Tennessee Stands

HB 1201 is a constitutional travesty. We are asking Tennessee to show up at the Capitol (Cordell Hull Bldg) tomorrow (Tues) April 12th at 10am for the House Local Government Committee and put an end to this bill. Republican leadership is running a bill that would in effect censor small conservative groups across the state 60 days prior to every election. Are we living in China? Speaker Sexton has now publicly accused Tennessee Stands of being a dark money influence in our state. And has also made some incredulous accusations against our Executive Director, Gary Humble. But as you'll see in this FOLLOW THE MONEY video, it is Sexton himself and Republican leadership in this state whose campaigns and PAC slush fund accounts that are funded by left-wing groups whose primary stated goals are to defund the police, remove our 2A rights, and promote abortion. Can't make this stuff up.

Another caption bill with a surprise amendment added at the last moment (not available online to the public) that would limit the free speech of organizations like Tennessee Stands. Speaker Cameron Sexton is targeting nonprofit organizations and working to penalize a 501(c)(4) if it speaks the name or uses the likeness of any political candidate for office 60 days prior to an election. Download the proposed amendment here: https://tennesseestands.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/HB1201-Caption-Bill-Amendment.pdf Check out SECTION 13 on page 9. They don't want you to know what is going on in the General Assembly. They don't want accountability to the voters. They want secrecy. Call members of the House Local Government Committee https://www.capitol.tn.gov/house/committees/local-gov.aspx and tell them to vote NO on HB 1201. This is an abuse of power and an effort to control the narrative and limit free speech in the state of Tennessee. That cannot happen.

SJR 0993 sponsored by Senator Janice Bowling would have proposed an amendment to our constitution in Article I (our Bill of Rights) to secure the right of every individual to make their own medical decisions without fear of reprisal. As usual, this General Assembly here in Tennessee does not see it as a necessity to secure these rights, but instead believes that to some degree, governments have powers over your body and your medical decisions and that others have a right to force you into making medical decisions even to your own detriment. It is worth noting that this committee was not even interested in having a discussion on the resolution. They just voted it down. Senators voting NO in committee to your medical freedom. Mike Bell (R) Todd Gardenhire (R) Sara Kyle (D) London Lamar (D) John Lundberg (R) Paul Rose (R) John Stevens (R) Ferrel Haile (R) Ed Jackson (R) Becky Massey (R) Shane Reeves (R) Bo Watson (R) Jeff Yarbro (D)

The saga on HB 1944 / SB 1944 continues - the bill that pretends to remove harmful materials from our schools. The truth? It puts a burden on parents to take action to remove books, removes the burden on the school to remove the books themselves, and protects school administrators from criminal penalties if a school board decides that the books are "not" obscene. Do you really want school boards in control of defining what is obscene and what is not? I don't. Currently, the bill is headed to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Call them and ask them to vote NO on SB 1944. Sen Bell (615) 741-1946 Sen White (615) 741-6853 Sen Rose (615) 741-1967 Sen Gardenhire (615) 741-6682 Sen Kyle (615) 741-4167 Sen Lamar (615) 741-2509 Sen Lundberg (615) 741-5761 Sen Roberts (615) 741-4499 Sen Stevens (615) 741-4576

Many of you know about HB 1944, the bill that was to remove pornography and obscene materials from our public schools. We supported the bill. You supported the bill. John Rich and others testified on the necessity of the bill before committee. But what we are left with today is an amended version of the bill now heading to the House Education Administration Committee that in no way functions as the original bill, thanks to one, Rep. Michael Curcio. Call members of the House committee (https://www.capitol.tn.gov/house/committees/educationadmin.aspx) and members of the Senate Education Committee (https://www.capitol.tn.gov/house/committees/educationadmin.aspx) and let them know that you want the original version of HB1944 (Cepicky) / SB1944 (Hensley). We want the burden on schools and officials to keep obscene materials out of our schools and we want criminal penalties for those who continue to make these materials available to students.

HB 2388, a bill that would have secured the ability for voters and parents in all 95 counties to petition to recall school board members, failed in the House Education Administration Committee. Honestly, this one is a bit of a shocker. We had broad support for this bill and really saw it passing. There is a history going back to 2019 on this bill where it passed, but only applicable to Madison County. In 2020, this was ruled unconstitutional by a Madison County judge. And frankly, the judge is right. But amending the law to make it applicable to all counties is indeed what would have made the law constitutional, which is one of the reasons we sought the amendment. Now, this committee not only denied voters the right to recall school board officials but also opted to leave an unconstitutional law on the books. Keep in mind that the metro charters of Davidson, Knox, and Shelby counties do allow their voters to recall locally elected officials, like school board members. So, this is not a novel concept in Tennessee. It just happens that state law does not allow this to happen statewide. This issue is not going away. We promise.

