Tag: Governor Bill Lee

SHOCKER: 150 Tennessee So-Called ‘Faith Leaders’ Tell Governor Bill Lee They Support Unrestricted Abortion Access

Laura Baigert

In a letter addressed to The Honorable Governor Bill Lee, more than 150 self-proclaimed people of faith said they oppose all attempts to criminalize and restrict abortion access. While the correspondence is not dated, it appears by the mention of “HB77 and SB1236” in the letter, that the legislature’s consideration of the Heartbeat Bill was the impetus for the letter. The Heartbeat Bill, HB0077 and SB1236, sponsored by Representative Micah Van Huss (R-Jonesborough) and Senator Mark Pody (R-Lebanon), would ban abortion when a fetal heartbeat is detected by ultrasound, usually at about six weeks after conception. HB0077 passed the state House on March 7 by a vote of 65 Ayes, 21 Nays and 7 Present Not Voting. SB1236 failed to advance in the Senate, when it was deferred to Summer Study by the Judiciary Committee on April 9. As reported by The Tennessee Star, Senate bill sponsor, Mark Pody has filed a request invoking Senate Rule 63 for the bill to be recalled so that it may be reconsidered. The faith leaders’ letter to Governor Lee was published on April 17 by LifeNews.com, an independent news agency devoted to reporting news that affects the pro-life community, according to its website.…

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Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin Joins Governor Bill Lee for Criminal Justice Reform Symposium in Nashville

Laura Baigert

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – A symposium on criminal justice reform held in Nashville featured an hour-long conversation between Governors Bill Lee of Tennessee and Matt Bevin of Kentucky. The symposium was held in the “appellate courtroom” at the Randall and Sadie Baskin Center of the College of Law, located on the beautiful campus of Belmont University in downtown Nashville. While the event was free, seating was limited, so advanced registration through EventBrite was required. Still, the venue ended up standing room only. Hosts of the symposium were Men of Valor and Right on Crime. Men of Valor offers in-prison ministry in the form of a voluntary program to participants who have applied and been selected based on having the time to complete the full six-month program and exhibiting a sincere desire to change. Programs emphasize the participants’ need for restoration with God, family, community and society, according to the organization’s website. Additionally, Men of Valor offers aftercare and re-entry care and services to men released from prison, to help in overcoming the tremendous obstacles they face with regard to housing and even the most basic of other needs such as food, clothing, transportation, identification and employment. Governor Lee, who spoke of…

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Layman Lessons Provides Inspirational Christian Day on Capitol Hill Featuring Governor Bill Lee as the Keynote Speaker and Congressman Mark Green

Laura Baigert

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – In an inaugural event, Layman Lessons provided Christians across Tennessee with an inspirational day on Capitol Hill Wednesday that featured Governor Bill Lee as the keynote speaker and U.S. Congressman Mark Green. The theme of the event was “standing, serving, leading, together,” with an emphasis on serving. Serving is what the charity, Layman Lessons, has been doing since 2001, by procuring and distributing millions of dollars in food, as well as providing other services, to the homeless. Layman Lessons founder, Pastor Louie Johnston, Jr., told The Tennessee Star that 375 free tickets were reserved through EventBrite, which was scheduled for 9:15 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the historic War Memorial Auditorium in downtown Nashville. Grand Ole Opry Show Host and ABC News producer, Juliette Vara, as she does at the Grand Ole Opry, got the audience fired up for the morning event. The program included Gary Chapman, an American contemporary Christian music singer and songwriter who is a seven-time Dove award winner and five-time Grammy nominee. Chapman played a prominent role in the event, leading the attendees in song with his guitar between each segment of the program. Chapman said of Johnston’s request to join in the…

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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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Senator Dolores Gresham Champions Governor Lee’s Education Savings Accounts Bill Through Education Committee

Laura Baigert

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – Governor Bill Lee’s most significant education initiative, Education Savings Accounts, made it through another major hurdle as it passed the Senate Education Committee Wednesday by a vote of 6 to 3. Senator Dolores Gresham (R-Somerville), who is also the Chair of the Education Committee, carried the bill as SB 0795. As such, Sen. Gresham turned the gavel over to 1st Vice-Chair, Senator Brian Kelsey (R-Germantown) as she presented the bill. The large Senate Hearing Room I was nearly standing room only with a mix of proponents and opponents to the measure. Discussion of the ESA bill dominated the meeting, which went over its scheduled two hour time period. Sen. Gresham introduced the bill by saying that the Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) will provide opportunities for students where there is a concentration of lower performing schools. “The best local control that can be established in our state’s education landscape is when parents make that decision about how their children are to be educated. This is particularly true for students in areas with multiple lower performing schools and limited high-quality educational options.” Reflecting on the fact that the legislation is an initiative of Governor Bill Lee, Sen. Gresham continued,…

