilot program for convenient voting centers. The program will save the county over $25,000 each election. But perhaps the most significant achievement for the county was when Rep. Terry worked with both Middlepoint Landfill and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation to allow him to attend random landfill inspections. He is the only legislator in the state to ever do this for his district.

“Either you control government or government controls you. You can take part in the process or let the process take you apart. When we vote and become involved, together, we can make a difference,” proclaimed Rep. Bryan Terry. “I’m looking forward to working with more citizens next session to help make our lives, our district, and our state even better.”

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Rep. Bryan Terry: Transportation Update On Gas Tax And More

June 7, 2016 By Admin

June 6, 2016– As the 109th General Assembly has concluded our 2016 session, transportation was a frequent topic around the district and at the Capitol. Here is a wrap up of many of the issues surrounding transportation. One should take particular note not just in what bills passed, but in the actions and inactions surrounding transportation and funding.

Transportation Funding and Alternatives

Several years ago, roughly 260 million dollars was taken from the Highway fund. This year, 100 million was allocated from the budget to repay a portion of those monies. An additional 42 million was designated to counties for local road and bridge projects. The significance of the 42 million is that counties often have to let the allotted road monies build up approximately three years before they can work on a project. This amount will allow counties to jumpstart many needed projects in their communities.

Tennessee had nearly a billion dollars in non-recurring funds, and around 750 million in recurring funds. Despite having that much revenue, one should take notice in that not all of the 260 million was paid back to the Highway Fund. If transportation funding were truly in a crisis situation, one would have expected all the amount to have been repaid in order to jumpstart projects for the state, as well.

HB 2407 provides a framework to allow Private Public Partnership (P3) agreements for certain transportation projects. The bill authorizes partnerships between private entities and state and local governments for the private development, redevelopment and operation of transportation facilities. There has been much debate over these P3 agreements with the benefits being access to new sources of capital for projects, and shifting of initial risk to private investors. Risks include things like loss of control, failure of the private sector to deliver, and continued governmental responsibility. With growth and transportation needs for our future, innovation and options ultimately persuaded the General Assembly and the Governor to adopt this bill.

Last year, and prior to session starting, I had several meetings with TDOT about funding including asking for a 10 year future projection of needs and funding levels. While I never was able to receive any future projections, I did receive a 10 year retrospective look at their budget. The bottom line was that there has not been a shortfall in funding, but over the last 10 years there has been a shift in how funds have been allocated. Without going into details, there has been about a 150 million dollar shift from money allocated to “future projects and planning” to go towards actual construction.

Understanding that Tennessee had a recurring 750 million dollar surplus, as well as discovering the budgetary shift, one needs to ask several questions. Is the shift truly a problem? If so, is there other revenue in the TDOT budget to compensate? If not, why wasn’t any of the 750 million recurring funds allocated towards TDOT instead of being spent on expanding programs or new programs?

In my opinion with the information I have been given, the shift presents a looming problem. If the TDOT budget remains static, and the shift exceeds 200 million, then the first phases of construction will cease until either current projects are completed or new funding is provided. Although I had been told that there were possible areas for cuts to be made in TDOT’s budget to account for part of the shift, I was not shown any specifics.

I did some digging on my own, and I would, however, like you to take a look at the pie chart on page 38 of our current budget here. You should note that 6% of our revenue comes from gas taxes. Yet, only 5% is going towards transportation. The 1% amounts to around 349 million. As it has been explained to me, this amount is going directly to the counties. If that is the case, please, take a look at transportation in the county budgets here. http://www.capitol.tn.gov/joint/staff/budget-analysis/county-reports/index.html

If you look at several counties, including Bedford, Davidson, Knox, Rutherford, Robertson, and Shelby, one will notice that upwards of two thirds or more of the funds aren’t going towards roads, but towards airports. Now, one can argue that airports are transportation, but the point is that of the possible 349 million going to the counties, millions are being spent on items other than roads. I point this out not to say that we shouldn’t be funding airports, but to point out that money that could offset the shift for road projects is there, but currently being spent on non-road projects. Secondly, if we as a state are OK with gas tax money being spent on non-road projects, then shouldn’t we be OK with non-gas tax revenue from the general fund being spent on roads?

One should note that I offered a budget amendment that would set aside 150 million of the new 750 million recurring funds to be applied towards the shift in TDOT funding, and compel the 110th General Assembly to develop a long term plan. I presented my findings in front of the budget committee, but my amendment never got out of committee. Secondly, I co-sponsored HB 1464 from Rep. Zachary which would have directed that 25% of excess monthly revenue go towards the top 100 projects in the state as determined by TDOT. Last month alone would have been 46 million.

