Rep. Bruce Griffey Archives

Metro Council Unanimously Opposes General Assembly Legislation Aimed at Blocking Children From Receiving Materials that Promote LGBT Lifestyle

March 16, 2022March 15, 2022 Aaron Gulbransen

Metro Nashville Council approved a late filed resolution asking the Tennessee General Assembly to block a bill aimed at keeping LEAs and charter schools from distributing textbooks or other materials to children that include the promotion of the LGBT lifestyle at its March 15 meeting.

The resolution was sponsored by councilmembers Brett Withers, Nancy VanReece, Russ Bradford and Emily Benedict and urged “the Tennessee General Assembly to reject HB0800/SB1216 seeking to prohibit LEAs from utilizing textbooks or instructional materials addressing LGBT issues or lifestyles.”

State Representative Bruce Griffey: ‘I Will Consider’ Introducing a Bill That Tells the Federal Government the State of Tennessee Will Refuse Their K-12 Public Education Money

January 27, 2022January 27, 2022 Julie Carr

Wednesday moring on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed State Represenative Bruce Griffey in studio host Leahy welcomed State Representative Bruce Griffey in studio to answer tough questions on federal funding for K12 public education in Tennessee.

Tennessee Rep’s ‘Kyle’s Law’ Would Reimburse Innocent Murder Defendants for Legal Fees

January 20, 2022January 19, 2022 Peter D'Abrosca

A bill named after a high-profile murder defendant, who was later acquitted, has been introduced in the Tennessee General Assembly.

Rep. Bruce Griffey (R-District-75) announced via press release Wednesday that he has introduced what he calls “Kyle’s Law,” named after Kyle Rittenhouse.

Tennessee Lawmaker Makes the Case for Paper-Only Ballot Mandate

January 11, 2022January 10, 2022 Peter D'Abrosca

A bill introduced in late December by a member of Tennessee’s House of Representatives would mandate that only paper ballots can be used for voting.

House Bill 1662 would mandate. “the use of paper ballots instead of voting machines, and would require such ballots to have a non-visible, non-producible security feature such as a watermark, fluorescence, or digital hologram changed from election to election to prevent fraudulent duplication,” and would also allow poll watchers to video record proceedings at polling locations, according to a Monday press release.

Tennessee Lawmaker Proposes a Return to Voting Without Ballot-Marking Machines

January 3, 2022January 2, 2022 Morgan Nicole Veysey

Tennessee Representative Bruce Griffey (R-75) submitted a new bill to protect election safety. The bill would have elections in Tennessee revert to paper ballots and instate other safety measures. The bill was filed for introduction earlier this week.

According to the Tennessee General Assembly, the bill is explained as;

As introduced, prohibits the use of voting machines; requires that elections be conducted using hand-marked paper ballots; authorizes pool watchers to record video at the polling place; requires the coordinator of elections to prescribe certain security measures for paper ballots.

Tennessee Firearms Association’s John Harris Weighs in on Biden Gun Control EO and How Tennessee Will React

April 10, 2021June 9, 2021 Julie Carr

Friday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed John Harris of the Tennessee Firearms Association to the newsmakers line to weigh in on Joe Biden’s gun control executive order and whether or not Tennessee legislators will respond.

State Rep. Bruce Griffey Reinstated to Committees by Speaker Cameron Sexton

April 9, 2021June 9, 2021 Laura Baigert

Less than two weeks after being removed from the House Civil Justice, Criminal Justice, and Education Instruction Committees, Rep. Bruce Griffey’s (R-Paris) membership was reinstated by Speaker Cameron Sexton.

Griffey’s removal came unceremoniously at the end of the March 25 House floor session, three days following a testy exchange on the House floor primarily with House Parliamentarian Daniel Hicks, and to a lesser degree Sexton himself, related to Griffey’s use of Rule 53 of the House Permanent Rules of Order for the 112th General Assembly for his proposed E-Verify legislation.

Speaker Sexton Spares House Members from Rule 53 Vote on E-Verify Legislation

March 23, 2021June 9, 2021 Laura Baigert

During the House floor session Monday evening, Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) spared his members from a Rule 53 vote regarding the proposed E-Verify legislation.

Rep. Bruce Griffey (R-Paris) invoked the Rule 53 provision from the House Permanent Rules of Order for the 112th General Assembly, which is the process of recalling a bill from committee. If a Rule 53 effort is successful, the subject bill would be scheduled directly to the House floor for a vote, bypassing the committee process that killed the bill.

Rep. Bruce Griffey Seeks to Revive E-Verify Legislation by Invoking a Special House Rule

March 20, 2021June 9, 2021 Laura Baigert

In an effort to revive the legislation requiring the use of E-Verify for Tennessee employers with six or more employees, Rep. Bruce Griffey filed the necessary paperwork Thursday to recall the bill in accordance with a House rule.
Rule 53 of the House of Representatives Permanent Rules of Order for the 112th General Assembly allows for a process to recall a bill from committee. If the effort is successful, the bill will be scheduled directly to the House floor for a vote, bypassing the committee process that killed the bill.

