Tennessee’s Republican leaders are voicing their support for Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination for the U.S. Supreme Court.
Read the full storyTennessee Republicans Voice Support for Amy Coney Barrett’s Nomination to Supreme Court
Tag: Representative Rick Tillis
State House Republican Caucus Elects a New Majority Whip
NASHVILLE, Tennessee – During a House Republican Caucus meeting held Monday prior to a floor session, Representative Johnny Garrett (R-Goodlettsville) was elected as the new Majority Whip.
Read the full storyGAME ON: State Rep. Mark Hall Announces Bid for Majority Whip Held by Rick Tillis
In an email sent to his fellow Republicans in the State House, Rep. Mark Hall (R-Cleveland) announced his bid for Majority Whip, a position currently held by Rep. Rick Tillis (R-Lewisburg). Hall, who was a Bradley County Commissioner for 12 years and had an impressive outing during the 2018 Republican primary taking 54 percent of the vote in a four-way race, never mentioned Tillis in his announcement. Tillis, currently in his second term, was chosen as the Majority Whip during the November 2018 House Republican Caucus elections with 43 votes over his conservative opponent Rep. Tim Rudd (R-Murfreesboro). “After much prayer and deliberation,” Hall wrote to his fellow House Republican members, “I have decided to announce my bid for Majority Whip.” Hall explained, presumably alluding to the very difficult decision the Republican Caucus faced in May with a no-confidence vote for current House Speaker Glen Casada (R-Franklin), “With all of the difficult times we have just been through, I believe we need a strong leader who will bring unity and direction to the caucus.” “With my experience in the military and running a successful business, I believe that I have what it takes to lead this body,” said the…
Read the full storyState Reps. Hawk, Tillis and Whitson Silent on Whether They Invited The Tennessean to Participate in Private GOP Conference Call
Three State Representatives who have called on Speaker Glen Casada to resign following the release of sexually explicit text messages are silent on whether they invited reporters from The Tennessean to participate in a confidential conference call of the House Republican Caucus on Wednesday. As was reported Wednesday, “The Tennessean listened to the business-like phone call after being invited to by multiple lawmakers.” State Representatives David Hawk (R-Greeneville), Sam Whitson (R-Franklin) and Rick Tillis (R-Lewisburg), all of whom have called for Casada to step down from his role as Speaker, did not respond to an emailed question by The Tennessee Star on Thursday as to whether they were among the lawmakers who invited The Tennessean to the conference call held by Speaker Casada on Wednesday. Two other state lawmakers who have weighed in on the recent controversy were asked the same question and both responded promptly to The Star. State Representative Jeremy Faison (R-Cosby), who made a very clear statement about Casada resigning to News Channel 5, emphatically denied that he invited the Tennessean to the conference call, responding, “Absolutely not.” Faison went on to explain, “My GOP caucus means to (sic) much to me than to betray their…
Read the full storyAnonymous Twitter Account Disparaging State House Members Reportedly Operated by State Representative Rick Tillis
An anonymous Twitter account that has been active for nearly three months disparaging Tennessee State House members and staff was outed Wednesday as an account secretly operated by State Representative Rick Tillis (R-Lewisburg). The big reveal came at the hands of fellow State Representative Andy Holt (R-Dresden) via Twitter. The anonymous account was operated under the Twitter handle of @CHBmole. The moniker implied that the author is an insider within the Cordell Hull Building – otherwise known as CHB – home of the Tennessee legislature since late 2017. The @CHBmole account became active in February 2019, and seemed focused primarily on criticism of legislative staffers hired by Speaker Glen Casada. However, one tweet appeared to leak that former State Representative Joe Carr had been appointed as a Deputy Commissioner for the Tennessee of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) prior to the announcement being made public. Along with the comment, “I could not think of a more qualified person,” and a “thinking” emoji was the hashtag “#favoroftheweek.” Another tweet reported that Representative Michael Curcio (R-Dickson) was chosen by Governor Bill Lee to participate in his first State of the State Address. This despite, as the “mole” pointed out, Curcio was apparently…
Read the full storyBill to Permanently Establish Daylight Saving Time in Tennessee Heads to the Governor for Signature
A bill that establishes Daylight Saving Time as the standard time for the entire state, having passed the state Senate on Tuesday, will go to Governor Bill Lee for his consideration. By a vote of 29 to 1, the Senate passed the House version of the bill, HB 0247. The House passed the bill on April 22 by a vote of 86 Ayes, 5 Nays and 5 Present and Not Voting. The measure was sponsored by Senator Steve Dickerson (R-Nashville) and Representative Rick Tillis (R-Lewisburg). Before going into effect, three conditions must be met: U.S. Congress amending or repealing that portion of the Uniform Time Act; Tennessee’s Commissioner of Transportation certifying in writing to the Speakers of the Senate and the House of Representatives the Congressional action; and by joint resolution, the Tennessee General Assembly confirming the Congressional action and authorizing the year-round implementation of the State’s observation of Daylight Saving Time Both sponsors of the Tennessee bill said during its course through the legislative process that the passage is largely a symbolic message to Washington, D.C., joining with numerous other states that have taken similar measure in hopes of prompting a response. The U.S. Department of Transportation oversees the…
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