| Lynn to run Health Care Freedom Act Next Week Since last spring I’ve been working with the American Legislative Exchange Council to ensure that citizens can never be forced by the Government, federal or otherwise, to purchase health insurance. Numerous conference calls have produced legislation that has become part of our state sovereignty work – they include bills to change the state code and Constitutional Amendments to be voted upon by the people. This work became national model legislation at ALEC’s National Conference this past December where I serve as a task force chair. Next week I will offer both a bill to change the code and an amendment to change the Constitution – Senator Diane Black is the Senate sponsor for both. Protection from costly cap & trade A cap & trade scheme, if enacted by the government, would prove to be very costly to Tennesseans, and would deepen the recession, hurting the middle class and poor the most. Another state sovereignty measure that I will offer next week which was created by our working group is a bill that would require a comprehensive economic impact assessment followed by express legislative authorization before the adoption of any program to implement a cap and trade system. State sovereignty web page Many have been asking for the history and an update on my state sovereignty work. Please visit my web page www.repsusanlynn.com and click on policy for an update. Closing of Clover Bottom Developmental Center Family and lawmakers were surprised to learn a few months ago that the Division of Intellectual Disabilities plans to move the residents of Clover Bottom Developmental Center to other facilities; leaving the main campus as a center for various outpatient services only. The state says that care at the facility can be performed elsewhere for less money. I attended a meeting yesterday with many family members, other legislators and Commissioner Dave Goetz and his staff. Mr. Goetz stated that care at Clover Bottom costs taxpayers $1250/day for each of the 108 residents – overall, total operating costs for the facility are an extraordinary $56.3 million dollars per year. He added that care at Clover Bottom costs more than for other facilities because of a decree from a lawsuit filed in 2000. The lawmakers helped the families express their concerns over the many residents that are severely disabled, requiring a very high level of care. The families state that there are no other faculties that are qualified to offer the same level of care for these residents to transition to. They also expressed concern that many residents did not survive after similar actions in other states. Allowing time for the Commissioner to consider their statements, two other lawmakers and I will visit privately with the commissioner soon to discuss these concerns further. Lawmakers present military voting bill in House subcommittee A measure presented in the House Elections Subcommittee would make it easier for troops overseas to vote absentee. House Bill 2799 would allow election commissions to email ballots that troops could then print and return by mail. Currently, election administrators mail the ballots overseas and do not utilize electronic means. The legislation hit a roadblock in the Elections Subcommittee last year, as the bill failed on a party line vote. Reputable reports state that one-third of states do not allow enough time for overseas voters, listing Tennessee as one of 16 states that sent ballots after the date necessary for voters to meet deadlines. Last year, at least seven states enacted legislation to authorize some form of electronic transmission. The committee will vote on the bill next week. House votes 65-31 to override veto of menu-labeling measure I stood in the “well” this past Monday night as my bill that will prohibit certain local entities from requiring nutritional labeling on menus became law. The bill was passed last year by both the House and Senate but was then vetoed by the Governor. The Governor had similar legislation of his own providing for a local pre-emption but it also mandated a state law that chain restaurants put calories on menus. In the end, the details of the Governor’s bill proved too complicated and too unpopular to work out. My legislation prohibits non-elected bodies from making the decision to require nutritional information on menus, such as locally appointed Boards. The Senate had previously voted on the veto override, with a vote of 24 to 7. SCORE releases ‘Race to the Top’ application summary The State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) released a summary of the state’s ‘Race to the Top’ (RTTT) application this week, taking a straightforward look at the key points in the document. The report can be seen on my website at www.repsusalynn.com, click on services, then click on state Links, then on Race to the Top on the bottom, left of the page. The summary mirrors the application and breaks it down into seven sections: governance and oversight; standards and assessments; data systems; teachers and leaders; low-performing schools; STEM; and budget. Issues in Brief… • House members introduced House Bill 2789 this week, which would create a violent juvenile sexual offender registry. The bill passed out of the House Criminal Practice and Procedure Subcommittee. • Next week, the House Criminal Practice and Procedure Subcommittee is expected to take up DUI ignition interlock legislation. House Bill 2768 would require a device to be attached to the vehicle of certain DUI offenders and will only operate if the offenders have not consumed alcohol. • House Bill 746 would urge 911 call centers to accept text messages. The legislation passed unanimously out of the House State Government Subcommittee. The Week Ahead… Tuesday, February 9th, 2010 • 8:30 a.m. – Consumer Sub – Legislative Plaza Room 30 • 8:30 a.m. – Professional Occupations – Legislative Plaza Room 31 • 9:15 a.m. – Commerce – Legislative Plaza Room 16 • 9:15 a.m. – Agriculture – Legislative Plaza Room 29 • 9:30 a.m. – General Sub of Ag - Legislative Plaza Room 29 • 10:30 a.m. – Health and Human Services – Legislative Plaza Room 16 • 10:30 a.m. – Joint House & Senate Conservation – Legislative Plaza Room 29 • 10:30 a.m. – Utilities and Banking - Legislative Plaza Room 30 • 12:00 p.m. – Children and Family Affairs – Legislative Plaza Room 31 • 12:00 p.m. – State and Local Government – Legislative Plaza Room 16 • 1:00 p.m. – Elections - Legislative Plaza Room 16 • 2:00 p.m. – Finance, Ways, and Means – Legislative Plaza Room 16 • 2:00 p.m. – State - Legislative Plaza Room 30 • 3:30 p.m. – Transportation Committee – Legislative Plaza Room 16 • 3:00 p.m. – Judiciary – Legislative Plaza Room 31 • 4:00 p.m. – Public Safety - Legislative Plaza Room 16 Wednesday, February 10th, 2010 • 8:00 a.m. – Calendar and Rules – Legislative Plaza Room 16 • 8:30 a.m. – Consumer and Employee Affairs – Legislative Plaza Room 29 • 8:30 a.m. – Local - Legislative Plaza Room 31 • 9:15 a.m. – Higher Ed. - Legislative Plaza Room 16 • 9:15 a.m. – Small Business - Legislative Plaza Room 30 • 10:00 a.m. – Government Operations – Legislative Plaza Room 29 • 10:00 a.m. – K-12 - Legislative Plaza Room 16 • 10:00 a.m. – Industrial Impact - Legislative Plaza Room 30 • 11:00 a.m. – Education– Legislative Plaza Room 16 • 11:00 a.m. – Budget - Legislative Plaza Room 29 • 11:00 a.m. – Criminal - Legislative Plaza Room 31 • 12:30 p.m. – Parks - Legislative Plaza Room 16 • 12:30 p.m. – Employee - Legislative Plaza Room 29 • 12:30 p.m. – Health Care Facilities - Legislative Plaza Room 30 • 12:30 p.m. – Civil - Legislative Plaza Room 31 • 1:30 p.m. – Public Health - Legislative Plaza Room 30 • 2:00 p.m. – Finance Budget Hearings – Legislative Plaza Room 16 Thursday, February 11th, 2010 • 8:00 a.m. – Calendar and Rules Committee – Legislative Plaza Room 16 • 9:00 a.m. – SESSION – House Chambers • 10:00 a.m. – Finance Budget Hearings – Legislative Plaza Room 16 # # # |
Susan Lynn
Susan Lynn
| State Senate |
| State Senate |
| The Weekly Wrap - a newsletter of Rep. Susan Lynn February 12, 2010 |
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If you do not find what you are looking for, please call my office at 615-741-7462. We are happy to assist you.
If you do not find what you are looking for, please call my office at 615-741-7462. We are happy to assist you.
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