Tag: Representative Diane Black

On the Question of TennCare Expansion, Answers Fall Along Party Lines for Gubernatorial Candidates

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Healthy Tennessee, a Nashville-based 501(c)(3), hosted a healthcare symposium Friday featuring several of the gubernatorial candidates from both parties with moderators Lipscomb President Randy Lowry and Healthy Tennessee Founder President Dr. Manny Sethi. Although the event was slated to have the candidates “share their vision and plans for a healthier Tennessee,” the discussion largely centered around the question of whether and how much should Tennessee’s Medicaid program, TennCare be expanded. “Our forum is designed to provide a meaningful opportunity for each candidate to speak directly to the voters of Tennessee and provide a unique perspective on potential solutions to the health care problems facing our state today,” said Lipscomb University President Randy Lowry in a statement about the gathering. In all, six out of the seven candidates vying for their parties’ nominations were on hand, with each individual taking the stage to share their thoughts with the moderators and audience one at a time. Both Democrat candidates, former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and state House Minority Leader Craig Fitzhugh, joined Republicans House Speaker Beth Harwell, Franklin-area businessman Bill Lee, Knoxville-area businessman Randy Boyd, and former State Senator Mae Beavers. The only top-tier candidate not attending was Representative Diane Black, who opted to stay in Washington D.C. amid the looming…

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Diane Black Will Join President Trump As He Addresses the American Farm Bureau Federation Convention

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Representative Diane Black (R-TN-06) said Thursday that she will be joining President Trump in his upcoming visit to Nashville for the American Farm Bureau Federation convention, held January 6 – 10 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center. In an email exchange with The Tennessee Star, America Farm Bureau Federation Executive Communications Director Mace Thornton shared specifics about the highly anticipated event. The President will be speaking during the General Session of Monday’s convention gathering, either “late morning or early afternoon,” Thornton wrote. The public may attend, however, “there is a registration fee of $250 for nonmembers,” he noted, adding that the limiting factor would be that the room’s capacity at 4,000. The group has made arrangements for overflow viewing areas, where the President’s remarks will he able to be viewed live via a video feed. Furthermore, the American Farm Bureau Federation website plans to livestream President Trump’s appearance from their website, https://www.fb.org. “Farmers and ranchers and our rural communities are the bedrock of our nation. President Trump knows that, and his willingness to devote his time to talk directly with Farm Bureau members will be a memorable occasion,” Duvall said in a statement announcing the President’s attendance. “I plan on joining him,” Rep.…

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Diane Black Shares Shocking Details About Her Personal Experience with Sexual Harassment as a Tennessee Legislator

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Within an editorial that appeared on Townhall.com, gubernatorial candidate Diane Black wrote about her co-sponsorship of the Congressional Accountability and Hush Fund Elimination Act, a proposal that would overhaul how sexual harassment complaints are handled in Congress, as well as explicitly prohibit taxpayer funds from being used to pay settlements. But before discussing the legislative matter at hand, she opened up about her own shocking experiences as a newly-elected state representative doing the people’s work here in Tennessee. “I remember my first year in the Tennessee House of Representatives. It was 1998, and having spent my career as a nurse and an educator, I had a lot to learn about the legislative process. I immediately figured out that the state House had a ‘good ol’ boy’ culture – and learned about the inappropriate actions of some of my male colleagues,” she begins, continuing: One member always seemed to manage to get on the elevator with me, and proceed to back up until I was against the wall and he was pressed against me. I learned fairly quickly to cross my arms with my elbows out so they dug into his back. Another member rarely called me by name and addressed me…

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Diane Black Announces Additions to Statewide Law and Order Coalition

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Gubernatorial candidate Representative Diane Black announced Wednesday that her statewide Law and Order Coalition – who have endorsed her campaign and signed on to provide guidance on law enforcement issues – has grown by five new members. “I’m proud to have such a strong group of law enforcement officials from across Tennessee on my team,” Representative Black said in a statement. “The outpouring of support from the law enforcement community has been humbling and I look forward to working with our new members and the existing members to find solutions on the major issues we face like the opioid epidemic and human trafficking. Together, I know we can make sure that Tennessee is a safe place to live, work and raise a family.” District Attorney General Jennings Jones (16th Judicial District), District Attorney General Brent Cooper (22nd Judicial District), Former District Attorney General Al Schmutzer (4th Judicial District), Decatur County Sheriff Keith Byrd, and Hawkins County Sheriff Ronnie Lawson have all agreed to join Diane Black’s Law and Order Coalition. In all, the Law and Order Coalition totals  25 current or former sheriffs and 14 current or former district attorneys general from across the Volunteer State. The full list of Black’s Law…

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Gubernatorial Candidate Diane Black Hits Hard on Randy Boyd’s ‘B-Roll Run’

