Tag: Tennessee House of Representatives

The Tennessee Star Report: State Rep. Robin Smith Discusses Her Position on the Fetal Heartbeat Bill and the Escalation of Violent Protesters at the Capitol

Julie Carr

In a discussion on Thursday morning’s Tennessee Star Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – host Steve Gill talked exclusively with Robin Smith who is a former cardiac nurse and current State Representative.  Smith chatted with long time friend and host Gill about her view on the Heartbeat Bill. Towards the end of the segment, Gill and Smith touched upon the recent the odd disposition of some Bishops in regards to the Heartbeat Bill and the Tennessee Right for Life group.  Smith ended the show by giving Gill a visual version of what happened to Glen Casada last week at the Tennessee Capitol when the Speaker was assaulted by now two time offender, Justin Jones. Gill: State Representative Robin Smith former Republican party chairman in Tennessee and legislator from down in the Chattanooga area. She’s on our news makers line with us right now. Robin good to have you with us. Smith: Good morning, how are you this morning? Gill: Good and you guys are going to go into session here in about an hour and a half. And this is one of the first bills…

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An Unusual End to An Unusual Session of the Tennessee House of Representatives

Laura Baigert

  The final action of the Tennessee House of Representatives 2017  session of the Tennessee General Assembly was for  Rep. Tilman Goins (R-Morristown) to roll a bill he sponsored this year,  HB16/SB38, to 2018, after a conference committee could not reconcile the differences between the House and the Senate. The bill authorizes members of the General Assembly and political campaigns to fund raise during prescribed legislative recesses in even numbered, or election, years. The move was unusual, even in a session of unusual legislative events, most notably an increase in the gas tax which has remained unchanged for nearly three decades and maneuvers that nearly “blew up” the budget. The Senate added an amendment that was not accepted by the House, and the Senate refused to recede from its amendment, thereby creating a kind of stalemate. In such situations, a conference committee is appointed, usually consisting of at least three members of each house.  In this instance, the conference committee consisted of Senators, the Senate bill’s sponsor, Steve Southerland (R-Morristown), Bo Watson (R-Hixson) and Brian Kelsey (R-Germantown) and four Representatives, Tilman Goins, Glen Casada (R-Franklin), Andy Holt (R-Dresden), and Mike Stewart (D-Nashville) The conference committee’s mission is “to meet and attempt to…

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