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‘Christians Rising’ Day On Capitol Hill in Nashville Announced For April 17

Laura Baigert

Layman Lessons Church Ministries has announced a “Christians Rising” Day on Capitol Hill in Nashville on Wednesday, April 17, 2019. The organizer of the event – Layman Lessons Church Ministries, based in Nashville and founded in 2001 – procures and provides $8 million annually in donated food, bottled water, and life-saving supplies to homeless and needy in Tennessee and 15 other states. The volunteer work is done with no paid staff. According to the announcement, “Christian Day on Capitol Hill is the Easter week worship celebration of the Passion of Christ and challenge to be the hands and feet of Christ in standing, serving, leading, together as Christ commanded us to do!” “Tennessee Christians are and always have been the fabric of society since before we became a state, leaders are called ‘The Volunteer State’ for our sacrificial service to our fellow man in need. Christians arising answer the call of duty!” The free event will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon at the historic War Memorial Auditorium in downtown Nashville, where limited seating is available. Legislative Plaza has also been reserved for the event to accommodate overflow attendees. The morning celebration worship will feature Governor Bill Lee…

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The Tennessee Star Report: Senior Reporter Laura Baigert on Why The Education Savings Account Bill Cleared a Big Hurdle in Committee This Week

Julie Carr

On Thursday’s Tennessee Star Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – guest host and Nashville Tea Party Activist Ben Cunningham spoke with The Tennessee Star’s own senior reporter Laura Baigert, co-guest host for the day, about the key 14 to 9 favorable vote in the Education Committee this week that moved the Education Savings Account legislation closer to a vote on the floor of the House. Kevin Baigert, Laura’s husband and a long-time conservative activist in the state, was also a special in-studio guest during the broadcast who provided key insights into the vote as well. Cunningham: Had a really interesting episode yesterday at the General Assembly the, one of the Governor Bill Lee’s main legislative initiatives is what’s called an ESA , educational savings account and a real important vote occurred yesterday in the education committee. Laura, you were there. Give us just the two paragraph version of what happened. I saw it was fourteen to nine vote. That’s really is more than I thought the bigger majority. Is that about what you expected in terms of the committee vote. Baigert:…

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Tennessee Republican Party Issues Statewide Call For Support of Governor Lee’s Education Savings Account

Laura Baigert

As Governor Bill Lee’s legislation on Education Savings Accounts is set to be voted on by the full House Education Committee on Wednesday, March 27, the Tennessee Republican Party calls for support of his education plan. The Tennessee Republican Party (TRP) sent a personalized email Friday saying, “We need your help!” “Governor Lee and Tennessee’s students are counting on us!” The TRP said that Governor Lee “has put forward a bold, conservative plan to ensure that every child in Tennessee has access to a high-quality education.” To help the Governor’s agenda and show support for school choice, the email includes a link to send an automatic email to the respondent’s legislator. The link connects to page with a heading “Show your support for Education Savings Accounts,” and a quote from Governor Bill Lee, “We’re not going to get big results in our struggling schools by nibbling around the edges. That is why we need Education Savings Accounts in Tennessee, this year.” The page goes on to explain ESAs: Education savings account programs (ESAs) give parents greater opportunity to use their state education dollars to find the best learning environment for their children ESAs can be used for school tuition and…

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Governor Bill Lee’s Proposal for Education Savings Accounts Passes Its First Hurdle in Tennessee House Subcommittee

Laura Baigert

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – The bill that lays out the details of Governor Bill Lee’s proposal for Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) passed its first hurdle in the House Curriculum, Testing & Innovation Subcommittee. The 16-page amendment that “makes the bill” was presented by Speaker Pro Tem Bill Dunn (R-Knoxville), who is carrying the legislation as HB 0939 in the House before a standing room only House Hearing Room IV. Of note were the many attendees wearing “children are more than a test score” stickers, something with the color red, or red Vision 20/20 shirts showing support for the Tennessee Education Association, the state affiliate of National Educators Association, the largest union in the country. Earlier this year, Dunn was honored for his work on school choice when he was awarded the Tennessee Federation for Children’s 2019 Champion of Choice award, as reported by The Tennessee Star. In his introduction of the bill, Dunn said, it comes to us from Governor Bill Lee and his administration and deals with school choice and the idea that each student is a unique individual and unique circumstances lead to different needs when it comes to education. “We all know that Governor Lee, when he ran…

