The WCDP Legislative Committee will post periodic updates about significant pieces of legislation and reporting on how the Williamson County delegation members vote. If you would like to learn more about how bills become laws in Tennessee, visit the General Assembly website.
If you have strong feelings about any of these bills, positive or negative, we encourage you to Contact your Legislator, or write a letter to the Editor of The Tennessean or The Williamson Herald. We can all take action to create change in Tennessee. Did you know you can watch House and Senate committee hearings? You can view the livestream on the TN General Assembly website.
Legislation to follow
The Good |
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| Bill No. | What it does | Filed by | Status |
| Allows use of medical marijuana if a patient carries a valid prescription from another state |
Hodges (D) Kyle (D) |
Action deferred in Senate and House Committees until 2022 | |
| Expands acceptable forms of Voter identification to include college IDS |
Hardaway (D) Kyle (D) |
FAILED in House Elections & Campaign Finance Subcommittee; Assigned to General Subcommittee of Senate State & Local Gov't | |
| Restoration of voting rights for convicted felons |
Dixie (D) Gilmore (D) |
Taken off Notice in House Elections & Campaign Finance Subcommittee; Assigned to General Subcommittee of Senate State & Local Gov't | |
| "Fair Maps Act," establishes non-partisan process of redistricting congressional & general assembly districts |
Dixie (D) Yarbro (D) |
Assigned to Public Service Subcommittee; On Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 4/20/21 | |
| Decriminalizes possession of less than one ounce of marijuana | Chism (D) Akbari (D) | Deferred to Summer Study in House Criminal Justice Subcommittee; Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee | |
| Establishes an ad hoc committee to to review the current laws, rules, and policies of cash bail in TN |
Harris (D) Akbari (D) |
FAILED for lack of second in House Criminal Justice Subcommittee; Deferred to Summer Study in Senate | |
| Enacts the "Medicaid Buy-In Act" creates a Medicaid buy in plan for eligible Tennesseans |
Hodges (D) Yarbro (D) |
Assigned to House Insurance Subcommittee; Referred to Senate Commerce & Labor Committee | |
| Authorizes DHS to partner with minority & community organizations to find ways to use surplus TANF funds to benefit minority & low-income families | Hakeem (D) Robinson (D) | Assigned to House Health Subcommittee; Referred to Senate Health & Welfare Committee | |
| Allows courts to issue Extreme Risk Protection Order to remove firearms from a person who is a threat to themselves or others | Gilmore (D) Camper (D) | Action deferred in House until 2022; Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee | |
| Enacts the "Tennessee Family Insurance Act", offering paid family leave for all Tennessee workers |
G. Johnson (D) Kyle (D) |
Action deferred in House until 2022; On Senate Commerce & Labor Committee calendar for 4/21/21 | |
| Raises minimum wage for essential workers at tiered rate starting at $15/hour rising to $20/hour by 2022 |
G. Johnson (D) Yarbro (D) |
Passed on 1st Consideration in House; Referred to Senate Commerce & Labor Committee | |
| Gives emergency first responders disability suffered in the line of duty if they contract virus identified as a pandemic by WHO, CDC, or declared as state of emergency by the Governor | Whitson (R) Gardenire (R) | Assigned to House Cities & Counties Subcommittee; Referred to Senate Commerce & Labor Committee | |
| Caps out of pocket cost for insulin at $100 for 30-day supply |
Hodges (D) Briggs (R) |
Assigned to House Insurance Subcommittee; Referred to Senate Commerce & Labor Committee | |
| Would eliminate the 3 week eligibility requirements to receive unemployment benefits. |
Dixie (D) Yarbro (D) |
Assigned to House Banking & Consumer Affairs Subcommittee; Assigned to Senate Commerce & Labor Committee | |
| Restores voting rights to people who enter into agreement to pay restitution to victim and payments are current. |
Shaw (D) Robinson (D) |
Action deferred in Senate until 3/30/21 | |
The Bad |
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| Enacts the "Teacher's Discipline Act", creating a process for teachers to have students removed from the classroom for disciplinary issues. Might have unintended consequences for students of color or students with disabilities. |
Cepicky (R) Hensley (R) |
Passed in Senate 25-8; Passed in House 81-15; All Williamson Co elected officials voted AYE |