The bottom line is that options were turned down this year for TDOT funding, and the new recurring funds were prioritized towards new or expanding programs. As actions speak louder than words, one should conclude that either 1) TDOT funding is not a crisis, 2) we are governed by spend then tax politicians, or 3) new recurring funds are expected to be available next year to address the issue. Assuming funds are available, I’ll release my plan soon in another update, as there are options other than a gas tax increase.

Knowledge is power, and power is with the people. I hope you find these updates useful and informative.

With Liberty,

Rep. Bryan Terry

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Rep. Bryan Terry: Review Of 3rd Annual 2016 Empower Women Event

May 3, 2016 By Admin

Rep. Sheila Butt Honored At 3rd Annual Empowering Women Event

MURFREESBORO, May 3, 2016– The 3rd Annual Empowering Women Event, hosted by Rep. Bryan Terry and Rep. Dawn White, was held Saturday, April 30 at Sportscom in Murfreesboro. A multitude of women attended to learn about how they can get involved at the local and state levels, as well as how they can make a positive impact on policy and procedures. The event featured keynote speaker Republican Majority Floor Leader Sheila Butt. Other speakers included Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce Vice President of Operations Stephanie Brackman, and MTSU College Republican President Jami Averwater.

“By all accounts, the event was a success. Our speakers did a fantastic job inspiring our attendees, and showing them where and how to get involved. It’s my hope to continue to grow the event to help women of all ages in our community know the impact that they can make,” stated Rep. Bryan Terry

Rep. Butt gave a moving speech that drew praise from the hosts and attendees. From job creation to pro-life issues to Constitutional rights, she covered a wide array of issues with a message on how one can and should be bold and unafraid to take a stand. With several Rutherford County General Sessions judicial candidates in the audience, she spoke of the negative effects of judicial activism and the need to elect judges that are Constitutionally sound.

“I was honored to take part in such a great event. It is very encouraging to see leaders like Representatives Terry and White host this kind of community outreach, and it was even more encouraging to receive such positive feedback from women after the event,” commented Rep. Butt.

The event attracted women of all ages including college students and retirees. Jami Averwater, a MTSU senior, spoke to the crowd about various avenues to get involved. She spoke of our current situations in society and how women of all ages can make a difference for the future of Tennessee. Rep. White, in her comments, reiterated and expanded on the speech of Averwater explaining the various opportunities for women in the community for women.

Stephanie Brackman, in an engaging speech which included some of her struggles during her youth, spoke of building relationships in the community and how these relationships can impact everything from one’s business to public policy. With her diverse background and road to becoming Vice President of Operations of the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce, she provided attendees with an example of how one can use their skills to lead and get involved.

With his training in Self Governance, Rep. Terry echoed the importance of relationship building as one looks to impact policy or influence one’s elected officials. Terry encouraged all those in attendance to reach out to their elected officials and build a relationship with them. “As citizens, we have the Constitutional authority to have our voices heard, but having a positive relationship with our elected officials improves the chances that the elected official will take action. I, always, enjoy having the opportunity to teach others how to exert control over government,” commented Rep. Terry.

With Tennessee having many Republican women leaders, from Speaker Beth Harwell to Rutherford County GOP Chairman Donna Barrett, the event highlights the continued commitment from GOP leaders to encourage and recruit women at the grassroots level.

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Rep. Terry: End Of 2016 Session Review: Common Core, Landfills, Planned Parenthood & More

April 29, 2016 By Admin

April 29, 2016– The 109th Tennessee General Assembly has adjourned “Sine Die” which means that the TGA does not have any specific day for future meetings. It has been an honor and a humbling experience to represent District 48. As I have not been able to record a video summary these past two weeks, I wanted to summarize some of the events. I look to have a complete session summary out soon, as well.

First and foremost, I have been working for the District. This session, I worked on a bill to improve community access to the inspections of the Middlepoint Landfill. I worked with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, as well as with representatives from Republic on this matter. In the end, TDEC will notify me of impending inspections of the landfill. I will be able to attend inspections randomly. TDEC will provide me with the results of the inspections, and I will be able to get the information out to the community probably via a new Facebook page designed for our district. This should begin in May. It should be noted that Republic and TDEC worked to improve the situation surrounding the landfill and I appreciate them listening to our concerns. And I appreciate those in the community for stepping up!

Secondly, on behalf of the Rutherford County Commission and the Rutherford County Election Commission, I was honored to be able to carry HB 2125. This bill has now been signed into law by Governor Haslam and will allow Rutherford County to participate in the state’s first ever Voter Convenience Center Pilot Program. Many in Rutherford County know that we have 7 convenience centers during early voting. Rutherford County will have 30 convenience centers on Election Day. This program will save Rutherford County over $25,000 per election and hopefully increase voter turnout. This bill earned praise by many members of the General Assembly, and I would like to thank Alan Farley for his help on the bill.

