State Representative Johnny Garrett’s (R-Goodlettsville) amendment to a Tennessee bill that would have enacted a massive tax increase passed Wednesday in the Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee.
According to a fiscal note on the bill before it was amended, it would have increased state revenue by nearly $800 million in taxes on business enterprises.
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A bill advancing in the Tennessee House of Representatives would prohibit local governments from returning lawmakers to the General Assembly after they have been successfully expelled from office.
HB 2716 by State Representative Johnny Garrett (R-Goodlettsville) seeks to amend Tennessee law to mandate that any local government body must “elect a successor to fill a vacant seat” in the General Assembly due to a vacancy caused “due to the expulsion of a member for disorderly behavior, then the local legislative body shall not elect the expelled legislator to be the successor to fill the vacant seat.”
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Majority Whip Johnny Garrett joined the newsmaker line on Monday’s episode of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy to share his insights on the new legislative session as it begins its second week at home as snow continues to blanket the region.
Garrett expressed optimism about Governor Bill Lee’s proposed education freedom scholarships, though he said he does anticipate some opposition to the proposal.
The conversation then turned to the potential constitutional issue regarding the franchise excise tax law that could leave taxpayers on the hook for as much as $1.2 billion. Garrett noted Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti is evaluating the claims to see if tax relief for the companies in question would address constitutional concerns.
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