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The Tennessee Star Report: Gill and Leahy Discuss WCS Video Series and the Forced Education of Global Citizenship

Julie Carr

On Monday’s Tennessee Star Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Gill and Leahy talked in depth about the Williamson County school districts “Cultural Competency” video training series that have been forced upon teachers and hence their students. Towards the end of the segment, the men asked the question of why nobody is speaking up about this. They begged the question of where are the parents, the administrators, the Governor who in his State of the State address promised that Tennessee schools would be teaching American Exceptionalism. The duo expressed concern for the lack of basic skills being taught and lack of Americanism and push of Globalism centered agenda. (Audio plays) Gill: How about the test of any school system being the ability to teach children to read, write, do arithmetic, to learn the basic skills so that they can for a lifetime pursue learning because they’re going to have those fundamental skills of reading, writing, and arithmetic. Leahy: Oh Steve. (Chuckles) Gill: How about if that is the fundamental schools and tests instead of this double speak educrat speak that…

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Civics and School Choice Elements of Governor Bill Lee’s Education Agenda Make Their Way Through the State House

Laura Baigert

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – Elements of Governor Bill Lee’s focus on education, which he talked about on the campaign trail, his inaugural address and more recently in his first state of the state address, including an emphasis on parents having more school choice as well as civics education and “unapologetic American exceptionalism,” are making their way through the State House committee process. “Administration bills,” as they are called, are those that are initiated by the Executive Branch of the state government. That could be the Governor as the chief executive, or any of the numerous state departments within the executive branch. It is one role of the Majority Leader of each legislative body to be the primary sponsor of an administration bill, which would be Senator Jack Johnson (R-Franklin) and Representative William Lamberth (R-Cottontown) in the Senate and House, respectively. As House Majority Leader Lamberth explains it, the bills are most often “carried” by another member in the House, although, in his role, he would ensure that the administrative process is properly executed. Generally, the first co-prime sponsor of a bill in the House would be the Assistant Majority Leader, in this case, Representative Ron Gant (R-Rossville). In the case of…

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A Proclamation In Support of Israel, Initiated by Senator Mark Pody, Signed by Governor Bill Lee

Laura Baigert

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – In a ceremony held in the former Supreme Court chambers of the State Capitol, Governor Bill Lee signed a Proclamation honoring and commending the Nation of Israel, which was initiated by Senator Mark Pody. The Proclamation was originated by Senator Mark Pody (R-Lebanon) through Senate Resolution SJR 0058 introduced in January. The primary sponsor in the House was Representative Terri Lynn Weaver (R-Lancaster). The Senate Republican Majority announced on its website that Pody’s Resolution that reaffirms Tennessee’s friendship with Israel and expresses unequivocal support for the nation, passed unanimously in February. This, as the U.S. House has been struggling with how to deal with condemning anti-Semitism on the heels of Democratic Representative from Minnesota Ilhan Omar’s comments charging allegiance to a foreign government by those who support the nation of Israel. Her Excellency, Judith Varnai Shorer, the Consul General of Israel to the Southeastern United States, was joined by distinguished members of the local Jewish community as well as Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and Secretary of State Tre Hargett as speakers during the ceremony. The Star Spangled Banner was sung by Irline Mandrell, one of the Mandrell Sisters. The closing prayer was offered by country and bluegrass…

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Governor Bill Lee’s First State of the State Address Strikes a Positive Tone, Receiving 20 Standing Ovations

Laura Baigert

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – In his first State of the State Address, Governor Bill Lee struck an uplifting tone while laying out the four priorities of his legislative and budget agenda in an hour-long speech that received about 20 standing ovations. In a joint session of the Tennessee General Assembly held in the House chambers, that also included the Governor’s cabinet and staff as well as a number of invited guests, was standing room only, as were the two gallery areas that overlook the House floor. It was the first State of the State Address not only for the Governor, but for dozens of freshman legislators and Glen Casada (R-Franklin) as Speaker of the House. After acknowledging his wife and First Lady Maria, who he said embodies a Scripture that encourages us to consider others as more important than ourselves, Lee thanked his staff and cabinet and said they’re doing an excellent job. Lee then told of a story that was included in his book, “This Road I’m On, The Power of Hope in the Face of Adversity” about a trip he and his then 16-year old daughter, Jessica, took to Grand Teton National Park to climb one of the highest…

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OFF THE RECORD: Governor Stud Muffin???