Over the passed two weeks, I passed four other pieces of legislation, HB 2126, HB 1909, HB 1856, and HB 1654. HB 2126 dealt with medical office dispensaries. Many patients enjoy the convenience of a one stop shop when it comes to their medical care. This bill cleaned up language in our code to improve the regulatory system surrounding these dispensaries. It received widespread bipartisan support.

HB 1909 was a clean up bill for a law we passed last year. Unintended consequences from last year’s law were discovered as it relates to Tennessee’s medical spa registry. The registry is designed to track owners of medical spas to protect patients in the event of harm or malpractice. Unfortunately, as it had been designed, some physicians and their groups were inadvertently being required to register. The bill corrected the unintended consequences, and created a level playing field in the industry.

Hb 1856 will help patients with Binge Eating Disorder. Last year, the FDA approved Lisdexamphetamine to be used in the treatment of BED. Unfortunately, our code and the current regulations did not recognize the use of this medication for that medical condition. Physicians who were seeing these patients were unsure of their prescriptive authority. The bill gave physicians the authority to prescribe this medication for its FDA approved use and overwhelmingly passed.

Lastly, I passed HB 1654 which dealt with abortion clinics and fetal tissue as it relates to research, experiments, and photography. Last year, following the national uproar surrounding Planned Parenthood and other abortion clinics concerning the selling of fetal tissue, I began to look into the issue, especially Tennessee law. I found that our code required prior knowledge and consent of the mother if research, experiments, or photography occurred. Anyone in the medical profession understands that a consent can include implied consent, general consent, or even a phone consent. The law did not specify that the consent be written. Additionally, in the event that an employee or other person took photographs with the belief that an abortion clinic was violating state or federal laws with respect to fetal tissue, the law potentially would have required the woman’s consent.

I worked with TN Right to Life, the Administration, and even Planned Parenthood on this bill and issue. In the end, the bill would require a paper trail in the event that any research or experiments occurred, as well as clarify immunity for any person taking photographs with the belief that a state or federal law was being violated with respect to fetal tissue. It is my understanding that HB 1654 may be unprecedented in that it is the only bill surrounding abortion laws in Tennessee that passed not only unanimously, but never even received a “no” vote even in the committee process. This is proof that one can take a controversial topic, open dialogue with all sides of an issue, and pass bipartisan legislation.

I am, also, told that I did something else unprecedented in the Tennessee General Assembly. Last year when we passed HB 1035 to set up new education Standards Recommendation Committees, I brought forth an amendment that required legislative confirmation of the committee appointments. In the off season, I had some people look into the appointments, some of which we found were previously Common Core coaches. The confirmation process did not occur as I had been told, and as I looked into it further, I determined that the process was completely inadequate. As such, I spearheaded an external confirmation process that resulted in the delaying of all the confirmations until certain questions could be answered.

I was informed that something like this had never occurred before, and truth be told, I was a bit taken aback when I heard this. I was sent to the Capitol to represent District 48, ask questions, and take action which I did. I work with, but do not represent the Governor, the Speaker, the Lt. Governor, the TNGOP, nor others. However, I did receive support for my actions and it set forth discussions about improving our confirmation processes in the future.

Ultimately, the confirmation process proceeded, but I did not confirm all the appointments. In the end, I am not sure what the education standards will look like, but time and time again, the committee members told me that the standards would be unique to Tennessee. One member told me that they looked at the standards as an evolving process that we in the General Assembly will need to review on an ongoing basis. I expressed this on the House floor and I am looking forward to bringing forth legislation that will set up a long term review and evaluation process of these new standards.

As always, I am honored and humbled to represent District 48. It is my hope that you find these write ups informative and useful. Knowledge is power, and power is with the people.

With Liberty,

Rep. Bryan Terry

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TN General Assembly Named Most Conservative Legislature In The Country

March 28, 2016 By Admin

Rep. Bryan Terry receives certificate from ACU for most Conservative State in America…

NASHVILLE, March 28, 2016– This past week, the Tennessee General Assembly was officially named the most conservative legislature in the entire country during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. The premier national conservative conference was attended by over 5,000 grassroots activists and elected officials from across the United States.

Cited in the award presentation was the General Assembly’s commitment to fiscal conservatism, cutting taxes, and efforts made to increase competition and attract new businesses to the state. In addition, earlier this year, the American Conservative Union — the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots conservative organization in the nation — presented awards to the majority of House Republicans as tribute to the positive conservative direction they have guided the state over the last several years.