Legislation Killed in House Subcommittee Lowering E-Verify Threshold Would Have Reverted to State Law Between 2011 and 2016

March 17, 2021June 9, 2021 Laura Baigert

A bill that was killed last week in the House Banking and Consumer Affairs Subcommittee would have reverted to the threshold required for E-Verify in legislation signed into law by Governor Bill Haslam in 2011 and remained in effect until 2016.

Currently, employers are required under state law to use the E-Verify program to confirm work authorization status of their employees, but only if they have 50 or more employees.

The Small Businesses with the Largest Increase in the Number of Employees Are Exempt from E-Verify

March 16, 2021June 9, 2021 Laura Baigert

Tennessee small businesses that experienced the largest increases in the number of employees over the past five years are exempt from the requirement to ensure that their employees are not illegal aliens through the use of the federal government’s e-verification system.

At the federal level, E-Verify is a voluntary program.

House Republicans Kill Bill Requiring More Fair Use of E-Verify by Tennessee Employers

March 14, 2021June 9, 2021 Laura Baigert

A bill that would create equity amongst Tennessee employers as to the required use of the E-verify system was killed by five Republicans in the House Banking and Consumer Affairs Subcommittee, even as thousands of illegal immigrants surge the southern border.

HB 0801, sponsored by Rep. Bruce Griffey (R-Paris), would require employers in the state with six or more employees to utilize the federal government’s E-verify system in hiring future employees. Griffey’s bill lowered the threshold from the current law, which required e-verification for employers with 50 or more employees.

House Subcommittee’s Orchestrated Actions ‘Emboldened and Protected’ an Activist Judiciary That Changed Absentee Voting Law

March 12, 2021June 9, 2021 Laura Baigert

A resolution that would determine if a judge committed an offense worthy of removal for changing the law regarding absentee voting was killed in the House Civil Justice Subcommittee Tuesday through several orchestrated actions, which “only emboldened and protected the judiciary,” according to the resolution sponsor.
The resolution failed on a voice vote carried out by Chairman Andrew Farmer (R-Sevierville) with assistance by Rep. Michael Curcio (R-Dickson) who strategically timed his call for the question.

Tennessee State Rep. Jerry Sexton Joins Leahy in Studio to Discuss His Background and a Typical Day in the House

January 22, 2021January 26, 2021 Julie Carr

Thursday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed TN. (R) State Representative Jerry Sexton to the studio to discuss his background and a typical day in the Tennessee House of Representatives.

Tennessee Firearms Association Supports ‘Constitutional Carry’ Bill Sponsored by State Rep. Bruce Griffey

January 10, 2021June 9, 2021 Laura Baigert

The Tennessee Firearms Association (TFA) announced its support for what it called a “real” constitutional carry bill filed by State Representative Bruce Griffey (R-Paris) for the upcoming legislative session.

Late last week, John Harris, Executive Director of TFA, “Tennessee’s only no-compromise gun organization,” sent an email to its members and released a podcast discussing Griffey’s HB0018.

Law Criminalizing Use of False Language in Campaign Literature Ruled Unconstitutional by Davidson County Judge

August 4, 2020August 4, 2020 Sam Medley

A group that called a political candidate “literally Hitler” in a flyer won its case challenging a law that criminalizes the use of “false language” in campaign literature. The judge presiding over the case, which was heard Thursday, called the law “incompatible with the First Amendment.”

Tennesseans for Sensible Elections Laws (TSEL), an organization that describes itself as “a nonpartisan group of concerned citizens who care about protecting Tennessee’s democratic process,” was subject to criminal penalties for a political flier claiming that Representative Bruce Griffey was “literally Hitler.”

Rep. Bruce Griffey Questions Lee Administration About Not Sharing Data with the U.S. Census Bureau That Would Help Estimate Illegals in Tennessee

July 26, 2020July 25, 2020 Laura Baigert

State Representative Bruce Griffey (R-Paris) sent a letter to Governor Bill Lee on Friday questioning why Tennessee was not sharing data with the U.S. Census Bureau that would help estimate the number of illegal aliens living in Tennessee.

The issue arises out of President Trump’s memorandum this week to the Secretary of Commerce that excludes illegal aliens from the apportionment of the U.S. House of Representatives that follows the decennial census.

Inaugural ‘Conservative Caucus’ Held in Murfreesboro Saturday

July 13, 2020July 12, 2020 Laura Baigert

MURFREESBORO, Tennessee — The inaugural Conservative Caucus, a free event attended by a few hundred people, was held across several ballrooms at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Murfreesboro Saturday. The event was organized for those who intend to honor the nation’s forefathers with the Constitutional rights they laid out…