Admin

When Butch Eley, Governor Bill Lee’s Chief Operating Officer, made an embarrassing, and telling, donation of $1,350 in February 2018 to Democrat Senate candidate Phil Bredesen it showed poor judgement at the very least. (And it didn’t win any points with now-Senator Marsha Blackburn, Bredesen’s opponent in the November general election.) Not to be outdone, Eley’s executive assistant apparently wants to insure that embarrassing contributions from Team Eley will continue. But alas, what looks to be the contribution from Anna Catherine Davenport was not financial like that of her boss, Butch. Her contribution was  of the social media type. A Facebook post from the account of Anna Catherine Davenport, apparently the same person as Eley’s executive assistant, which was quickly deleted, said that the “Highlight of the Day” was “getting to tell the Governor that some lady in the photo line called him a ‘stud muffin.’ ” In a “Spoiler alert,” the now deleted Facebook post added that “he thought that was pretty great.” Governor Stud Muffin?? True, it’s not as bad as embarrassing as, say, posing for a photo in a Confederate uniform in college – but it’s up there. Maybe that explains the Governor’s passion for repealing the…

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Tennessee Star EXCLUSIVE: Governor Bill Lee Makes Special Guest Appearance At Conservative Grassroots Gathering

Laura Baigert

LEBANON, Tennessee – As conservative grassroots leaders gathered from across the state for a bi-annual meeting, Governor Bill Lee took time between speaking engagements to attend as an unannounced special guest. The all-day Tennessee Alliance of Liberty Groups’ summit was an invitation-only, no-media event, but this reporter from The Tennessee Star was allowed exclusive access. The group of about 75 conservative leaders and influencers came to middle Tennessee from as far as Mountain City and Somerville. While Alliance summit attendance varies in who comes and in what numbers, the core group of grassroots conservative leaders has been going strong and consistently since 2009. The announced program for the day-long summit included two segments on Islam from renowned expert on political Islam Dr. Bill Warner as well as author of the 2009 book “Muslim Mafia: Inside the Secret Underworld That’s Conspiring to Islamize America,” Chris Gaubatz. State Representative Bryan Terry (R-Murfreesboro) gave an hour-long presentation on proposed legislation dealing with medical cannabis. In addition, there were presentations on the Heartbeat Bill sponsored by State Representative Micah Van Huss (R-Jonesborough) and Senator Mark Pody (R-Lebanon), with the Senator joining the meeting for a good part of the day, as well as the…

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Bill Lee Joins ‘Career Technical Education Day’ Celebration in Sumner County

Laura Baigert

GALLATIN, Tennessee – Governor Bill Lee came to Sumner County to celebrate Career Technical Education Day, part of the larger recognition of the national CTE month of February. The event was held at the Bagsby Ranch, where Lee held a town hall on July 25, 2018, when there were still three days of early voting in the Republican primary before the August 2 election day. Reflecting on that day with its big crowd, the Governor said, “As we pulled in here today, I said it sure does feel different. A whole level of peace and calm,” adding, with a bit of levity, “I don’t gotta talk y’all into anything.” Attendees of the CTE Day event included Director of Sumner County Schools Del Phillips, several school board members, State Representatives William Lamberth (R-Cottontown) and Johnny Garrett (R-Goodlettsville), Compass (Community Outreach Making Partnerships At Sumner Schools) members, several elected officials as well as Sumner County Schools CTE educators and students. As Governor Lee was introduced, he was presented with two gifts made by students of local CTE programs. While the Governor said he talks a lot about CTE, he painted a broader picture when he said he also talks about vocational technical…

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New Poll Shows Tennesseans Overwhelmingly Support Education Savings Accounts

Laura Baigert

A new statewide poll released Thursday by the Tennessee Federation for Children shows that when voters receive information about Education Savings Accounts, they are overwhelmingly supportive of a program being passed by the Tennessee Legislature. The poll by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, Inc. of 625 registered Tennessee voters was conducted between January 31 and February 4, and has a margin of error of +/- 4 percent. Six survey questions were asked during the telephone interview, in addition to participant demographics such as the region of the state, sex, age, race and party identification. The initial question presented to interviewees, “Education Savings Accounts, also known as E-S-A-s, allows parents to use their education tax dollars to customize their child’s learning and development. Approved ESA expenses include technical training, K-12 school tuition, or even special needs therapies from an array of providers, including public and private schools or tutors. Knowing this, would you support or oppose the Legislature passing an ESA program in Tennessee? “ An overwhelming 78 percent of respondents statewide said they support ESAs, of which 54 percent said they “strongly support” the Legislature passing an ESA program. The highest support came from East Tennessee, where 57 percent “strongly support”…

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OFF THE RECORD: Lee Administration Waves the White Flag?

