Rep. Bo Mitchell & Rep. Mike Stewart grill Gov. Bill Lee Finance commish Stuart Mcwhorter about a reported 50-60 grant commitments from a $4 MILLION SLUSH FUND TO GET VOUCHERS PASSED.
As Bo reminds McWhorter of a perjury law, Rep. Martin Daniel CUTS OFF his mic.
REPUBLICAN REP. Kent Calfee says “There’s a bill to repeal VOUCHERS… because there was every kind of DIRTY TRICK IN THE BOOK — BRIBES, THREATS, everything else to get it passed.”
Calfee lets loose on how Disgraced former Speaker Glen Casada & Gov Bill Lee got Lee’s public school-harming vouchers through.?
Ogles stresses “distraction” & activist “yelling”?says moving it is “respectful”—suggests putting crosses in the capitol.
Newly woke disgraced ex-speaker Casada now says “change is painful but good”.
Senator Jack Johnson: “THE GOVERNOR HAS NOT WEIGHED IN YET” — Johnson reminds us Governor Lee controls 7 of the 12 state Capitol commission votes on MOVING THE KKK GRAND WIZARD BUST out of our Capitol.
You know who also hasn’t weighed in? SENATOR JACK JOHNSON.
Wilson County Resident Trisha Farmer talks to Wilson County Commissioner Bobby Franklin about their “unkind” anti-refugees proclamation intended to send Gov. Lee a message, which will be voted on tonight.
Franklin says he takes issue with the resources refugees take up – but only 13 refugees have been placed in Wilson County since 2002. The impact on Wilson County’s budget is statistically insignificant.
He also says people are being “recruited”, a dubious claim, and says in Minnesota refugees are changing things “culturally” which he calls a “downside” – clearly toeing the line of racism and bigotry at worst, xenophobia at best.
Governor Lee has been attacked by conservatives for his willingness to allow refugees to continue to come to Tennessee.
The Wilson County vote is scheduled for TONIGHT.
Holler at the County Commissioners HERE.
Take Action: Earlier this week, we defeated anti-refugee resolutions in Bedford, Greene, and Madison Counties. But on Monday, Wilson County is considering a similar resolution. We need you to take action again! https://t.co/C0tfmkamTC
— TIRRC Votes (@TIRRCVotes) January 24, 2020
Watch Lee & announce his “comprehensive pro-life legislation” – despite bumbling on details.
TN Dems call it “extreme & divisive”, “unconstitutional”, say it does nothing to help TN’s health care crisis.
It will lead to costly lawsuits. TN’s maternal mortality rate is 3rd world, yet Lee refuses $1 BILLION/year in Medicaid expansion funds. That isn’t pro-life.
WATCH Senator Paul Rose’s bill to permit taxpayer-funded discrimination pass the Senate, making TN a less welcoming place that doesn’t put the best interests of kids first.
Governor Lee will sign it despite having an LGBT sibling. ?️?
You’ve probably heard that yesterday the TN Senate started off the legislative session by passing a bill which targets LGBT people and allows state-supported adoption agencies to discriminate against LGBT people.
The bill will now head to Governor Lee’s desk, and Lee has said he will sign it.
What you may not know is Governor Lee’s own sister is married to a woman, and therefore is a part of the LGBT community targeted by his party’s bill.
Here’s @ScoopNashville’s tweet about Cynthia Lee’s wedding:
And here’s Cynthia Lee with Bill’s wife Maria outside his campaign headquarters in Franklin:
Tennessee is #1 in medical bankruptcies, #2 in rural hospital closures, gets an “F” in education funding, and has the maternal mortality rate of a third world country… yet this is what the TN GOP and Bill Lee are focused on?
Here’s how they voted — GREEN means they voted for the bill. Red against.
Cynthia and her wife deserve to be treated just like everyone else in America, and should not be targeted and made to feel less than by our laws.
This adoption bill is especially ugly because it would have the effect of robbing loving homes from children who might otherwise not be able to find one.
If you agree Governor Lee should VETO THIS BILL, Holler at him HERE.
Democratic legislators Rep. Gloria Johnson & State Senator Sara Kyle had a bill last session to bring paid family leave to all Tennesseans, but were LAUGHED OUT OF COMMITTEE by Republican reps Rep. John Holsclaw Jr. & Rep. Clark Boyd.
Now Governor Lee has announced he’ll be extending it to all state employees, although he did NOT have paid leave for employees at his own company.
WATCH Gloria Johnson say all employees should enjoy paid leave, which is required by almost every other country in the world.
WATCH: “I’m really excited @GovBillLee took a part of that plan… but EVERY hardworking Tennessean should have access to paid family leave.” @VoteGloriaJ & @SaraforTN tried to extend paid family leave to ALL of TN, were laughed out of committee by @HolsclawRep & @ClarkBoydTN. pic.twitter.com/xvbCELz00j
— The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) January 9, 2020
You may remember Rep. Bill Sanderson as the guy who stepped down under, ahem… controversial circumstances last year (as an anti-LGBT legislator with a gay son exposed for himself allegedly being a Grindr regular).
Sanderson said it was to go spend more time on his wine business, and had previously pushed through a bill that created a wine board with the goal of boosting the Tennessee wine industry, which he himself had a stake in.
As it turns out, Governor Lee has now just appointed Sanderson as one of the members of the wine board.
Must be nice!
In related news, Sanderson was one of the reps who voted for Lee’s controversial school vouchers legislation, which barely passed the TN house 50-48, needing every last vote after disgraced former speaker Casada held it open for 35 minutes. The vote is rumored to be subject of an FBI investigation.
There has also been controversy swirling around a $4 Million slush fund which may have been used to make promises to get votes for the vouchers, which Commissioner Rolfe moonwalked away from fast during last month’s budget hearings, saying Lee and Stuart McWhorter were responsible.
NEW: “WE DID NOT PROPOSE THAT.”
WATCH @CommishTNECD Rolfe distance himself from @GovBillLee & @mcwhorters’ $4 MILLION SLUSH FUND, seemingly used to get Lee’s public school-harming VOUCHERS passed.
Rolfe says Lee told him not to spend the?(now that the scheme is public??) pic.twitter.com/hPIJyPNmDi
— The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) December 2, 2019
So Sanderson gets a Wine Board created to boost his own industry… then gets appointed to the board by Governor Lee… after voting for Lee’s public school-harming vouchers.
Were these guys elected to serve the citizens of Tennessee, or themselves?
“How is rejecting $1 BILLION/year in Medicaid Expansion funds helping TN’s rural communities?”
TN is #1 in MEDICAL BANKRUPTCIES & HOSPITAL CLOSURES. Maternal mortality of a 3rd world country.
Gov. Lee says a BLOCK GRANT means MORE?, but facts disagree.