Tag: Speaker Glen Casada

Governor Bill Lee Calls a Special Session for August 23 to Elect a New Speaker of the House

Laura Baigert
Bill Lee

  The day following the House Republican Caucus set a meeting to select a new Speaker, Governor Bill Lee issued a Proclamation calling for a special session of the General Assembly on Friday, August 23 at 10 a.m. On Thursday, Governor Lee issued a statement regarding the signing of the proclamation calling for the extraordinary session, “It is in the best interest of our State to select a new Speaker of the House, and so I am calling a special session of the General Assembly for August 23 to accomplish that purpose. I have also asked the General Assembly to take up approval of the recent amendments to the Supreme Court rules, in addition to settling these leadership matters. Any other procedural business would be at the discretion of the General Assembly.” The Proclamation itself states that the Governor was requested to convene an extraordinary session by numerous members of the House of Representatives, including, but not limited to the Majority Leader, who is William Lamberth (R-Portland), and the Majority Caucus Chair, who is Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville). As reported, Leader Lamberth announced Wednesday that the House Republican Caucus would meet on Wednesday, July 24 to select a new Republican nominee…

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Tennessee House Republicans to Select a New Speaker on July 24

Laura Baigert

  A meeting of the Tennessee House Republican Caucus has been scheduled for Wednesday, July 24, to select a Republican nominee for Speaker of the House. The meeting was called by House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland). In a statement issued by Leader Lamberth Wednesday, he said his call for the caucus meeting came, “following conversations with our members of the last several days.” Lamberth retweeted his announcement, which was picked up by Cameron Taylor of WSMV. NEW: @WilliamLamberth says a caucus meeting will be held next month to choose a Republican nominee for speaker. Date on special session to elect the next speaker hasn’t been announced yet. @WSMV pic.twitter.com/OtxBdUnHgV — Cameron Taylor (@CameronKSHB) June 26, 2019 The purpose of the caucus meeting is to select the Republican nominee for Speaker of the House, who will eventually replace current Speaker Glen Casada (R-Franklin). In a closed meeting and by secret ballot, Casada received a 45-24 vote of no confidence by the House GOP Caucus on May 20. At an impromptu press conference following the three-hour meeting, Lamberth said that the House Republican Caucus vote “sent a clear message” that sexist racist and similar behaviors is not acceptable in leadership, the…

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Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Reacts to House Caucus Vote of No Confidence, Tells Speaker Casada It Is Time to Step Down

Laura Baigert

  Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Scott Golden issued a statement following the conclusion of the House Republican Caucus meeting discussing Glen Casada (R-Franklin) as Speaker of the State House of Representatives, saying it is time for him to step down. Within about thirty minutes of the end of the House GOP Caucus meeting, the statement was issued for immediate release under the Tennessee Republican Party letterhead. Golden has served as the Chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party since 2016, and re-elected to the position in December 2018. Thus far, Golden has not publicly addressed the racist and sexist text messages from three years ago or other allegations surrounding Speaker Casada over the past several weeks. The statement focused on the vote which, as reported by The Tennessee Star, resulted in a 45-24 vote of no confidence in Casada as Speaker of the House of Representatives. In the statement, Golden called the events and actions surrounding Speaker Casada “a distraction from the great accomplishments of this Legislature and Governor Bill Lee.” The Republican Party maintains a supermajority in the Tennessee General Assembly with 73 of 99 House members and 28 of the 33 Senators as well as a Republican Governor. “Our…

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As Casada Says He’ll Work to Regain Confidence, House Republican Leadership Calls for Casada to Step Down and Governor Lee to Call Special Session

Laura Baigert

  In response to the State House Republican Caucus meeting which delivered a 45-24 vote of no confidence in Glen Casada (R-Franklin) continuing as Speaker, Casada and House Republican leadership issued divergent statements. Casada, who has been under tremendous public scrutiny as the first year of the 111th Tennessee General Assembly came to a close with him as the Speaker, after receiving 75 votes in January including two from Democrats, as sexist and racists texts involving his now-former Chief of Staff and another staffer from 2016 came to light. Along with the texts, there were allegations of modifying the date of an email in an effort to frame activist Justin Jones who was restricted from being in the presence of Casada following assault charges, followed by accusations of surveillance of committee rooms in the Cordell Hull legislative office building, installation of white noise machines in the Speaker’s office, and attempting to influence the outcome of a House Ethics Committee advisory opinion. In a three-hour, closed-to-the-public meeting held Monday, the House Republican Caucus emerged with a 49-24 secret vote on a resolution of no confidence in Casada as Speaker. Shortly after, Casada issued a very brief statement: I’m disappointed in the…