Admin

Governor Bill Lee’s Legislative Director Brent Easley has advised Tennessee legislators that the Administration will abandon the practice of previous Governor’s in “flagging” bills they didn’t like. In a letter dated February 1, Easley advised legislators that: “In the past, you have received “flag letters” from the Governor’s Office or departments when they have noted an issue, concern or opposition to legislation that has been filed. This transparency is critical, but we believe there is a more effective way to communicate these positions.” Under the new Lee Administration policy, a representative of the Governor’s Office (or a state department or agency) will personally contact Legislators individually to express “opposition or concern” about a particular bill. If the Legislator cannot be reached, then the Administration will seek to contact them by phone or email. The Administration will then provide a weekly list of bills that have been “flagged” to House and Senate leadership that will be available to Legislators (and presumably the public) in their offices. Speaker Glen Casada has expressed his opposition to Governors “flagging” bills in the past, and sees it as an interference in the legislative process and encroachment on the powers of the Legislative Branch of government.…

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Governor Bill Lee: Request For Budget Cuts Means Finding Efficiencies So Funding Can Be Redirected Towards Things That Are Really Important

Laura Baigert

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – In the second of four days of cabinet budget meetings for the 2019-2020 fiscal year, Governor Bill Lee explained that his request for budget cuts  is a signal that what they are looking in his new administration is ways to find efficiencies, so that funding can be redirected towards things that are really important. Lee went into the budget process in his first week as the 50th Governor of Tennessee with meetings scheduled with 25 departments between Friday, January 25, and Wednesday, January 30, and a request for departments to cut two percent from their budgets. Joining him for the budget presentations was his Chief Operating Officer, Butch Eley; Commissioner of Finance and Administration, Stuart McWhorter; as well as Finance and Administration’s David Thurman. After hearing from nine departments on Monday, which represents more than half of the state’s appropriations, Governor Lee clarified for the press that the cuts are not to cut services. Rather, “It’s to be better stewards of the taxpayer money itself.” The cuts from inefficiencies would then be applied to “the places that are really important.” Governor Lee said that the budget process “allows us to think through what we need versus what…

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Gov.-Elect Lee Names Former State Rep. Courtney Rogers to Head Department of Veterans Services

Jason M. Reynolds

Governor-elect Bill Lee on Thursday announced that former State Rep. Courtney Rogers will head up the Department of Veterans Services for when his new administration begins next month. Rogers was one of two appointments Lee announced to his cabinet on Thursday- one for the Department of Veterans Services and one for  the Department of Military. The appointments are: – Lt. Col. (Ret.) Courtney Rogers, former State Rep. (R-TN-45) – head of the Department of Veterans Services  – Maj. Gen. Jeff Holmes – adjutant general of the Department of Military “We are pleased to add two experienced military leaders to our cabinet today,” Lee said in a statement. “Our veterans and active duty personnel will be in good hands with these appointments and I look forward to working with them.” Rogers, of Sumner County, serves as the Director of Recruiting and Retention for the Tennessee State Guard, the all-volunteer arm of the Tennessee Military Department, Lee said in a statement. Rogers served 28 years in the Air Force and Tennessee Air National Guard. She also was a Tennessee State Representative for the 45th District for three terms from 2012 to 2018 until deciding not to run for re-election, Ballotpedia said. Rogers received a…

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Newly Elected Tennessee State Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson Talks with The Tennessee Star Report

Julie Carr

On Tuesday’s Tennessee Star Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy and special guest co-host, Harriet Wallace of Fox 17 – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am –spoke to newly elected official Senate Majority Leader, Jack Johnson of Williamson County regarding his new position, the continuous Williamson county winning streak and what will be on the General Assembly’s table with a new “crop” of incoming state officials. Gill: Jack, it’s like all about Williamson County lately. Johnson: Great to be with you guys. You know I think it’s more coincidence than anything else. A lot of people have made note of that.  And it is exciting for Williamson county because we think have some good people and so humbling and it’s such an honor to win the respect of your peers and be elected to these caucus leadership positions.  So I’m excited, we’ve got a great new Governor whose coming in and were going to have a great speaker of the house.  I think we’ve got a really good team to take Tennessee forward. Gill: Well and people forget you’ve got the Lieutenant Governor from East Tennessee, the previous…

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