Planned Parenthood

MURFREESBORO, Tenn., Dec. 8, 2015– This fall has been packed with many interesting issues and news for District 48. From Governor Haslam’s Transportation Listening Tour to the District 48 art contest, there has been a voluminous amount of information that our district should know. While this update is by no means a complete narrative of all the issues and events, I hope that it provides some insight into what has transpired over the past few months.

ISSUES

Transportation: Nothing insofar as a gas tax increase has been proposed. TDOT has not yet supplied me with a long term projection of their budget. Been working with others to restore funding to TDOT from the general fund, as well as require TDOT to prioritize their projects before any vote on any funding changes takes place. I stand by my previous statement in that I don’t see a simple gas tax increase being successful in 2016.
Education: There have been a lot of concerns about 7th grade standards involving Islamo-centric materials. A bill has been proposed by Rep. Butt that may address part of the issue. I’ve been working with Rep. Butt and other Reps on a solution to this issue and it may require amending Rep. Butt’s bill or filing another bill. Education standards review is underway. Please, participate. My team and others have reviewed the standards committee members set forth from HB1035 and are still gathering information for confirmation in 2016. Testing has been a big issue with teachers and students. I have spoken with teachers, parents, students, and other representatives and am looking for answers and solutions. Transparency is a huge issue.
Planned Parenthood: Worked with Chairman Sexton and sent a formal letter of inquiry to Planned Parenthood. They confirmed receiving state money through TennCare, but not for abortions. They denied selling aborted parts for profit nor claimed to be violating any laws. I’m working with others and have been in frequent contact with the Governor’s office on this issue.
Refugee Resettlement: This is a big issue right now that will require state and federal input. The Attorney General, at the behest of three Democrat legislators, offered an opinion that Tennessee cannot halt the influx of refugees. Governor Haslam has asked for notification from the Federal program and more involvement from the state level. He has asked for a pause in the Federal program. The Feds should halt the influx of any potential risky refugees to our country and states should have control of who gets relocated within their borders. This is a 10th Amendment issue. However, as an open state border society, it is difficult to stop anyone from coming to Tennessee through another state. A process should be in place where Tennessee can keep track of refugees assigned to our state.
In-state tuition for children of illegal immigrants: This bill came up last session and I voted against it. I don’t see that bill passing especially with the Federal Courts essentially proclaiming DACA(Obama amnesty) unconstitutional.
Budget: We continue to see a surplus well above and beyond budget projections. We need to look at our underfunded Rainy Day fund, cutting taxes, or using the funds when looking at our Transportation funding mechanism. Know that Education and Health budgets(as well as others) must be reviewed. The prudent thing is to place the funds in our Rainy day fund while we continue to evaluate budgetary needs versus mandated growth.
Bilateral Session: We are putting in a session where federal and state level officials meet to discuss the needs of Tennesseans. This is BIG NEWS if we can accomplish this endeavor.
Insure Tennessee: Governor Haslam stated that he doesn’t see Insure Tennessee passing in 2016. Neither do I.
Bills: I have a slate of bills that I have been working on. I am meeting with other Reps and discussing the bills before I look to file them.

DISTRICT NEWS

District 48 High School Art Contest on January 9 will be held at Patterson Park. Guest jurors include local artist Norris Hall and reporter Scott Broden amongst others.
Governor Haslam was a guest at an event for Portico and their Mobile Ultrasound Unit.
Spoke with MTSU Republicans at a legislative forum on MTSU’s campus.
Spoke to Central Magnet School students and am partnering with them on an issue.
First ever Providers and Politics Event to bring awareness of legislation to health care providers in Rutherford County was held at Reeves-Sain Pharmacy.
Held the first ever Pigs and Politics at Slick Pig to help provide information to the community.
TEAM TERRY has been reassembled and added to for the upcoming campaign. If you would like to join, please, contact us at BryanTerry4TN@gmail.com

I believe in keeping constituents informed. This update is just a brief description of various issues or events that have occurred and not an in depth analysis of all the issues and my opinions. Please, contact me or my office for more information.

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MURFREESBORO, September 10, 2015– On September 17, the Republican Caucus will meet with several items on the agenda. One item of note is something called a Bilateral Session. The Bilateral Session is a joint session involving the meeting of both the Tennessee General Assembly and our federally elected congressman and senators. State Representative Judd Matheny (R-Tullahoma) has been spearheading this enterprise over the past few years without much success. I am told there has been some push-back from some of our federal officials. He is, once again, working towards organizing a Bilateral Session and I am in complete support.

As is evident by the recent presidential polling, there is an “Us versus Them” mentality with “Us” being “we the people” and them being Washington politicians, the elitists, and the media. A real and perceived disconnect between Washington and the people exists. As state representatives, we have the smallest districts, and have elections every two years. With that in mind, we should always have the pulse of the district on our minds, and as elected officials, we should be close and as accessible as possible to the public we represent.

Knowing this, it is with great enthusiasm that District 48 and Rutherford County should know that the Rutherford County State Representative delegation recently met with Congressman Scott DesJarlais and Rep. Judd Matheny. The meeting was organized by Tina Jones, the Rutherford County Field Rep. for Congressman DesJarlais with the purpose and intent of discussing issues in our districts and bridging the gap between Washington and Tennessee. One could consider it a mini Bilateral Session. While I cannot speak for the other representatives, the working relationship between the offices of Congressional District 4 and State House District 48 provides a positive environment for the betterment of our constituents.

At the meeting, various topics were discussed. Front and center of the discussion was States’ rights and the need for a Bilateral Session. Federal regulations and having strings tied to federal funds have hampered Tennessee’s ability to most effectively serve our citizens. An example is transportation funding with funds going towards items other than roads. Transportation funding and the problems posed by the federal government, as well as, the regional impact of any taxes were discussed. Dr. DesJarlais was supportive of the Bilateral Session and has been supportive of it in the past.

We discussed overreach of the EPA and how it impacts our rural districts. Supporting our farmers was a high priority of everyone at the table. From an education standpoint, we discussed the need for more state control. Although we passed HB1035 to review, replace, and rescind our previous Common Core standards, the bill had its limitations due to Federal funds tied to President Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act. Several presidential candidates are willing to repeal the NCLB Act while others are in full support. If one support States’ rights and more control of our education system, it would be in one’s best interest to research where presidential candidates stand on this issue.

Healthcare, including the Vereran’s Affair’s System, Obamacare, and rising insurance costs were also discussed. Of particular note is a provision in Obamacare called the Independent Payment Advisory Board. For those that may not remember, the IPAB has been referred to as the “Death Panel”. It is an appointed committee that will oversee how our health care dollars will be rationed toward patient care. Congressman Phil Roe, MD of Tennessee has unsuccessfully tried to repeal this portion of Obamacare for years. As Congressman Roe said, IPAB has “unprecedented, dangerous authority to cut Medicare pay rates and strangle access to care.” Dr. DesJarlais has been a co-sponsor of the bill, and I am in full support.

Planned Parenthood, Kim Davis, the University of Tennessee’s gender neutral pronoun issue, Hillary’s problems, and the overall negative impact of the liberal agenda were, also topics of discussion. Other topics came up, as well. In all, the meeting was a free flow of topics and ideas. It was a very positive meeting, and my constituents should know that their voices are being heard in Nashville and in Washington.

As always, I am honored and humbled to serve as the State Representative of District 48. My office can be reached at (615) 741-2180.

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DR. TERRY: Updates On Gas Tax, Education, Planned Parenthood, Refugees & More

Rep. Terry And Congressman Scott DesJarlais Discuss Obamacare, Planned Parenthood, Common Core and More