Some of The Successes of Tennessee Eagle Forum Over the Years

SOME 2023 VICTORIES we were involved in:

PROPOSED CHANGES TO TENNESSEE'S PRO-LIFE LAW :
SB 0745 by *Briggs - HB 0883 by *Helton-Haynes , RUDDER, HAZLEWOOD, FARMER, MOON, WHITE, MARSH, WHITSON, TRAVIS, CARR, VAUGHAN
Abortion - As introduced, requires the state capitol commission to be responsible, through funds appropriated to the commission, after funds from the construction and placement have been exhausted, for the upkeep and maintenance of a monument on the capitol campus that is in memory of the victims of abortion
STATUS: What a journey this has been.Because Roe v Wade was, thankfully, inally over turned, there was a very strong effort to greatly weaken the the Human Lif Protection Act as passed in 2019. After very firm push back on the original language of this bill and the amendment offier, finally an acceptable compromise was reached.  On March 20th, HB883, as appropriately amended, passed the House floor 83-11-2.
When SB745 was in the Judiciary Committee, a couple of Senators stated that they would be bringing more bills on this subject next session.
On Wednesday, SB745, as appropriately amended, and after several amendments that had been filed were defeated, it passed the Senate floor 26-1-4:
The Human Life Protection Act stands strong after all proposals dealing with changing the current law have been heard for this session. Pro-life Tennesseans let their voices be heard and, therefore, the law will continue to protect the right to life of all unborn children in our state.It was signed by the Governor on April 28, 2023, and became Public Chapter 313.

BLURRING THE LINES BETWEEN PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOLS AND HOME SCHOOLS:
SB 1194 by *McNally , Lundberg - HB 1214 by *Sexton , WHITE
Local Education Agencies - As introduced, changes, from five days to five business days, the amount of notice a local board of education member must give the board before a scheduled meeting of the member's intent to participate in the meeting electronically because the member is or will be out of the county at the time of the meeting
This became a serious conflict:FOR BACKGROUND, PLEASE GO HERE.
STATUS: On March 22, the Senate Education Committee put SB1194 in General Sub. Well, on April 5th, the House Education Administration took it 'off notice'. Another long battle, but citizen involvement made all the difference. We will certainly be watchful next session. 

CONTROLLING ACCESS TO ADULT PERFORMANCES:
SB 0003 by *Johnson , Crowe, Bowling, Haile, Yager, Bailey, Jackson
HB 0009 by *Todd, RICHEY, MCCALMON, CEPICKY, MOON, BARRETT, BULSO, Raper, Howell, Hawk, Vital, Moody, Davis, Sherrell, Gant, Fritts
Obscenity and Pornography - As introduced, creates an offense for a person who engages in an adult cabaret performance on public property or in a location where the adult cabaret performance could be viewed by a person who is not an adult.
STATUS:  As amended, SB003-HB009 was signed by the Governor on March 2, 2023, becoming Public Chapter 2.

PARENTAL PERMISSION REQUIRED:
SB 1443 by *Roberts , Lowe - HB 0727 by *Fritts , HULSEY
Local Education Agencies - As introduced, requires a student's parent or legal guardian, or the student if the student has reached the age of majority, to provide a written, informed, and voluntarily signed consent to the student's LEA before the student may receive instruction through the LEA's family life curriculum, participate in a survey, analysis, or evaluation, or receive health services provided through a coordinated school health program.
STATUS: SB1443, as amended, and as amended, passed the Senate 25-5-1; HB passed the House 74-24.
Signed by the Governor on May 5, 2023

2022 VICTORIES

OBSCENITY AND PORNOGRAPHY AND OUR CHILDREN

We don't often have the opportunity to celebrate something as important as the passage of SB2292-HB2454. There was NOTHING easy about what it took to achieve this victory, but PRAISE THE LORD, we won. We WON for the CHILDREN and we WON for their parents. 

We are SO PROUD OF AND SO GRATEFUL TO OUR WONDERFUL SPONSORS: Sen. Mike Bell and Rep. Terri Lynn Weaver.
And, if you made a phone call or sent an email to support our bill, THANK YOU!

SB2292 Senate floor 23-4; HB2454 passed the House floor 74-17 and became Public Chapter 1002.

Obscenity and Pornography - As enacted, redefines "obscene" to include material that has educational value; makes various changes to the internet acceptable use policy LEAs are required to adopt; enacts requirements governing providers of digital and online resources; enacts and revises other related provisions. 

SOME OF THE THINGS THIS BILL ACCOMPLISHES:

Limits the educational justification concerning obscene materials and performances, as described in the Bill Summary, to that the educational justification exception will not apply if the obscene material is possessed by a person with the intent to send, sell, distribute, exhibit, or display the material to a minor.
Requires the provisions of this bill concerning internet filter technology to be contractual provisions and defining "verification".
Requires a provider of digital or online resources, with which an LEA or a state agency contracts for the provision of digital or online materials created and marketed for K-12 school use, to do the following:
(1) Verify that the digital or online materials do not violate the prohibition against distributing obscene material to minors;
(2) Filter, block, or otherwise prevent access to pornography or obscenity through one's use of the digital or online materials;
(3) Verify, in writing, that the provider's technology prevents a user from sending, receiving, viewing, or downloading materials that are harmful to minors (TCA 39-17-901 which I helped to pass in 1989); and
(4) Remove, upon the contracting LEA's or state agency's request, access to digital or online materials for ages or audiences for which the contracting LEA or state agency has determined the material to be age- or audience-inappropriate.