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| "Good Samaritan Sentencing Enhancement Act", expands the use of the Death Penalty by making defendant convicted of first degree murder eligible for the death penalty if the victim was helping person in need at the time of their death | Ogles (R) Hensley (R) | Will be heard in House Criminal Justice Subcommittee on 3/3; Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee | |
| Requires members of Community Oversight Board to complete local police force Citizen's Academy & removes authority of the board until all members have complete the course |
Casada (R) Bell (R) |
Recommended for passage in the House, referred to Calendar & Rules Committee; Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee | |
| Prohibits governmental entities and officials from mandating or limiting the number of persons who may congregate in a residence, or in a church if the number of congregants complies with occupancy limits applicable to the church |
Ogles (R) Rose (R) |
Passed on 2nd Consideration in House; Referred to Senate State & Local Government Committee | |
| Prohibits a state or local governmental entity, the governor, or the executive head of a local government from classifying a category of workers as essential or nonessential | Ogles (R) Bailey (R) | Assigned to House Public Service subcommittee; Passed on 1st Consideration in Senate | |
| A healthcare caption bill that will be the GOP alternative to expanding Medicaid access outside of the ACA, no details available | Whitson (R) Briggs (R) | Passed on 2nd Consideration, held pending amendment; Referred to Senate Commerce & Labor Committee | |
| Allows state employees & teachers to opt out of trainings that conflict with their morals, ethics, values, or religious beliefs | Casada (R) Bowling (R) | Taken off notice for House Calendar; Referred to Senate State & Local Government Committee | |
| Authorizes up to 2 owners of an LLC that owns property in a city to vote in city elections |
Wright (R) Massey (R) |
FAILED in House Elections & Campaign Finance Committee; Assigned to Senate State & Local Government Committee | |
| Requires voters to request absentee ballots in writing. |
Faison (R) Nicely (R) |
Taken off notice for House Calendar; Referred to Senate State & Local Gov't Committee | |
The Ugly |
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| Enacts the "Rule of Life Law" bans abortions if a fetal heartbeat or serial human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) is detected | Howell (R) Pody (R) | Assigned to House Health Subcommittee; Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee | |
| Seeks to remove Nashville Judge Ellen Lyle for ruling in support of absentee voting during the COVID-19 pandemic. | Rudd (R) | FAILED in House Civil Justice Subcommittee | |
| Requires that a student's gender on their original birth certificate determines which sports team (boys or girls) they can play on | Cepicky (R) Hensley (R) | PASSED in Senate with votes 27-6; Up for House Floor vote on 3/18 | |
| Loosens gun carry permissions by allowing people who hold gun carry permits in other states to carry in TN without obtaining a TN Gun carry permit | Griffey (R) Hensley (R) | Passed House Criminal Justice Committee, Referred to House Finance, Ways, and Means Committee; Filed in Senate, Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee | |
| Allows people who can lawfully posses a firearm to carry firearms in public without requiring a handgun permit |
Lamberth (R) Johnson (R) |
Will be heard in House Finance, Ways, and Means Committee on 3/23; PASSED Senate on 3/18/21 23-9. Sen. Jack Johnson voted AYE | |
| HB0011 | Permits use of deadly force to protect property | Reedy (R) | Assigned to House Criminal Justice subcommittee; no Senate bill; will not advance |
| Requires TN to refuse to consent to receive any refugees for purposes of resettlement |
Griffey (R) Hensley (R) |
House bill Withdrawn; Referred to Senate State & Local Gov't Committee; will not advance | |
| Abolishes early voting; prohibits use of voting machines; requires use of watermarked paper ballots hand-marked by voter |
Bowling (R) |
Withdrawn, will not advance | |
| Requires the burial or cremation of aborted fetal remains. |
Rudd (R) Bowling (R) |
Taken off notice for House Calendar; Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee | |
| Defines a fetus at any stage of gestation as a “person” and a “person” is deemed to be conceived at the moment of fertilization. |
Faison (R) Bell (R) |
Taken off notice for House Calendar; Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee | |