Day: January 31, 2019

House Subcommittee Chairman Issues Warning to Colleagues About Bureaucrats Undermining the Legislative Process

Laura Baigert

The chairman of a State House Subcommittee issued a letter warning his colleagues that the undermining of the legislative process by unelected bureaucrats in Tennessee is a reality. Representative Micah Van Huss (R-Jonesborough) wrote the letter dated January 30, 2019. Van Huss is a member of the House Health Committee, Judiciary Committee and Public Health Committee and is the Chairman of the newly-formed Constitutional Protections and Sentencing Subcommittee. It was as the chairman of that subcommittee that Van Huss found himself in a meeting with a department director, after which he felt compelled to issue his written warning. Van Huss explained, “a department director met with me to discuss how they could be of service to me and our Constitutional Protections and Sentencing Committee this year.” “One of the very first things this person said to me was that they would be of great help this year and that if there is a bad bill they will be able to put a big fiscal note on it,” he wrote. “During the course of the meeting,” Van Huss added, “a similar statement was made a second time.” Van Huss chose not to mention the bureaucrat by name, but did state that…

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Scott DesJarlais to Serve on House Armed Services and Agriculture Committees

Chris Butler

U.S. Republican Congressman Scott DesJarlais of Tennessee will join the subcommittees on Strategic Forces, as well as Intelligence, Emerging Threats and Capabilities, according to a press release Wednesday. The Strategic Forces Subcommittee oversees nuclear weapons, missile defense and space programs.  The Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee oversees counter-terrorism, special operations, military intelligence and cyber issues, among other things, according to the press release. Texas Republican Congressman Mac Thornberry, the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, announced subcommittee assignments for the new 116th Congress, according to the press release. DesJarlais will also serve on the House Agriculture Committee, per an announcement last week from Texas Republican Congressman Mike Conaway, the ranking member. In a statement, DesJarlais said this new assignment helps Tennessee. “Tennessee, especially the Fourth District, is a top producer of agriculture staples. It’s a major farming and ranching state, where the Walking Horse industry is prominent. Rural areas are also experiencing manufacturing growth, making demands on infrastructure,” DesJarlais said. “On the Agriculture Committee, I will have the opportunity to promote rural broadband and workforce development, because important skills are in short supply, and on the Armed Services Committee, I will be able to assist our many military members,…

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Gov. Lee Says He Would Support Efforts to Ban Abortions Following Detection of Fetal Heartbeat

Jason M. Reynolds

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee says he will support efforts to ban abortions once a fetal heartbeat has been detected, which is about six weeks into a pregnancy. Lee’s comments join those of senior lawmakers in the Legislature, NewsChannel 9 said. Generally speaking, the new governor told reporters Wednesday he will look at individual bills and decide if he favors them, and “the courts will have to decide for themselves whether it’s constitutional or not.” “I would support any bill that reduces the number of abortions in the state,” said Lee, who campaigned heavily on his Christian faith. NewsChannel 9 said House Speaker Glen Casada and Senate Speaker Randy McNally had voiced support Tuesday for banning abortions following detection of a heartbeat. A fetal heartbeat bill was introduced this term in the Tennessee General Assembly by Rep. James (Micah) Van Huss (R-TN-06). The bill prohibits abortions from the point a fetal heartbeat is detected and requires fetal heartbeat testing prior to an abortion. Lee’s “Ten for Tenn” campaign platform last summer said he was pro-lift and would sign legislation to reduce abortions,such as the heartbeat bill, and enforce the law to ensure Planned Parenthood doesn’t get state money. Bans on abortions…

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North Carolina Elections Committee ‘Disturbed’ by State Justice Department Missing Fed Subpoena Deadlines, Urges Compliance

A.P. Dillon

North Carolina lawmakers on the state’s Elections and Ethics Committee sent a letter to the state’s Attorney General urging him to comply with two federal subpoenas. Earlier this month, the North Carolina Department of Justice missed the deadline to respond to two federal grand jury subpoenas issued in September 2018 and which requested five years worth of voter and ballot data from 44 counties. In addition, the subpoenas requested eight years of data for voters statewide and eight years of data from the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles. North Carolina House Elections Committee co-chairs Representative Holly Grange (R-D20) and Representative Destin Hall (R-D87) sent a letter on Tuesday to the State Board of Elections and Attorney General Josh Stein. Representatives Grange and Hall were recently appointed co-chairs of the North Carolina House Committee on Elections and Ethics Law by Speaker Tim Moore (R-D111). The letter, which was included in a press release put out by Speaker Moore, urges the agencies to comply with the federal grand jury subpoenas. “We are disturbed that the State Board declined to comply with grand jury subpoenas which seek to discover potential election fraud in North Carolina,” wrote Representatives Grange and Hall in the letter.…

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Phil Berger, Jr. to Run for North Carolina Supreme Court Seat

A.P. Dillon

North Carolina Court of Appeals Judge Phil Berger, Jr., announced that he would like to run for a seat on North Carolina Supreme Court in 2020. Phil Berger, Jr. is the son of one of the most powerful lawmakers in the state, Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger (R-D30). Judge Berger made the announcement on his Facebook page Monday morning and specifically mentioned Associate Justice Paul Newby’s seat. “The purpose of this letter is [to] let you know that I am interested in running for Justice Newby’s seat on the Supreme Court,” wrote Judge Berger in the post. The full text of Berger’s Facebook post is below: Dear Friends, I am sure you have heard that Chief Justice Mark Martin, a faithful North Carolina servant, will be resigning. Chief Justice Martin’s departure will leave a noticeable void on our Supreme Court. We are fortunate that Senior Associate Justice Paul Newby has already indicated his willingness to be our next Chief Justice. Justice Newby’s seat will now be an open seat for the 2020 election. The purpose of this letter is let you know that I am interested in running for Justice Newby’s seat on the Supreme Court. In 2016, thanks…

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Commentary: It’s Time to Get Real About Our Enemies

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by Karin McQuillan   Out here in Realville, to borrow from Rush Limbaugh, Donald Trump’s supporters could be very happy. For ordinary Americans – from the top to the bottom of the economic spectrum, black, white and brown – President Trump has brought good times. Except for the screeching drama queens in the Democratic Party and among #TheResistance – and our serious mass immigration problems – life is good and the country is secure. In a sensible world, we would be basking in this period of unprecedented prosperity and peace. The country should be unified and full of bonhomie. The whole world has advanced to inconceivable levels of global peace and prosperity. Life is easier, healthier, and more comfortable for more people than ever before in history. Socialism and Communism – those tragic sisters from the 1800s that led to the greatest human suffering, poverty, and mass starvation in human history – should barely be remembered. Instead, they are ascendant in the Democrat Party. Cultural Marxism and socialism are the new Democrat chic. The entire country is in an uproar. Everyone feels a sense of doom and gloom. There is more to #TheResistance than the political panic inspired by the likes…

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Crockett County Official Pocketed $100,000 in Taxpayer Money by Selling School’s Tech Equipment

Chris Butler

The former technology director for the Crockett County School Department used taxpayer money to buy electronic equipment for either his own personal use or to sell for profit, according to a new state audit. Because of this, the school system had a cash shortage of more than $114,000, Tennessee Comptrollers said in a press release. Grand jurors indicted the accused man, Michael Maness, last week on one count of theft over $60,000 and four counts of official misconduct, the press release went on to say. Investigators said they found multiple improprieties. Maness, for instance, used school district funds to purchase 267 Samsung solid state drives for $78,097.29, according to the audit. “He sold 265 of the SSDs mostly using online websites at discounted prices for personal gain. These hard drives had storage capacities of 500GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB, and were purchased strictly for resale by Mr. Maness,” Comptrollers wrote in their audit. “According to the current technology director, Mr. Keith Eason, these SSDs were not installed on any computers in the school district and served no useful purpose for the district.” Comptrollers said they confirmed some of what Maness allegedly did by contacting eBay, according to their report. Maness…

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Trump Assails Intelligence Chiefs as ‘Extremely Passive and Naive’

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U.S. President Donald Trump assailed his intelligence chiefs Wednesday, calling them “extremely passive and naive when it comes to the dangers of Iran. They are wrong!” He added, “Perhaps Intelligence should go back to school!” Trump’s unusual broadside on Twitter against the heads of the country’s intelligence agencies came a day after they disputed some of his views on Iran and world trouble spots in testimony before a congressional hearing on global threats. Central Intelligence Agency Director Gina Haspel said Iran was “technically” in compliance with the 2015 deal between it and world powers to curtail its nuclear weapons development and at least a year away from developing such a weapon. Trump tweeted that since the U.S. withdrew from the pact, Iran is “MUCH different, but a source of potential danger and conflict.They are testing Rockets (last week) and more, and are coming very close to the edge. There economy is now crashing, which is the only thing holding them back. Be careful of Iran.” The Intelligence people seem to be extremely passive and naive when it comes to the dangers of Iran. They are wrong! When I became President Iran was making trouble all over the Middle East, and…

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East Nashville Eagles Slide Past Stratford Spartans to Nab Top Spot as District Tournament Nears

Scott Wallace

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – The East Nashville Magnet Eagles (21-3 overall, 10-0 District 10-0) clinched the top spot in the district as they outlasted the Stratford Spartans (8-12, 3-6) 65-60 Tuesday at Stratford. The Spartans, playing without four of their top players stayed close throughout. East took a four-point lead into the half, but the Spartans started the third quarter on an 8-1 run to take a 41-38 lead with 5:20 left in the stanza. East then went on a 6-0 run to retake the lead. Stratford matched that run scoring six straight as well. The Eagles then went on a mini 4-0 run to close the quarter with the game tied at 48. “They wouldn’t let us get away from them,” said East head coach Jim Fey. “We made mistakes and missed free throws. Their effort was better than ours.” East took a five-point lead at 55-50 midway through the fourth quarter. A conventional three-point play by Startford senior guard Quanie Clendening (20 points) cut the lead to 55-53. The Eagles struggled from the free throw line but kept the Spartans at bay. With 50 seconds left, Eagle senior guard Caleb Grimes (19 points) blocked a three-point attempt by Greg…

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Pentagon Is Sending Thousands of More Troops to the Southern Border

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by Jason Hopkins   The Pentagon is sending several thousand more troops to the southwestern border, fulfilling a request made by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Currently, there are about 2,300 troops stationed at the southwestern border. Pentagon officials revealed Tuesday that they will be deploying an additional 2,000 troops as part of the DHS’ request for the military to extend its mission there. Originally intended to last until Dec. 15, the military’s mission will now be extended to Sept. 30. The entire operation is estimated to cost $132 million by the end of January, and over $600 million by the close of the fiscal year in September. “We are supporting our federal partners on the border, and that mission has been extended until September,” stated Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Jamie Davis. “We are currently sourcing the units involved and there will be an increase of a few thousand troops.” Beyond maintaining a troop presence, the Pentagon will also aid DHS officials with infrastructure development. Military troops will help set up more concertina wire and expand surveillance capabilities along the border. “Most recently DHS has asked us to support them in additional concertina wire and then expanded surveillance capability,…

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Senate GOP Considers Ending 30-Hour Debate Rule to Confirm More Judges

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by Richard McCarty   Republicans led by Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) are considering changing Senate rules to speed up the process of confirming nominees, and they should do so as soon as possible. In spite of continual Democrat obstruction, Republicans have done a good job of confirming judges. In fact, a total of 85 judges have been confirmed so far: two Supreme Court justices, 30 appellate court judges, and 53 district court judges. After two years in office for President Donald Trump, that puts him at above the average of 163 confirmed every four-year term. Still, there are now more judicial vacancies than when Trump took office, and over 50 judicial nominees are awaiting confirmation. When Trump took office, there were 125 judicial vacancies. Currently, there are 146 vacancies; and the Judicial Conference deems 70 of these vacancies to be judicial emergencies. In addition, there are 20 future vacancies due to judges planning to retire or take senior status. While conservatives have a narrow 5-4 majority on the Supreme Court, liberals have control of most of the appellate courts. Of the 13 circuit courts of appeal, Republican-nominated judges make up the majority in four circuits, Democrat-nominated judges have the majority…

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Virginia Democrat Proposes Bill Legalizing Abortion Until Birth

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by Grace Carr   Virginia is considering a bill allowing women to abort their unborn child until the moment the baby is born. Democratic Delegate Kathy Tran introduced HB2491, or the Repeal Act, which seeks to repeal the state’s current restrictions on late-term abortions. If passed, the measure will do away with the state’s requirement that second and third-trimester abortions be performed only to preserve the health or life of the woman. A woman seeking to abort would no longer need to obtain an ultrasound before having an abortion, under the proposed law. Currently, three physicians must conclude that a third-trimester abortion is necessary to preserve the health or life of the woman. Those requirements are stripped under the proposed legislation, which also removes the state’s mandate that second and third-trimester abortions be performed in hospitals. “The third trimester goes all the way up to forty weeks,” according to Tran, The Republican Standard reported. The bill would allow a doctor to perform an abortion when a woman is dilating, meaning she is about to give birth. Virginia House Democrats propose legislation to allow abortions up until the moment of birth Todd Gilbert (R): Where it’s obvious a woman is about…

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Commentary: Trump Offered Compromise, Pelosi Offered Nothing

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by Harlan Hill   In the 35 days of the longest federal government shutdown in history, President Trump again showed himself to be the only one interested in compromising, the only one interested in securing the border, and the only one trying to make a deal. In the last of his major national addresses on the Democrat-created border impasse, the president offered the opposing party big wins on immigration that they’ve been seeking for years. In exchange, he asked for common sense border security measures, many of which Democrats themselves supported at various times in the recent past. That’s how serious the president was about getting the humanitarian and security crisis at the border resolved. But as she did with every offer from him, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) scornfully rejected President Trump’s attempt at compromise. This time she did it before he even spoke. As the effective leader of one of the country’s major parties, that’s her right. But she can’t then claim to be interested in compromise or solutions. Her refusal to consider the president’s proposals, especially in the absence of any counter-offer, increasingly appears calculated solely to deny President Trump a political victory, but it has very…

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Alarming Registration Surprise in Texas Raises Questions About Mass Voter Fraud, Voter Roll Maintenance

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by Jason Snead and Caleb Morrison   The man in charge of elections in Texas made a surprise announcement last week: As many as 95,000 noncitizens had registered to vote, and 58,000 of them may have voted in at least one election between 1996 and 2018. The finding announced by Texas Secretary of State David Whitley is serious, and almost immediately the news became the subject of sensational statements. Some, such as President Donald Trump, assert that this constitutes proof that 58,000 individuals unlawfully voted in Texas. Activists on the left, meanwhile, dismiss the findings altogether as merely setting the stage for voter purges and disenfranchisement. In this case, neither side is getting it right. Here’s what is actually happening. In Texas, individuals – including noncitizens – are required to present documents establishing their residency and identity when obtaining a driver’s license or state-issued personal identification card. When a person presents a valid document such as a green card, indicating he or she is lawfully present but not a U.S. citizen, that record is preserved by the Texas Department of Public Safety. This sort of information can be quite useful for elections officials responsible for maintaining voter rolls. Simply put,…

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Trump, Guaido to Collaborate on Efforts to Restore Democracy to Venezuela

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The White House says President Donald Trump reinforced his “strong support” for efforts to restore democracy in Venezuela during a conversation Wednesday with opposition leader Juan Guaido, who has proclaimed himself as the country’s president. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Trump and Guaido also committed to maintaining “regular communication to support Venezuela’s path back to stability, and to rebuild the bilateral relationship” between the two countries. Trump said earlier Wednesday that embattled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is willing to negotiate with representatives of Guaido’s opposition movement to solve the political crisis in the South American nation, but warned Americans not to travel to Venezuela “until further notice.” Trump’s early morning tweet referred to Maduro’s offer to hold talks with the country’s opposition forces and hold early legislative elections. He added the threat of U.S. sanctions, including cutting off Venezuelan oil revenues, contributed to the apparent softening of Maduro’s stance. Maduro made the offer earlier Wednesday during an interview with Russia’s RIA news agency, saying he is willing to sit down at the negotiating table “for the good of Venezuela.” But he said there will not be a new presidential election until 2025, rejecting a demand by Guaido, president…

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Indiana Attorney General: New York’s Abortion Law Is ‘Backward and Barbaric’

Anthony Gockowski

Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill is speaking out against New York’s radical new abortion law, which allows abortions “up until the very moment before the child’s birth.” Hill explains that late-term abortions are now permissible so long as they are deemed “necessary” to protect the mother’s health, including her emotional health. “New York’s extreme new pro-abortion law is backward and barbaric,” Hill writes in an op-ed for Fox News. “Because an unwanted child will always impact the mother’s emotional health, the law permits killing a child – who otherwise could survive outside the womb – based solely on the mother’s preferences at the moment.” Up until now, Hill notes, the viability of a child has “largely been regarded as a sacrosanct barrier against pure utilitarian calculus,” but in New York that is “no more.” “Everyone should support the health and equality of women, but New York has removed physician-only health protections and now permits killing viable babies even if only because they are girls. And while allowing unfettered decisions about abortion sounds like a liberationist dream, it leads to sickening and decidedly anti-woman outcomes,” Hill continues. “In some countries, eugenic abortions are eliminating the down syndrome population; elsewhere they are…

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Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown’s ‘Dignity of Work’ Tour Slammed by RNC

Andrew Shirley

Republican National Committee Spokesperson Mandi Merritt issued a blistering broadside Wednesday against Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and his “Dignity of Work” tour. She stated: As Sherrod Brown takes his phony pro-workers’ agenda to the early primary states, he risks abandoning his own Ohio constituents. Ohio didn’t sign up for a part-time Senator, and by partaking in the Democrats’ turbocharged race to the left, Brown is bound to leave Ohio voters in the dust. Brown’s ‘Dignity of Work’ tour has nothing to do with fighting for hard-working families, and everything to do with Brown’s own political ambitions. Senator Brown’s “Dignity of Work” tour is scheduled to take him from Iowa, to New Hampshire, South Carolina, and then Nevada. As previously reported, much of his political platform hinges appealing to the populist blue-collar, politically moderate, working class and far-left democratic-socialist progressives. He intends to see if his many democratic-socialist positions will appeal to voters in these key battleground states. In 2016, many of those blue-collar moderates ended up siding with President Trump. In 2018, Brown was the only Democratic legislator in the Buckeye State to win or maintain his seat. Next year in what promises to be a highly-charged (and very crowded) presidential election cycle, Brown will be in…

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Ilhan Omar Floats 90 Percent Tax Rate on America’s Wealthiest

Anthony Gockowski

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) recently floated the idea of taxing America’s wealthiest citizens up to 90 percent in an interview with Yahoo News. “So there are a few things that we could do. One of them is that we could increase the taxes that people are paying who are the extremely wealthy in our communities” Omar said. “Seventy percent, 80 percent, we’ve had it as high as 90 percent.” The comments came in the context of a discussion about Omar’s support for the Green New Deal, a progressive climate change proposal put forward by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-NY-14). The proposal would convert the U.S. economy entirely to renewable sources of energy in 12 years and establish a universal basic income. It would, of course, require radical tax hikes on America’s wealthiest. During a recent 60 Minutes interview, Ocasio-Cortez welcomed the “radical” label, telling host Anderson Cooper that “if that’s what radical means, [then] call me a radical.” “There’s an element where, yeah, people are going to have to start paying their fair share in taxes,” she said. “You know, you look at our tax rates back in the ‘60s, and when you have a progressive tax rate system, your…

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North Carolina Lt. Governor, State Senators Unveil Bill to Prevent Female Genital Mutilation

A.P. Dillon

North Carolina state Senator Joyce Krawiec (R-D31) alongside Lt. Governor Dan Forest and state Senator Sawyer (R-D34) held a press conference Wednesday introducing a bill to prevent Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in North Carolina. FGM is a barbaric procedure to remove the clitoris entirely or in part, and is usually performed on female infants and on girls up to the age of fifteen – often without anesthesia. Joining Senators Joyce Krawiec & Vickie Sawyer at 1245PM to announce the filing of #FGM Legislation for North Carolina – we will be streaming press conference on FB Live #ncpol @AHAFoundation https://t.co/HGpJwNRVZY — Lt. Gov. Dan Forest (@LtGovDanForest) January 30, 2019 The background information provided in a press release by the Lt. Governor’s office states that North Carolina is “one of only 22 States that does not criminalize this act.” The CDC estimates that 500,000 women in the United States who have been a victim or are at risk of being a victim,” said Senator Krawiec. “One-third of those are girls. We want to make sure we protect our underage girls in North Carolina.” Materials provided in the press release state that health organizations believe “approximately 10,000 girls are at risk” in North Carolina.…

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Former Wilson County Sheriff Terry Ashe, with Past Federal Allegations of Prisoner Mistreatment, Takes Assistant Director Job at Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security

Jason M. Reynolds

Terry Ashe, the former 30-year-long Wilson County sheriff, reportedly has accepted a job with Gov. Bill Lee’s office. Ashe took a job as deputy commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security in mid-January, according to a story by The Lebanon Democrat. Ashe also works as a Wilson County commissioner, and he told The Democrat he does not believe that is a conflict of interest. He was sheriff from 1982-2012. Gov. Bill Lee’s office has not issued any announcements about the appointment, and Ashe is not listed on the department’s website. Ashe most recently served as executive director of the Tennessee Sheriff’s Association. His biography at the group’s website says he served there since fall 2012 after retiring as sheriff of Wilson County. He was the second-longest serving sheriff in state history and the longest-serving sheriff in Wilson County history. The sheriff’s association said in a Jan. 19 Facebook post, “Our Executive Director and friend, Sheriff Terry Ashe, Ret., has been appointed as the new Deputy Commissioner of the TN Department of Safety & Homeland Security. He has been a great leader and advocate for our Association and our TSA Family across the State. We will all miss…

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