Tag: Rep. Susan Lynn

Ohio’s Right To Life Organization Supported a ‘Heartbeat Bill,’ While Tennessee’s Opposed It

Laura Baigert

Ohio’s Right to Life organization supported and celebrated the state becoming the seventh to pass a “Heartbeat Bill” banning abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected. In contrast, Tennessee’s Right to Life organization opposed the “Heartbeat Bill” introduced in this session’s Tennessee General Assembly, and cheered when a State Senate Committee last week sent it off to “summer study” instead of passing it. In fact, Ohio’s Right to Life issued a press release the day the Human Rights and Heartbeat Protection Act (SB23) was signed into law by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine that featured a picture of the organization’s team standing beside the Governor during the signing ceremony. Ohio’s law bans an abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected, usually after about six weeks from conception. According to a January 2019 report of The Columbus Dispatch, Ohio’s Right to Life support of the legislation is relatively new, but it went all-in by putting the bill at the top of their legislative agenda. “It spent years opposing or remaining neutral on the measure,” reported The Dispatch. “But more recently, with President Donald Trump naming two justices to the U.S. Supreme Court and Gov. Mike DeWine indicating he will sign the bill,…

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Tennessee Star Poll: As Gas Prices Rise So Does Opposition to Tennessee Fuel Tax Increase

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Aaron Shane anti-Susan Lynn gas tax

Gasoline prices across Tennessee continue to nudge towards $3 a gallon. As those prices rise Tennessee voter opposition to the fuel tax increase included in the IMPROVE Act is increasing as well. Despite the state having two billion dollars in surplus and recurring revenues, Governor Bill Haslam and Republican legislative leadership jammed through a $330 million a year fuel tax increase last year, which is phased in over three years.  The latest phased increase went into effect on July 1. A new Tennessee Star statewide poll of 1,040 likely Republican Primary voters conducted by Triton Polling from June 25-28, 2018 indicates that voters are not supportive of the fuel tax increase. The poll asked: “Last year, the Tennessee General Assembly passed a bill, signed into law by Gov. Haslam, to increase the gas tax by 6 cents per gallon and the diesel tax by 10 cents per gallon, to fund road construction. Do you support this gas tax increase?” 35.4 percent of likely GOP primary voters support the tax increase while 51.3 percent oppose the increase. 13.3 percent were not sure of had no opinion. A year ago, the Tennessee Star Poll conducted at that time indicated that 48.1 percent of…

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Regional Group That Backed Failed Nashville Transit Plan Names State Rep. Susan Lynn ‘Legislator of the Year’

Jason M. Reynolds
Susan Lynn

A Middle Tennessee mayors association that pushed for Nashville’s failed $9 billion transit plan has handed out an award to State Rep. Susan Lynn (R-Mt. Juliet) as state legislator of the year. Voters in Nashville/Davidson County resoundingly rejected the transit plan by a 64 percent to 36 percent margin in a May 1 referendum. The Tennessee House Republicans issued a statement on the award Monday. Greater Nashville Regional Council honored as its legislator of the year during its May executive board meeting. This award is given annually to one member from both the House and Senate for their work towards the legislative priorities of area mayors. “As an organization, we are grateful to Rep. Lynn for her tireless efforts and continued leadership on behalf of Middle Tennesseans,” said City of Franklin Mayor Ken Moore, president of the Regional Council. Moore endorsed “Let’s Move Nashville” as “the first major step in constructing a regional transit system,” the Brentwood Homepage website said in March. The endorsement came after years of collaboration among regional leaders who serve on the Regional Council and its Transportation Policy Board (TPB). The TPB convenes mayors from across seven counties with transportation officials and is responsible coordinating regional plans and programs.…

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Tennessee House Candidate Aaron Shane Puts Up $150,000 Of His Own Money To Oppose Representative Susan Lynn

Laura Baigert

Local businessman and first-time candidate for the Tennessee House 57th District, Aaron Shane, announced this week that he is putting $150,000 into his campaign to oppose Representative Susan Lynn in the August 2 Republican primary. Shane made the announcement of his significant personal financial commitment after beginning his campaign just two weeks prior on a “mission to protect the families of District 57 and repeal the gas tax increase.” Shane is the owner of Shane Electric located in Mt. Juliet, which is a multi-year winner of the Best of Mt. Juliet award. Now a legal citizen, Shane originates from Canada, where he became an “admirer and student of how our Founding Fathers enumerated our God-given rights in the Constitution,” a stark contrast to “the excessive taxation and government overreach” he witnessed in Canada. “I wouldn’t move back to Canada, if you paid me,” Shane emphatically tells The Tennessee Star. A staunch supporter of the Second Amendment, member of the Tennessee Firearms Association and the National Rifle Association, Shane relays that in Canada if you legally own a gun and your house is broken into, you are still expected to call law enforcement and hope they arrive in time. On his…

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State Rep. Bo Mitchell Grills TBI Leaders About Their ‘Disturbing’ and ‘Horrifying’ Raid of Townhome

Laura Baigert

In a joint Government Operations Subcommittee on Judiciary and Government meeting held Thursday, during which the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) was presenting, subcommittee member State Representative Bo Mitchell (D-Nashville) used the words “disturbing” and “horrifying” to describe the recent raid on the townhome of 57th District House candidate Jeremy H. G. Hayes. The TBI raid earlier this week of Hayes’ townhome by four TBI agents and a visit to the home of his 78-year-old grandmother by an additional three TBI agents, was reported by The Tennessee Star and News Channel 5.  Hayes is running against incumbent State Rep. Susan Lynn (R-Mt. Juliet) in the Republican primary. Unrelated to the raid incident, the Subcommittee, made up of 12 members, six from each body of the Tennessee General Assembly, met to review the performance audit of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation conducted by the Division of State Audit, Office of the Comptroller. TBI Director Mark Gwyn and Deputy Director Jason Locke, along with other TBI representatives, were present to respond to the findings presented by legislative performance auditors Alicia Grice and John Dunne. There were five findings identified in the audit report. During the discussion of the first finding relative to…

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OFF THE RECORD: Wilson County GOP Requests State GOP Formally Reprimand Representative Susan Lynn

Laura Baigert
Tennessee Star

  Following an incident between State Representative Susan Lynn (R-Mt. Juliet) and the Wilson County Republican Party (WCRP) member volunteers at the annual county fair, WCRP Chairman, Terri Nicholson sent a letter signed “Deeply troubled” to State GOP Chairman Scott Golden requesting “that an immediate formal reprimand be issued to Representative Susan Lynn.” WCRP Chairman Nicholson’s letter further requested that Lynn provide “a formal apology to our party along with an agreement that she nor her husband will ever behave unprofessionally or disrespectful to the members of the Wilson County Republican Party again.” The letter from Nicholson, dated Monday, August 21, detailed the “altercation that transpired on Friday evening, August 18th, 2017 at the Wilson County Fair in Lebanon, TN.” Apparently, Rep. Lynn and her husband, Michael, were dissatisfied with the placement of various materials at the WCRP booth. After WCRP volunteers initially attempted to satisfy the Lynns by relocating various materials, the situation “escalated after she [Lynn] was not allowed to keep moving material,” according to Nicholson. From there, the situation deteriorated with Rep. Lynn’s husband “yelling with arms flailing” that volunteers in the booth were stupid. Nicholson describes that “the incident was a complete embarrassment to the WCRP”…

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Now It’s 65 Members of the Tennessee House of Representatives Who Oppose Nashville’s Sanctuary City Ordinance

Laura Baigert

Two more Republican members of the Tennessee House of Representatives have joined their 63 colleagues in expressing their opposition to Nashville proposed sanctuary city ordinance. On Monday, State Rep. Judd Matheny, State Rep. Bryan Terry and State Rep. Sheila Butt released a letter signed by 63 Republican members of the House expressing their opposition to the controversial ordinance, which will receive a third and final reading at the Metro Nashville Council meeting on July 6. On Tuesday, State Rep. Susan Lynn (R-Mt. Juliet) and State Rep. Kevin Brooks (R-Cleveland) released their own letter, bringing the total number of Republican members of the Tennessee House of Representatives on the record in opposition to the proposed sanctuary city ordinance to 65. The press release provided to The Tennessee Star by Rep. Kevin Brooks on his official letterhead dated June 26, 2017, states: Wilson and Bradley County Representatives Express Strong Opposition to Sanctuary City Ordinances (NASHVILLE) – Representatives Susan Lynn (R-Wilson) and Representative Kevin Brooks (R-Bradley) today expressed disapproval of two ordinances proposed by Metro Councilmen Bob Mendes and Colby Sledge.  The ordinances would in effect make Nashville a sanctuary city. “In 2009, the state legislature made it clear that sanctuary cities are prohibited in Tennessee.  I…

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State Rep. Susan Lynn Confirms User Fees are ‘Diverted From the Highway Fund’ in Email Sent to Entire Tennessee General Assembly

Laura Baigert

“I actually have a slide in my town hall presentation that shows why money is diverted from the Highway Fund and where it goes,” State Rep. Susan Lynn (R-Mt. Juliet) told a constituent in an email, confirming The Tennessee Star’s report that Highway Fund user fees are being allocated to the General Fund, Education and Debt Service. The constituent had forwarded a link to The Star’s report on  Wednesday that “The Highway Fund receives road construction “user fee” revenues from gasoline tax, motor fuel tax, gasoline inspection tax, motor vehicle registration tax and the motor vehicle title fees. At least 25 percent of those road construction “user fees” go to the General Fund, Education and Debt Service.” In the email reply to her constituent, Rep. Lynn copied every member of the Tennessee General Assembly in both the House and Senate, ensuring that they have knowledge of the “diversion” of user fees from the Highway Fund. You can read the first part of Lynn’s  reply to her constituent here: I actually have a slide in my town hall presentation that shows why money is diverted from the Highway Fund and where it goes.  Each amount makes perfect sense. Please see my slide below with…

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