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State House GOP Caucus Votes 45-24 No Confidence in Speaker Glen Casada

Laura Baigert

  NASHVILLE, Tennessee – After approximately three hours, House Republican Caucus members emerged from a closed meeting and announced that a secret ballot resulted in a 45-24 vote of no confidence in Speaker Glen Casada (R-Franklin). The meeting was held at the 21cMuseum Hotel on 2nd Avenue in downtown Nashville, just a few blocks from the offices of the Tennessee legislature. Many legislators were seen walking from the Cordell Hull Building to the hotel. As they approached the front door of the hotel, legislators were met with about 10 protesters, at least one of whom was wearing a Williamson County Democratic Party shirt and another who wore a Rutherford County Democratic Party shirt, in addition to Justin Jones who was arrested earlier this year for assaulting Speaker Casada. The caucus reserved a large meeting room in the basement of the hotel, the door to which was manned by a legislative staffer.  With the rental of the meeting room by the GOP Caucus, the hotel general manager said it included the entire floor. As such, all media and protesters were asked to leave prior to the start of the meeting at 2:30 p.m.  The news was not received well by members…

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House Speaker Glen Casada on Claims He Attempted to Rig and Predetermine Ethics Opinion: ‘Most Maddening Allegation Made to Date’

Laura Baigert

  House Speaker Glen Casada (R-Franklin) came out swinging against claims that he tried to “rig and predetermine” the outcome of his request for an advisory opinion by the House Ethics Committee, calling it the “most maddening allegation made to date.” The charge was made by House Ethics Committee member Mike Carter (R-Ooltewah) in a three-page statement dated May 17, addressed to Republican Caucus for the House of Representatives, State of Tennessee. “Based on the facts that I now know,” Carter then called for the resignation of Speaker Casada. According to the news report, Carter first provided his statement to Times Free Press prior to sending it to the GOP Caucus. [pdf-embedder url=”https://tennesseestar.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Carter-Statement-re-Casada_.pdf”]   Carter’s release of his statement was the first step in what has developed into an unusually public back and forth between him and Casada. In Carter’s original statement, he described the events surrounding an advisory opinion presented for his approval and signature, which included being presented with a statement of facts in the 9th floor Legislative Legal Services Offices of the Cordell Hull Building. While Carter didn’t name who was in the room, referring to them only as “those present,” television news reports trying to cover…

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House Ethics Committee Member Calls for Resignation of House Speaker Casada Despite Confidentiality of Advisory Opinion

Laura Baigert

  A member of the House Ethics Committee, Representative Mike Carter (R-Ooltewah) issued a statement calling for the resignation of Glen Casada as House Speaker after participating in a confidential advisory opinion process. All aspects of a House Ethics Committee advisory opinion are confidential, according to Representative Matthew Hill (R-Jonesborough), Deputy Speaker and Chair of the House Ethics Committee, who said in an exclusive statement to The Tennessee Star that, “Per House rules, an advisory opinion and any information related to it is kept confidential.” The advisory opinion was requested by House Speaker Glen Casada (R-Franklin) as part of an action plan he issued May 8 that, as he put it, “seeks to provide clarity on what has transpired, as well as ensure that I am doing everything within my power to prevent future missteps.” In the lengthy statement published by Times Free Press, Carter retreated from his previous position that a decision not be made until all the facts were known and the investigation completed, because he feels moved to call for the resignation of Speaker Casada based on the facts that he now knows. Carter’s statement came after participating in an individual meeting as a member of the…

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No Clear Legal Path for Forced Removal of Tennessee House Speaker Casada, Despite Partisan Drumbeat from Local Mainstream Media

Laura Baigert

  Despite the controversies that have surrounded Tennessee Speaker of the House Glen Casada the last two weeks and the relentless partisan drumbeat of the local mainstream media, the legal path to force his removal as Speaker by his political opponents remains unclear. The controversies erupted a little more than two weeks ago when NewsChannel 5 interviewed Justin Jones, the 23-year-old Vanderbilt University student who had been arrested in October for refusing to leave a private Marsha Blackburn fundraiser and resisting arrest, and was subsequently arrested on February 28 when he allegedly assaulted Speaker Casada and State Rep. Debra Moody at the State Capitol. In that interview, Jones, who is represented by NewsChannel 5 legal analyst Nick Leonardo, claimed that Speaker Casada and his staff had attempted to frame him when they reported an email from him that arrived in their office email on March 1 to the Davidson County District Attorney’s office as a violation of a court order prohibiting him from contacting the Speaker or his staff. In that same report, NewsChannel 5 showed a series of text communications between Casada, his chief of staff Cade Cothren, and an unidentified former staffer that included vulgar texts that objectified…