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Representative Diane Black’s latest hit on fellow gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd is sure to have news professionals chortling with the clever use of the media jargon ‘b-roll’ to describe Mr. Boyd’s 100-day publicity tour of Tennessee featuring his literally running across the state. The term ‘b-roll’ – sometimes called ‘cutaways’ – is a media industry phrase that is used to describe the images viewers see when the news-personality is talking about the story at hand. The lesser-used term ‘a-roll’ is the video of the interviewer or interviewee talking on-camera. For instance, when a story is presented about a bake sale, the footage of cookies, batter, icing, and cakes that show while the reporter talks about the where and when of the bake sale is ‘b-roll.’ Often, b-roll is considered the fluff or filler of a story. The strategy animating the ‘Run with Randy’ project is to showcase the Knoxville businessman’s outdoorsy, fitness-loving personality. However some are beginning to compare Boyd’s literal run to a similar strategy by fellow fitness enthusiast, Senator John Kerry, in his presidential bid of 2004. “Today, Randy Boyd completes his ‘B-Roll Run’ across Tennessee,” a statement from Diane Black’s campaign began. “But he’ll have to keep running if he wants to…

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President Trump Thanks Rep. Diane Black for Her Role in Passing the Budget

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For the first time in nearly a decade, the House and the Senate has passed a budget – albeit without much help from Democrats. The move sets the stage for a massive tax reform package, the largest since President Ronald Reagan’s overhaul in 1986. President Trump took the opportunity to offer his thanks for a job well done this morning to Tennessee’s own Representative Diane Black (R-TN-06), who serves as the powerful House Budget Committee Chair. Diane Black of Tennessee, the highly respected House Budget Committee Chairwoman, did a GREAT job in passing Budget, setting up big Tax Cuts — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 27, 2017 To which, Ms. Black replied: Thank you for your support @realDonaldTrump! Great working with you — big tax cuts next! #MAGA https://t.co/AV7RX4CgS1 — Diane Black (@DianeBlackTN) October 27, 2017   Representative Black – who is running to replace the termed-out Governor Bill Haslam – released a short statement reiterating her strong support of President Trump’s agenda, and her commitment to bringing the same kind of ‘America First’ principles to Tennessee, should she be elected. It reads: This morning, President Trump praised Diane Black for her work on the budget and paving the way for tax cuts…

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Mae Beavers Bashes Bushes and Boyd for Undermining Trump Presidency

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Republican gubernatorial candidate Mae Beavers took the gloves off on Saturday and bashed former President George W. Bush, failed 2016 presidential candidate Jeb Bush, and gubernatorial rival Randy Boyd for undermining the presidency of Donald Trump. “We don’t need globalists who oppose the Trump agenda leading the country or the state of Tennessee,” Beavers told The Tennessee Star in an exclusive interview on Saturday. “That’s what you get with George W. Bush, Jeb Bush, and Randy Boyd,” the former State Senator from Mt. Juliet added. Beavers criticized Boyd for the leadership role he plays in one of the largest globalist organizations in the country. “Randy Boyd is a named member of the New American Economy, along with Democrats Rahm Emanuel and Karl Dean,” Beavers noted. Boyd’s position with the New American Economy, formerly known as the Partnership for a New American Economy (PNAE), was reported by The Star in March. The Star noted  that “included in PNAE’s ‘15 key economic issues of immigration reform in America’ are:” Supporting legal status for the 11.4 million undocumented immigrants which PNAE says pay taxes and do the jobs American citizens won’t do, and despite being in the country illegally, “even start their own businesses.” In a…

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Representative Diane Black Stands with President Trump on ‘Immigration Policies and Principles’

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Gubernatorial hopeful Representative Diane Black (TN-06) issued a strong statement of support Monday of President Trump’s extensive series of memos outlining the White House Immigration Policies and Principles. The new outline is, by and large, a restatement of previous positions together into a single, comprehensive document (see embedded .pdf below). “I applaud President Trump for taking a strong step to secure our borders and keep Americans safe,” Representative Black stated, adding: The President has been consistent in his efforts to stop illegal immigration and make sure that we put Americans first. I support him and I hope every Republican does the same. I’m glad the President has included some of the provisions from my bill with Senator Toomey (H.R.400 –  Stop Dangerous Sanctuary Cities Act) to end sanctuary cities and make sure that liberal politicians around the country can’t ignore the law and put their citizens in danger. It’s something we need to do, and I support President Trump’s efforts to do it.” The Principles, which were included in a letter sent by President Trump to Senate and House leadership Sunday, were also tweeted via the White House pool: Enforce Immigration Laws Across the United States https://t.co/4ZDIYTWpHv — Public Pool (@WHPublicPool) October…

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