“It is truly an honor for our Tennessee General Assembly to receive such prestigious recognition for our work,” stated State Representative Bryan Terry, (R-Murfreesboro). “To receive such national recognition requires a collective effort of our elected officials, as well as the faith and confidence from Tennesseans who have voted for conservative ideals.”

Rep. Terry, just a few months ago, was recognized by the ACU for conservative excellence and given an ACU conservative rating of 100%. Said Rep. Terry, “While many of us are guided with Constitutional and conservative principles, we still have much work to do as we move Tennessee forward. I’m excited for the opportunity to help lead our great state.”

This year’s CPAC event included panels and discussions with dozens of well-known conservatives from around the country, along with speeches from the major candidates running for the Republican nomination for President of the United States.

Rep. Bryan Terry, MD serves as the Republican Chairman of the Bi-partisan freshman caucus and serves on the Health full and sub committees, as well as on the Consumer and Human Resource committee. He lives in Murfreesboro and represents District 48 which is the eastern half of Rutherford County.

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Rep. Bryan Terry Capitol Hill Updates March 21-25, 2016

March 28, 2016 By Admin

NASHVILLE — Rep. Bryan Terry (R-Murfreesboro) provides a quick updated from Capitol Hill in Nashville.

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Check out my latest updates from Capitol Hill! Hope you all had a wonderful Easter!

Posted by Dr. Bryan Terry on Monday, March 28, 2016

Rep. Bryan Terry Named Legislator of the Year

September 28, 2015 By Admin

NASHVILLE, September 28, 2015– For his work with health care legislation, as well as his dedication to children’s issues, Representative Bryan Terry, MD (R-Murfreesboro) was awarded Legislator of the Year by the Tennessee chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics at the annual TNAAP meeting on September 25 in Nashville. During the ceremony, the TNAAP President Michelle Fiscus, MD and emcee Allen Coffman, MD recognized Dr. Terry and praised him in particular for his work with Senator Richard Briggs, MD for their joint effort to pass HB440.

HB440 became law in May. The law, which had failed to pass for ten years, provides for an expedited process for physician credentialing with insurance companies during which time patients will be able to see physicians and pay only in-network costs.

“This law helps improve access and decrease costs for patients. With the growth of Tennessee and Rutherford County, this law will help us provide quicker and cheaper care to our community,” said Terry. “I was proud to be able to carry the bill and obtain unanimous support in the House when the legislation had previously failed.”

Terry also received unanimous support and praise for his Mission Tennessee for Veterans law. The program allows for health care providers in the Tennessee National Guard to provide health care services in Tennessee armories much like one would during mission work.

“Health care providers go on medical missions around the world. Our military goes on missions around the world. Why not allow for these kind of mission services in Tennessee? We have veterans and others in need and this is a positive step forward for health care for Tennesseans,” stated Terry.

Terry was a leading voice for childhood causes including passing a resolution to bring awareness to childhood apraxia of speech which is a neurological speech disorder.

“Early recognition and intervention with speech therapy can have a dramatic impact on the lives of affected children. Without treatment, these children can face long term issues with communication, self esteem, and even bullying,” said Terry.

Another issue Terry highlighted was the Fetal Center at Vanderbilt. Terry recognized the health care professionals at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt with a resolution honoring their work with intrauterine surgery for spina bifida.

“We have providers in our state performing surgery in the womb on babies as young as five months gestational age. It is truly remarkable with what they are doing. There are politicians out there advocating for the killing of babies in the womb, and here we have a program in Tennessee where we are operating on them to improve their lives before they are born,” remarked Terry.

In the county, Terry worked with high school students during their school year. He provided students in the Central Magnet School Contemporary Issues class the opportunity to debate some legislation and follow the legislation as it progressed through the General Assembly. Terry co-sponsored the Right to Try Act on their behalf. “Right to Try” is nowTennessee law.

“Ultimately, it’s about making a difference for our children and the next generation,” said Terry. “It’s been my goal to help with outreach and one of the best ways to do that is to get our youth involved.”

Representative Bryan Terry, MD serves District 48 which is the Eastern half of Rutherford County. He serves on the Full and Sub Health Committees, as well as the Consumer and Human Resource Committee. He was elected by his colleagues to serve as the Republican chairman of the Bipartisan Freshman Caucus. He has been selected to represent Congressional District 4 on the Bilateral Session Steering Committee as the Tennessee General Assembly looks to host the first Bilateral Session in the nation in which state and federal officials meet in public to discuss issues for Tennessee.

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