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EXCLUSIVE: Cade Cothren Denies Any Listening Devices Planted in Legislative Offices

Admin

  Despite recent claims by a handful of legislators, allegations by some news media outlets, and a recent letter from the Tennessee Democratic House Caucus to the U.S. Attorney in Nashville requesting an investigation into “bugs” being planted in the offices of Tennessee legislators, there is no evidence that there is any truth to the stories. Now, the former Chief of Staff for House Speaker Glen Casada, Cade Cothren, specifically denies that any such thing has happened. “I have absolutely not been involved in planting any listening devices in any legislative offices,” Cothren told The Tennessee Star, “nor do I believe it has even happened. I know for a fact that nobody in the Speakers office did any such thing,” Cothren pointed out that there is not a shred of evidence to support the outlandish claims, and that any legitimate investigation will quickly put this particular lie to rest. “The fact that the media is running with a story without any substance or proof demonstrates how the current media feeding frenzy is completely out of control,” Cothren added. Cothren also specifically denied that he listened in on meetings in Legislative committee rooms after Committee Hearings ended. “Not only did I…

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State Reps. Hawk, Tillis and Whitson Silent on Whether They Invited The Tennessean to Participate in Private GOP Conference Call

Laura Baigert

  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…

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Anonymous Twitter Account Disparaging State House Members Reportedly Operated by State Representative Rick Tillis

Laura Baigert

  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…

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State House Democrats Split on Next Steps for Speaker Glen Casada

Laura Baigert

  NASHVILLE, Tennessee – Following the resignation of his Chief of Staff, Tennessee House Democrats are split on what Speaker Glen Casada should do next. In a press conference held at the Cordell Hull Building Tuesday morning, Chairman of the Tennessee Black Caucus Representative G. A. Hardaway (D-Memphis) reading from a prepared statement, called for the TBI (Tennessee Bureau of Investigation) to investigate Speaker Casada’s former Chief of Staff Cade Cothren. Cothren has been at the center of controversy since late last week when reports of alleged email tampering associated with activist Justin Jones came out, followed by the uncovering of racially derogatory and sexually explicit texts. Cothren resigned from his Chief of Staff position on Monday. Representative Hardaway was joined for the press conference by Senator Brenda Gilmore (D-Nashville), Representative Vincent Dixie (D-Nashville) as well as Chair of the Tennessee Democratic Party Mary Mancini. In the prepared statement, Representative Hardaway called Justin Jones a civil rights activist and said that media reports say Cothren falsified evidence in a judicial proceeding to obtain the incarceration of Jones. Justin Jones was a frequent protester at the State Capitol, until he was banned after allegedly throwing a cup of liquid at Speaker…

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Democrats Violated the State Constitution and House Rules When They Walked out of the House Chambers

Laura Baigert

Despite media reports suggesting otherwise, when Democrats left the House floor and walked out of the chambers during session, it was they who were in violation of the Constitution of the State of Tennessee and House Rules of the 111th Tennessee General Assembly, not House Speaker Glen Casada. News Channel 5 reported, “Democratic lawmakers locked inside House chambers.” News Channel 3’s report titled “Democrat lawmakers locked in House Chamber in Nashville,” said “Democrats are calling what happened a lawless act. Republicans say it was well within the law and necessary.” Footage in the News Channel 3 report showed people crowding the House Chamber doors and the two visible Sergeants-At-Arms, who were just following the Speakers orders, backed up to the doors. The video captured Joel Ebert of The Tennessean joining in, recording with his phone and asking the Sergeant-At-Arms, “Why aren’t we allowed out? Why aren’t we allowed out of the chamber?” Also included was Democrat Caucus Chair Representative Mike Stewart of Nashville telling reporters, “The lawlessness and the culture of arrogance that we’ve seen demonstrated throughout this session in ways that have no precedence just was lifted to an entirely new level where you actually had a member, Representative…

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Speaker Casada Says Jones Email Was Not Altered by Me or My Office

