Live from Music Row Wednesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – host Leahy welcomed Tennessee Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson (R-Franklin) to the newsmaker line to describe State House and Senate roles and highlight forthcoming agenda for 2023.
Leahy: On the newsmaker line right now, our good friend, State Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson. Good morning, Jack.
Johnson: Good morning, Michael. How are you?
Leahy: I wish you were here in studio. I’ve got some great coffee we could sit. And I know you love radio.
Johnson: I do. I love being in studio with you. And my apologies that I couldn’t make that happen this morning.
Leahy: That’s all right because you got a few other things to do in life besides hanging out with me. Although it’s always fun, we always have fun conversations. We’ve known each other for many, many years. And now you are preparing and you have been re-elected as State Senate Majority leader, is that right? The same leadership team?
Johnson: I have, yes.
Leahy: Congratulations on that.
Johnson: Thank you.
Leahy: Tell us what the State Senate Majority leader does and how it’s different from what the State Senate president, also Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally, of course. What does the State Senate Majority Leader do?
Johnson: The way I try to describe it, Michael, is especially when we’re in session, or certainly, we’re getting ready for the session as we are now; I view my role as being somewhat about policy. We have a caucus chairman. Senator Ken Yaeger does an outstanding job as our caucus chairman.
He’s kind of more on the political side of things in terms of the Republican Caucus in the Senate. And my focus is a little bit more on policy, although certainly, we overlap in many, many respects. But as we’re getting ready for the session trying to take a look at the horizon and major policy issues I see coming, what are going to be the policy initiatives of the governor.
Those conversations are ongoing. I have my own legislative initiatives that I wish to pursue, and how can I be helpful to my members, making sure that they’re successful in getting things done that are important to them.
Leahy: Just for our listeners, who perhaps because we have a lot of people moving into Tennessee from other states and are not familiar with how it works here. We have 99 members of the Tennessee House of Representatives.
And I think the mix there is 74 Republicans, 25 Democrats, or something like that, in the State Senate right now. Thirty-three members. What’s the mix between Republicans and Democrats in the State Senate?
Johnson: We have 27 Republicans and six Democrats.
Leahy: I would say that’s what you call a supermajority.
Johnson: (Chuckles) It is. It is a supermajority. And I’m very grateful to the people of Tennessee. And let me say this as well, Michael. They are some of the finest people I’ve ever met that I get to serve within the Senate, and the House as well. But obviously, I’m a member of the Senate, and we really are a family and some very dedicated conservative patriots who care deeply about our state and the people of our state. It’s such an incredible honor to get to serve with such amazing people, and that’s a compliment to the people of Tennessee because the people of Tennessee are the ones who choose those people who are going to serve in these bodies.
Leahy: And the State Senate have four-year terms, and you just got reelected. Congratulations. Here’s what’s interesting about this. If you’ve not been to the Tennessee State Capitol here, I really recommend you go and particularly go in and take a look at the two different chambers, the State Senate chamber and the House of Representatives.
Totally different feelings. You go into the State House of Representatives, and it’s kind of a little bit like the Wild West sometimes. A lot of action going on. The State Senate, it’s like a very cordial, friendly club, right? Very kind of calm and quiet. Very different. And that’s the way the Founders had it set up.
Johnson: It is absolutely the way the Founders intended for it to be. Honestly, our state government, as are many states is somewhat analogous to the federal government. In the United States Congress, you have 435 members and 100 Senators. And it’s very similar. The House can be a little more rambunctious and a little rowdier.
And then the Senate is the saucer that is just to cool the coffee (Leahy chuckles) before you drink it. I can’t remember which of the Founders use that line. And it’s very similar on the Senate side as well.
There are those who make the joke, Michael, that when you go to see the House, it’s kind of like middle school. It’s very reminiscent of middle school. There’s a lot of drama, a lot of passion that’s going on over there. And then you get over the Senate and it’s like a nursing home.
Leahy: (Laughs) Now, that’s funny. That’s funny!
Johnson: I consider myself to be a relatively young man, as are many of my colleagues in the Senate, so I don’t know that the nursing home analogy is completely accurate, but still, it’s funny.
Leahy: So there’s an agenda. If you could, highlight what you think are the top couple of things that this Tennessee General Assembly will address in legislation.
Johnson: Michael, you’ve had me on several times to talk about a couple of things that are very important to me. One is we have to stop this barbaric practice of mutilating kids’ bodies based on gender dysphoria and gender identity. We shouldn’t be making any type of irreparable change, any type of surgical procedure or a medicinal procedure that cannot be undone to a child before they’re 18 based on gender identity issues or gender confusion.
Or the various terms are used for that. That’s important to me. I also think that we should ban any type of illicit or sexually explicit entertainment in front of kids. We have all seen and been mortified by some of these videos of really inappropriate, sexually explicit drag shows taking place in public parks, libraries, and so forth.
We have lost on the books relative to that type of entertainment where it can take place in adult establishments that are age-restricted. No kids are there. How in the world would we allow that entertainment to come out and be viewed or exposed to children in a family-friendly setting?
So there are a couple of things that I’m going to be pursuing. And always kind of segregate or try to bifurcate the issues in terms of kind of the General Assembly, things that are going to be important. Then obviously the governor will have his legislative package as well, which I will work with him on in my capacity as Majority Leader.
I don’t know what the proposal is going to be, but there are a lot of conversations going on about roads, traffic, and infrastructure. And so what I’m telling my friends and my constituents is to stay tuned because I think the governor is going to have some suggestions or some things for us to think about over the next few weeks.
In fact, I am traveling with the governor this weekend down to the Dallas metroplex area, Dallas Fort Worth area, to look at some of the innovative ideas that Governor Abbott is doing. Ron DeSantis is doing many of these things in Florida and Brian Kemp down in Georgia.
We’re going to be taking a look at that. And then the final thing, I would say it’s a perennial issue every single year we’ve got to improve our educational outcomes in Tennessee. We’re doing lots there, including with school choice, which will go into full effect.
It’s in effect now, but it’ll go into its full effect next year. And I’m very excited about that. And teacher-student accountability, and those types of things. Those are a few of the things.
Listen to today’s show highlights, including this interview:
– – –
Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. to The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510. Listen online at iHeart Radio.
Photo “Jack Johnson” by Jack Johnson.