The House Health Subcommittee here in Tennessee never fails to disappoint. This is the same committee that killed HB 10 last year that would have secured religious exemptions to vaccine requirements in our state. Promises were made that testimony would be heard on the bill. And those promises were broken. Citizens came from all over the state and packed the room and the hallways. Doctors came to testify. And a widow showed up to share her story of how she lost her husband in the hospital and was denied the opportunity to see him and advocate for his care. None of them got an opportunity to speak. Want to understand how rights get trampled in Nashville? Look no further. We've got it on full display.

Last week we released a commentary on HB 1867 clearly pointing out that while the statement from the General Assembly is that it will secure religious exemptions for healthcare workers, reading the bill will show you that it will do no such thing. Now the companion bill, SB 1823, is making its way through the Senate and despite an acknowledgment by Sen. Jack Johnson that he has received this information from his constituents and "some group," he continues to make the case that this bill will indeed secure religious exemptions. Well, he is wrong. Passing this bill will indeed codify into state law that an employer has a right to deny a medical and religious exemption with a "written statement" and may discharge or threaten to discharge an employee on that basis.

It is time to begin taking action with us on key pieces of legislation moving through our General Assembly here in Tennessee. Please make sure to visit https://tennesseestands.org/takeaction to email our legislators and voice your support for liberty!

The 2022 Election Integrity Symposium was held on January 27, 2022, in Franklin, TN as an effort to disseminate information to fellow Tennesseans and our General Assembly on the importance of passing legislation to secure our elections in Tennessee, now. We must enforce the use of hand-marked paper ballots, utilize more secure methods to authenticate the ballot, create a firewall between the processes of casting and counting of ballots, better maintenance of our voter rolls amongst other improvements we can make right here in Tennessee. This panel discussion includes comments from Garland Favorito, Mark Finchem, Bennie Smith, Kathy Harms, TN Rep. Bruce Griffey, and TN Rep. Todd Warner. Questions were sent in from the live viewing audience. The panel was moderated by Maury County Mayor, Andy Ogles. This video is 1 of a 4-part series including presentations from Garland Favorito, Bennie Smith, Mark Finchem, and a Q&A panel discussion. Podcast: Please subscribe to The Freedom Matters Podcast as we continue this discussion on election integrity. www.tennesseestands.org/podcast

The 2022 Election Integrity Symposium was held on January 27, 2022, in Franklin, TN as an effort to disseminate information to fellow Tennesseans and our General Assembly on the importance of passing legislation to secure our elections in Tennessee, now. We must enforce the use of hand-marked paper ballots, utilize more secure methods to authenticate the ballot, create a firewall between the processes of casting and counting of ballots, better maintenance of our voter rolls amongst other improvements we can make right here in Tennessee. Originally elected to serve in the 2015 Legislature, Mark Finchem is now in his 4th and final term as an Arizona state representative and now running for the office of AZ Secretary of State. Mark has been a national leader on election integrity including spearheading efforts to audit and authenticate the 2020 vote in Arizona. This video is 1 of a 4-part series including presentations from Garland Favorito, Bennie Smith, Mark Finchem, and a Q&A panel discussion. Podcast: Please subscribe to The Freedom Matters Podcast as we continue this discussion on election integrity. www.tennesseestands.org/podcast

The 2022 Election Integrity Symposium was held on January 27, 2022, in Franklin, TN as an effort to disseminate information to fellow Tennesseans and our General Assembly on the importance of passing legislation to secure our elections in Tennessee, now. We must enforce the use of hand-marked paper ballots, utilize more secure methods to authenticate the ballot, create a firewall between the processes of casting and counting of ballots, better maintenance of our voter rolls amongst other improvements we can make right here in Tennessee. Bennie Smith has developed expansive business and technical skills throughout his career. In government, as a liaison between elected officials and IT, Smith was a software developer maintaining City of Memphis applications for divisions including the Traffic Violations Bureau, Memphis Police, and Internal Affairs. Smith operates Smartsoft, providing analytics, training, process automation, personal and corporate finance consulting, campaign strategy and demographic analysis for individuals, small and large businesses, and political campaigns. He is known locally for predicting voter turnout with his proprietary forecasting application. He has advised candidates for nearly every elected office in Shelby County. Smith is an advocate for election transparency and serves on the Technical Advisory Team for SMART Elections. This video is 1 of a 4-part series including presentations from Garland Favorito, Bennie Smith, Mark Finchem, and a Q&A panel discussion. Podcast: Please subscribe to The Freedom Matters Podcast as we continue this discussion on election integrity. www.tennesseestands.org/podcast