Chris Butler

  Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada says the NewsChannel 5 report by Phil Williams claiming that the email from Justin Jones was altered is simply untrue and the implication that anybody in his office tried to frame Justin Jones is completely false. “On March 1 the email from Jones dated February 25 was received by my office and it was immediately forwarded, along with a photo of the email that showed the March 1 date that it was received, to the Nashville District Attorney because it appeared that Mr. Jones had violated the terms of the Court’s Order to refrain from contacting me. After it was realized that the date the email was received was a few days after it had been sent, my office notified the District Attorney about the apparent disparity in dates,” Casada said. “The email was not altered or manipulated to falsely accuse Jones of violating the Court’s order,” he added. Casada also explained that he had Legislative Information Services (LIS) investigate and they determined that the email had somehow lagged in delivery for several days within the system. The Tennessee House Republican Caucus released this statement from Speaker Casada late Thursday afternoon: “The allegations made…

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High Drama as State House Eventually Passes Governor Bill Lee’s Education Savings Account Initiative

Laura Baigert

  NASHVILLE, Tennessee – A much-anticipated vote by the full Tennessee House of Representatives on Governor Bill Lee’s Education Savings Account (ESA) initiative ended in high drama on Tuesday, after it was moved from the second item on the agenda of the Regular Calendar to the end. From the outset of the meeting there were three to four dozen opponents to the ESA legislation in the gallery, most of whom were displaying hand-held no vouchers signs. While there were 13 amendments to the bill proposed in the House, Amendment #1, #3 and #4 were withdrawn and Amendment #2 was rolled to the heel of the amendments. The remaining amendments were largely offered by Democrats attempting to curtail the legislation. For instance, Representative Jason Powell (D-Nashville) with Amendment #5 sought to allow his county of Davidson to opt out of the legislation, saying not one of the delegation supports it. Powell questioned the constitutionality of the bill and said that the funding of Davidson County schools is under attack. “Maybe some of you are fine with the redistribution of wealth,” argued Powell of the amendment he said would shift money to other counties, “but I stand against that.” Powell said that…

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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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The Pro-Life Heartbeat Bill Passes the Tennessee House, Despite Protests From Planned Parenthood and Democrats

Laura Baigert

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – The majority of State House members voted for a pro-life Heartbeat Bill that bans abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected, although the bill’s passage wasn’t without protests from Planned Parenthood and opposition by House Democrats. As reported by The Tennessee Star, the Heartbeat Bill, sponsored by Representative Micah Van Huss (R-Jonesborough) as HB 0077 passed in the House on Thursday by a vote of 65 Ayes, 21 Nays and 7 Present Not Voting. But, before the bill was presented and voted on, legislators were met with Planned Parenthood protesters in the rotunda of the Capitol outside the House chambers. Pro-life supporters were overwhelmed by pro-abortion protesters in both numbers and volume. Pro-abortionists, organized by Tennessee Advocates for Planned Parenthood’s Executive Director Francie Hunt and Community Organizer Elizabeth Thomas as a “Healthcare not Hangers” event, numbered about two dozen. All presented hand-written signs with disturbing messages describing supposed methods a woman would take if she were denied the right to a legal abortion. One pro-life supporter, Brenda Catanach, pointed out to The Star that the signs represented actions that are all self-inflicted by a woman’s own choice and not imposed upon her against her will. In addition…

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Huge Turnout at Williamson County GOP Victory Party

Tennessee Star Staff

FRANKLIN, Tennessee–A huge crowd turned out for the Williamson County GOP Victory Party held at the Cool Springs Marriott in Franklin on Saturday night. More than 300 people attended the event, which featured speeches from Rep. Mark Green (R-TN-07), Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives Glen Casada, and State Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson (R-Franklin), among others. Blackburn, Casada, and Johnson are all residents of Williamson County. Though not a resident of Williamson County, Green is a resident of the 7th Congressional District he represents in Congress, which includes much of Williamson County. The event’s success was a tribute to the organizational leadership of outgoing Williamson County Republican Party Chairman Debbie Deaver, a grassroots conservative leader who began her tenure with a stunning victory two years ago over a more established opponent in February 2017. Deaver’s victory was one of the first stories reported by The Tennessee Star, which launched just days before, on February 6, 2017. Musical entertainment for the event was provided by State Sen. Johnson and his band, the Austin Brothers.    

