Tag: Sen. Mark Pody

Commentary: The Creation of an Ombudsman Could Solve Tennessee Corrections Crisis

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Tousdale Turner prison

It is often credited to Dostoyevsky that a nation can be judged by the condition of its prisons. If that is true, then Americans should be deeply concerned.  Too many of our country’s prisons are places of despair and abuse, plagued by understaffing, crumbling infrastructure, and chronic violence – and Tennessee is no exception.  This has become clear with the recent incidents at Trousdale Turner, state auditing reports, and a report from the Tennessee Department of Corrections (TDOC).

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Tennessee Conservative Convention Commemorating 20 Years Since 9/11 Focused on Restoring America Through Faith, Family and Freedom Featured Eric Trump and Lt. Col. Oliver North

Laura Baigert

LEBANON, Tennessee – The Tennessee Conservative Convention, commemorating 20 years since the deadliest terrorist attack in America’s history on September 11, 2001, was held Saturday at a large warehouse-type facility on Bridgestone Pike in Lebanon to encourage the restoration of America with a heavy emphasis on faith and freedom.

The near all-day event, attended by hundreds, featured Eric Trump and Lt. Col. Oliver North, along with a number of other political and spiritual leaders as well as musical performances throughout a relatively fast-paced schedule.

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Eric Trump to be Featured Speaker at The 911 Event Nashville

Laura Baigert
Eric Trump

The 911 Event Nashville announced Saturday that Eric Trump will join the already star-studded commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the deadliest terror attack in the history of the United States which took the lives of 2,977 men, women and children in New York City, Arlington, Virginia and near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

The announcement about Trump joining the event lineup was made to attendees of the annual fundraiser for the Tennessee Firearms Association held Saturday at the Wilson County Fairgrounds in Lebanon and on the 911 event’s website.

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Inaugural ‘Conservative Caucus’ Held in Murfreesboro Saturday

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 with a government “of the people, by the people, and for the people” rather than one that is “over the people,” according to the website. It was originally scheduled to be held at the Millennium Maxwell House Hotel in Nashville, but due to the large gathering size and the face mask order, Mayor John Cooper would not have allowed the event to proceed. Senator Mark Pody (R-Lebanon) and Representative Bruce Griffey (R-Paris) took the lead in developing the concept, scheduling and organizing the event along with Representatives Clay Doggett (R-Pulaski) and Mike Sparks (R-Smyrna) as well as Senators Janice Bowling (R-Tullahoma), Joey Hensley (R-Hohenwald), Shane Reeves (R-Murfreesboro) and Dawn White (R-Murfreesboro). Emcee State Sen. Mark Pody, after a prayer by Pastor Alan Jackson and the Pledge of Allegiance lead by State Sen. Shane Reeves, introduced the other legislators who organized the event as well as Rep. Chris Todd and Terri…

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West Fayette Republican Club Calls for Renewed Support for Heartbeat Bill and Seeks to Call Out Senators Who Did Not Announce Support

Jason M. Reynolds

  The West Fayette Republican Club has cried foul against the “deceptive” defeat of the Heartbeat Bill in the Tennessee Senate and called for a number of steps to correct that error. The group unanimously passed a resolution regarding the Heartbeat Bill on Thursday, Hal Rounds, the president, said in a statement. The club has called upon Republican senators to “return to the aggressive support of the Heartbeat Bill” and extend the legislative session or call a special session, and that stage agencies should record the number of abortions during the time the bill has not been approved. Furthermore, the West Fayette Republican Party asks that volunteers portray the number of such abortions with crosses posted on the Legislative Plaza along with a list of senators who did not have their names listed as voting in favor of bringing the Heartbeat Bill to a full Senate vote. On April 22, a majority of the State Senate voted to table the motion to reconsider the Heartbeat Bill through a recall, putting an end to any further action on the measure during the legislative session, The Tennessee Star reported. The Senate version of the Heartbeat Bill was sent to “summer study” by…

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State Sen. Mark Pody Moves to Revive Tennessee’s ‘Heartbeat Bill’

Laura Baigert

The Senate sponsor of the ‘Heartbeat Bill,’ Senator Mark Pody (R-Lebanon) requested that the bill be recalled from the Judiciary Committee and be moved to the Senate floor. The Heartbeat Bill failed in the Senate Judiciary Committee last week, when the Committee Chairman Mike Bell (R-Riceville) made the motion for summer study. As reported by The Tennessee Star, Sen. Pody expressed his disappointment that the bill, which would ban abortions in Tennessee once a fetal heartbeat is detected – usually about six weeks after conception – was opposed by Tennessee Right To Life. In stark contrast to Tennessee Right To Life, Ohio’s Right To Life organization supported the state’s Heartbeat Bill, as The Star reported. Ohio Right To Life viewed the Heartbeat Bill as the next step in an incremental approach, a spokesperson told The Star, the timing for which seemed right with the new make-up of the U.S. Supreme Court. It’s not as though Ohio’s bill did not have its opposition from Planned Parenthood, NARAL Pro-Choice and the Ohio legislature’s Democrats who, as reported, criticized the bill. As the sponsor of SB 1236, Sen. Pody made the recall request on Monday, directing it to the Chief Senate Clerk Russell…

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Tennessee Republicans Fight To Protect Faith-Based Adoption Agencies From Discrimination

Jason M. Reynolds

Republicans continue to shepherd legislation through the Tennessee General Assembly to protect faith-based child placement agencies against discrimination for exercising their religious liberties provided by the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment. State Rep. Tim Rudd (R-TN-34) and Sen. Mark Pody (R-TN-17) are the sponsors. The bills are HB 836 and SB 1304. The tracking information is here. The legislation passed recently in the State House by a 67-22 vote. It has been placed on the final calendar of the Senate Judiciary Committee and is expected to be heard either this week or the week of April 23. “The legislation simply states that a private child placement agency that provides a written statement of their religious beliefs and policies that are within that allowed by federal law shall not be sued or (discriminated) against by the state or local government when applying for a license, grants or contracts,” Rudd said in a press release. Co-sponsor State Rep. John Ragan (R-TN-33) said, “This legislation does not change how public or private child placement agencies currently operate or place children. It simply gives protections for agencies exercising their First Amendment liberties.” Rudd said, “This legislation does not prevent or enable adoptions against any group. It…

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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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Bill To Be Heard In House Subcommittee Tuesday Would Make It A Felony For Local Elected Officials To Vote In Conflict With State Or Federal Laws On Immigration Or Historical Memorials

Laura Baigert

A bill scheduled to be heard in the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee Tuesday would make it a felony for a member of a local governmental body to vote in conflict with state or federal laws on immigration or historical memorials. House Bill 2552 sponsored by Representative Dawn White (R-Murfreesboro) creates a Class E felony when an ordinance or resolution that expressly conflicts with state or federal law relative to immigration or historical memorials is knowingly voted on by a member of a city or county legislative body. The crime would be punishable by fine only. However, as with all felony convictions by a public official, the violator would be subject to removal from office. If passed, this bill would directly combat the issue of rogue local governments that seek to create sanctuary cities or removing historical monuments as has been seen in the cities of Nashville and Memphis over the past year. Regarding the bill, Rep. White told The Tennessee Star, “The simple fact is, in America, no one should be able to openly disregard our laws without consequences.”   Elaborating on recent events within the state of Tennessee, Rep. White continued, If a local official violates our laws against…

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