The 2022 Election Integrity Symposium was held on January 27, 2022, in Franklin, TN as an effort to disseminate information to fellow Tennesseans and our General Assembly on the importance of passing legislation to secure our elections in Tennessee, now. We must enforce the use of hand-marked paper ballots, utilize more secure methods to authenticate the ballot, create a firewall between the processes of casting and counting of ballots, better maintenance of our voter rolls amongst other improvements we can make right here in Tennessee. Garland Favorito co-founded Voters Organized for Trusted Election Results in Georgia (VoterGA). Garland is a career Information Technology (IT) professional with over 40 years of in-depth experience and over 17 years of volunteer research into electronic voting systems. He also serves as a volunteer Elections Director for the Constitution Party of Georgia. This video is 1 of a 4-part series including presentations from Garland Favorito, Bennie Smith, Mark Finchem, and a Q&A panel discussion. Technical Note: Due to audio issues we encountered during the recording of this event, we are unable to provide you with a portion of Mr. Favorito's presentation. Podcast: Please subscribe to The Freedom Matters Podcast as we continue this discussion on election integrity. www.tennesseestands.org/podcast

On one hand, you want to just celebrate the fact that the OSHA mandate was stayed by the court, but then you scratch your head and wonder why healthcare workers are still in the position of not being able to make their own healthcare decisions. How does that work? These two Supreme Court rulings are fraught with caution and if we are not paying attention, our liberties will continue to disappear right before our eyes. Please watch this video and share with those who are paying attention. States must stand up against this federal overreach and they must stand strong because this is only the beginning. If we lay down and become complacent, it will get much worse from here.

The good, the bad, and the ugly on Supreme Court arguments concerning the federal government's ability to determine your personal healthcare decisions via OSHA regulation. Our stab in the dark guess is that SCOTUS will not grant a stay on the mandate. Just a guess. But, how does that impact Tennesseans according to state law? Tune in to find out.

Update on OSHA compliance “jab for job” in the state of Tennessee.

None of what we do is possible without your generous financial support. Please consider giving your year-end tax-deductible donation to The Tennessee Stands Foundation by visiting the link below. Be a part of preserving liberty in our great state in 2022. https://www.tennesseestands.org/yearend

Never forget, that on December 1, 2021, the US Supreme Court acknowledged from the bench that its power to interpret the Constitution, is found nowhere in the Constitution. "There is not anything in the Constitution that says that the court, the Supreme Court, is the last word on what the Constitution means." - Justice Sonia Sotomayor Why do Americans continue to run to the federal courts to enforce rights that we already have? This needs to be fixed. Courts are corrupt. We have three co-equal branches of government. Power must be returned to the states, and to the people. Listen to the oral arguments from the Dobbs v Jackson case here https://youtu.be/MRe4mYcEqBM

The Tennessee legislature gave itself a big pat on the back for protecting the rights of Tennesseans from being coerced into taking the shot as a condition of employment. However, healthcare workers and employees working for federal contractors were left hanging in the balance, apparently undeserving of protection from federal overreach. Listen to the story of 3 employees of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, TN as they are now on forced unpaid leave and defending themselves in federal court. The sad thing is that this could have been avoided. Tennessee could have stood up against the federal government. But we did not. And now these Tennesseans are left to defend themselves. Want to help them fight? Visit https://givesendgo.com/utbdiscriminates to support their lawsuit financially. And most of all, pray for success.

BREAKING: We are pleased (but honestly a bit shocked to report) that Williamson County Schools tonight has voted to discontinue the district’s mask requirements despite recommendations from Superintendent Jason Golden and litigation council to defer the vote pending a court hearing on Friday. That is to say, Williamson County, breathe the fresh air!

Some would argue that these orders from these federal judges concerning masks are VOID. And here is why.

The bill from the special session (HB 9077) has not been signed into law by the Governor, and already, the exemptions handed out are in play. The federal government has called our bluff and mandated through CMS (Medicare) that all healthcare workers be vaccinated. Since our law provides an exemption for federal compliance, our Tennessee healthcare workers have no protection from the state against these mandates. Our AG has joined in on a Kentucky lawsuit against the pending mandates for federal contractors. However, the basis of the argument is that a federal mandate would preempt compliance with state law. We find that to be an interesting argument since state law provides no conflict for federal contracts and creates an exemption for compliance. Stay tuned. It will be interesting to see if the court grants standing to the state of Tennessee on that basis.

The omnibus bill passed in Special Session. Stay tuned until the end. You won't believe what happened in the wee hours of the morning. We gained some. And then we lost it all.