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House Subcommittee Chairman Issues Warning to Colleagues About Bureaucrats Undermining the Legislative Process

Laura Baigert

The chairman of a State House Subcommittee issued a letter warning his colleagues that the undermining of the legislative process by unelected bureaucrats in Tennessee is a reality. Representative Micah Van Huss (R-Jonesborough) wrote the letter dated January 30, 2019. Van Huss is a member of the House Health Committee, Judiciary Committee and Public Health Committee and is the Chairman of the newly-formed Constitutional Protections and Sentencing Subcommittee. It was as the chairman of that subcommittee that Van Huss found himself in a meeting with a department director, after which he felt compelled to issue his written warning. Van Huss explained, “a department director met with me to discuss how they could be of service to me and our Constitutional Protections and Sentencing Committee this year.” “One of the very first things this person said to me was that they would be of great help this year and that if there is a bad bill they will be able to put a big fiscal note on it,” he wrote. “During the course of the meeting,” Van Huss added, “a similar statement was made a second time.” Van Huss chose not to mention the bureaucrat by name, but did state that…

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Gov. Lee Says He Would Support Efforts to Ban Abortions Following Detection of Fetal Heartbeat

Jason M. Reynolds

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee says he will support efforts to ban abortions once a fetal heartbeat has been detected, which is about six weeks into a pregnancy. Lee’s comments join those of senior lawmakers in the Legislature, NewsChannel 9 said. Generally speaking, the new governor told reporters Wednesday he will look at individual bills and decide if he favors them, and “the courts will have to decide for themselves whether it’s constitutional or not.” “I would support any bill that reduces the number of abortions in the state,” said Lee, who campaigned heavily on his Christian faith. NewsChannel 9 said House Speaker Glen Casada and Senate Speaker Randy McNally had voiced support Tuesday for banning abortions following detection of a heartbeat. A fetal heartbeat bill was introduced this term in the Tennessee General Assembly by Rep. James (Micah) Van Huss (R-TN-06). The bill prohibits abortions from the point a fetal heartbeat is detected and requires fetal heartbeat testing prior to an abortion. Lee’s “Ten for Tenn” campaign platform last summer said he was pro-lift and would sign legislation to reduce abortions,such as the heartbeat bill, and enforce the law to ensure Planned Parenthood doesn’t get state money. Bans on abortions…

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During National School Choice Week, Speaker Pro Tem Bill Dunn Receives Award for School Choice Efforts

Laura Baigert

In celebration of National School Choice Week, Tennessee Federation for Children sponsored a Champions of Choice event at the state capitol to present Representative Bill Dunn with the 2019 Champion award. Standing beside Tennessee Speaker of the House Glen Casada (R-Franklin), Shaka Mitchell, Tennessee’s State Director of American Federation for Children, said that as National School Choice Week is being celebrated this week, they wanted to come together to recognize one of the state’s leaders in education and strong advocate for students, Speaker Pro Tem Bill Dunn (R-Knoxville). American Federation for Children (AFC) is a Washington, D.C. headquartered non-profit organization that seeks to “empower families, especially lower-income families with the freedom to choose the best K-12 education for their children.” The event was held in the Legislative Library located at the state capitol with as many as 100 in attendance including legislators and members of Governor Bill Lee’s staff. AFC’s partner organizations in the effort including Beacon Center of Tennessee, Americans for Prosperity-Tennessee and Tennessee CAN (The Tennessee Campaign for Achievement Now) were also there. AFC’s Mitchell started off by speaking about the quality of education in Tennessee, “The reality is we still have a long way to go,” after…

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Tennessee House And Senate Committees Undergo Major Shakeups

Laura Baigert

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – On the third day of the 111th Tennessee General Assembly, leadership announced committee assignments in the House and Senate, upsetting the status quo before recessing from their organizational sessions until January 18. During the House Republican caucus elections in November, Glen Casada (R-Franklin) made a commitment that, as Speaker, he would restructure the subcommittee system to expand up on it as well as use the composition to capitalize on subject matter experts. After his election as Speaker earlier this week, Casada, who garnered votes from Democrat Representatives John DeBerry (Memphis), Johnny Shaw (Bolivar) and John Mark Windle (Livingston), promised partnership rather than partisanship. In the final moments of the two-hour floor session of the 3rd organizational day of the House during which the House Permanent Rules of Order for the 111th General Assembly were debated and voted on and mandatory Ethics and Workplace Discrimination & Harassment training were conducted, Speaker Casada announced the House committees, committee members and subcommittee chairs. Keeping to his previous promises, Speaker Casada increased the House standing committees and subcommittees to a total of 43, from the previous 28. All but two committees had one subcommittee previously, but with Speaker Casada’s restructuring, some…

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