New TNJ edition alert: GOP flexes on Nashville, new House rules to limit speechifying on floor
The latest print edition of The Tennessee Journal is out. Here is what’s in it:
— GOP flexes muscles in standoff with Nashville, but will it stick?
— New House rules will give less time to speechifying on the floor, try to keep killed bills dead, and give voice votes the seal of approval.
— Gov. Bill Lee names new members to charter appeals panel.
— Female majority on Supreme Court hangs in balance, grand divisions get equal billing despite population differences.
Also: Someone almost stole $186,000 from the Harshbarger campaign, Mark Green lands a committee chairmanship, state House members’ parking skills scrutinized, and Tim Burchett discusses the perils of drunken rednecks.
As always, access the your copy of the TNJ here.
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New TNJ alert: Supreme Court finalists in their own words, lawmakers drop bills into the hopper
The latest print edition of The Tennessee Journal is out. Here is what’s in it:
— A look at some key answers given to the screening panel by the three finalists for an upcoming vacancy on the Tennessee Supreme Court: Kristi Davis, Tom Greenholtz, and Dwight Tarwater.
— Fresh out of the hopper: Lawmakers file bills on sentencing, handgun safety, fees on developers, and bringing remedial classes back to four-year colleges.
Also: Andy Ogles at the center of the stalemate over a new House speaker, Bill Lee’s “deliberative process privilege” denied by Nashville judge, Tim Burchett on the effects of not kissing enough butt, and Bill Hagerty’s letter-writing campaign.
As always, access the your copy of the TNJ here.
Or subscribe here.
Burchett takes to WSJ opinion section to decry proxy voting in Congress
U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Knoxville) has an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal today denouncing the ongoing practice of proxy voting and virtual meetings in Congress.
“I didn’t run for Congress to sit on Zoom in my district office or to have one of my colleagues cast votes on my behalf,” Burchett writes. “These often-abused protocols were implemented in response to a pandemic that is in retreat.”
The current rules are “ineffective and abused by members of both parties,” he writes. Some GOP members used proxy voting so they could attend a CPAC meeting in February, while Democrats have done so to campaign or accompany President Joe Biden on a trip to Wisconsin, according to Burchett. He is similarly critical of virtual meetings.
“Policy experts work in Washington offices, where these hearings should be taking place in person,” Burchett said.
While Burchett sees bipartisan lapses, he blames the current state of affairs on Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).
“Exploitation of the House’s coronavirus protocols won’t stop unless the rules change so that members are expected to show up to work and do their jobs,” Burchett said. “Speaker Nancy Pelosi needs to take a step back, look at the rest of the country, and re-evaluate how she is running the House.”
Tennessee congressional delegation recoils at Capitol incursion
U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Nashville), who called for active duty troops to be activated to quell social unrest during last year’s campaign, is denouncing the breach of the U.S. Capitol by demonstrators supporting President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn his electoral loss.
“What is happening at the U.S. Capitol right now is not peaceful, this is violence,” Hagerty said in a tweet. “I condemn it in the strongest terms. We are a nation of laws and this must stop.”
Fellow Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Brentwood) soon followed suit:
Other members of the Tennessee delegation have also been tweeting about the events:
Matlock launches new TV ad in 2nd District race
State Rep. Jimmy Matlock (R-Lenoir City) is launching a new ad in his 2nd Congressional District nomination contest against Knox County Mayor Tim Buchett and businessman Jason Emert.
Matlock radio ad cites Burchett vote for Democrat as state Senate speaker, asks if he’d vote for Nancy Pelosi as U.S. House speaker
A radio ad unveiled today by state Rep. Jimmy Matlock’s campaign notes his leading opponent in the Republican 2nd Congressional District primary, Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett, voted as a state senator for the election of a Democrat as speaker of the Tennessee Senate and questions whether he would vote for Democrat Nancy Pelosi as speaker of the U.S. House. Here’s the Matlock campaign press release plus a note on the referenced vote.
FEC dismisses complaints against Burchett and Matlock in 2nd Congressional District campaign
The Federal Election Commission has dismissed complaints filed against Tim Burchett and Jimmy Matlock, competiting candidates in the 2nd Congressional District Republican primary, reports the News Sentinel.
Burchett rides motorbike, pledges to help Trump in first TV ad
Press release from Tim Burchett campaign
Knoxville, Tenn. – Republican candidate for Congress Tim Burchett released his first television ad in the TN-02 congressional race today. The ad will run district-wide on both cable and broadcast TV. Titled “East Tennessee Conservative,” the ad highlights Mayor Burchett’s conservative record, his commitment to East Tennessee, and his support for President Trump.
Mayor running for Congress, former sheriff running for legislature squabble in hallway, exchange insults afterwards
Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett, who is running for a seat in Congress, and former Knox County Sheriff Tim Hutchinson, who is running for a seat in the state House, had a heated exchange when they crossed paths in Knoxville’s City-County building recently, reports the News Sentinel.
The May 10 incident was caught on a security camera video, but without any audio. The two men offer differing accounts of the verbal exchange, though both say it included anonymous emails about Burchett and his stepson. The two have a political history: Burchett defeated Hutchinson in the 2010 mayor’s race.
Former legislator loses current job after accessing confidential records for political smear
Former state Rep. Chad Faulkner (R-Luttrell) as resigned his position with the Loudon County Sheriff’s office after being confronted with evidence he accessed confidential records used as part of a political smear campaign against Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett’s congressional campaign, reports the News Sentinel.