SENTENCE ENHANCEMENT FOR SEX TRAFFICKING:
SB 1378 by *Bell , Bailey, Bowling, Crowe, Jackson, Stevens, White - HB 1416 by *Curcio , SHERRELL, WHITE, WHITSON, OGLES, RAGAN, ALEXANDER, TODD, TERRY, LITTLETON, JERNIGAN
Criminal Offenses - As introduced, creates the Class A felony of aggravated human trafficking; specifies the release eligibility for a person committing a human trafficking offense or an aggravated human trafficking offense; revises the sentence enhancement for the offense of trafficking for commercial sex act.
PLEASE NOTE:  We started working on this bill last year. It passed in Senate Judiciary and House Criminal Justice in 2021, then it was put 'behind the budget' for funding. My friend, Ilonka Deaton, who was trafficked from the time she was 12, until she was 17, gave dramatic testimony in the House and Senate committees. FINALLY on Wednesday the bill was on the Finance committee's calendar and was funded. As amended, it passed the Senate 32-0 and the House 92-0. What a WONDERFUL victory!! It became Public Chapter 1089.

2021 VICTORIES

CRITICAL RACE THEORY.

GIVING POWER TO THE VICTIM OF RAPE
SB 0274 by *Rose - HB 0326 by *Moody
Child Custody and Support - As introduced, removes custody, visitation, or inheritance rights for a parent who has been convicted of aggravated statutory rape, statutory rape by an authority figure, or lesser included offenses of rape, from which crime the child was conceived
SB274 was passed overwhelmingly by the Senate and the House and was signed by Governor April 20, 2021

WHAT IS SEXUAL HARASSMENT?
SB 1124 by *White--HB 1006 by *Doggett
Juvenile Offenders - As introduced, expands the unruly act of illegal use of a communication device by a minor to include possessing or transmitting an image of sexual activity involving a minor.
SB1124 passed the Senate and House overwhelming and has been assigned Public Chapter Number 147 by the Secretary of State

PROPOSED CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION 2020:
HJR 0809 by *Keisling
Constitutional Conventions - Requests the United States Congress to convene an Article V Convention for the purpose of proposing an amendment to the United States Constitution that would restore the public's trust in our representative government by reforming our campaign finance system

STATUS:  Well, I could not be happier to report that when HJR809 was presented again on the House floor Monday night it was resoundingly DEFEATED 14-77-5. Our hard work paid off. Rep. Terri Lynn Weaver again spoke eloquently against the resolution. Rep.Rick Tillis made some very cogent points: "What is the plan? House could be unleashing something they would not be around to see. Putting the train on a track with no final destination." 

STRENGTHENING TN'S FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION PROHIBITIONS 2019:
SB 1166 by *Hensley (HB 1364) by *Weaver,
Criminal Offenses - As introduced, rewrites the criminal offense of female genital mutilation; extends the statute of limitations for criminal prosecutions or civil actions for female genital mutilation
House floor 90-2-2, Senate floor 33-0.

ANTI-SANCTUARY CITY BILL 2018:
SB 2332 by * Green  HB 2315 by *Reedy
Immigration - As introduced, prohibits state and local governmental entities and officials from adopting sanctuary policies; provides that violations subject entities to ineligibility of state moneys; allows law enforcement agencies to enter into memorandums of agreement with federal officials concerning enforcement of federal immigration laws. House Floor 64-23, Senate floor, Senate floor 27-5. Governor refused to sign and it became law without his signature.

NO MUNICIPAL IDs 2018:
SB 2333 by *Green HB 2312 by *Lamberth

Conference Committee Report on House Bill No. 2312 / Senate Bill No. 2333
The House and Senate Conference Committee appointed pursuant to motions to
resolve the differences between the two houses on House Bill No. 2312 (Senate Bill No. 2333)
has met and recommends that all amendments be deleted. The Committee further recommends that the following amendment be adopted:
by deleting all language after the enacting clause and substituting instead the following:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 8, Chapter 50, Part 1, is amended by
adding the following new section:
(a) An official or employee of this state or any political subdivision of this state
shall not accept an identification document issued or created by any person,
organization, county, city, or other local authority to determine a person's citizenship,
immigration status, or residency, except where expressly authorized to be used for
identification purposes by the general assembly or by federal law.
(b) A local government or law enforcement agency shall not authorize, by policy,
resolution, or ordinance, the use of any document described in subsection (a) as a form
of identification to be used to determine the citizenship, immigration status, or residency
of any person. Any local government or law enforcement policy, resolution, or ordinance
that conflicts with this section is unenforceable and must be repealed or rescinded by
the appropriate authority. House 69-9-1; Senate 25-3

INFORMED CONSENT AND WAITING PERIOD FOR ABORTION 2015:
SB 1222 by *Beavers (HB 0977) by *Hill M
Abortion - As introduced, revises provisions governing reports a physician who performs an abortion is required to keep to specify that such records must be maintained for five years; clarifies that the requirement applies to any abortion procedure instead of just "operations." The bill is now made up of this language: Amendment 1 and Amendment 2.
Passed in the Senate 27-5; Passed in the House 79-18.

RECOVERING DAMAGES FROM TERRORIST ACTS (ANDY'S LAW) 2015:
SB 0180 by *Ketron , Bowling, Tate,(HB 0935) by *Matheny
Forfeiture of Assets - this bill authorized the seizure and forfeiture of property involved in the commission or terrorism offenses and creates a private cause of action for victims of terrorism to sue the offender.
     "Andy's Law" in honor of U.S. Army Pvt. William "Andy" Long of Conway [right], who was shot and killed outside a west Little Rock recruiting center in 2009. Pvt. Quinton Ezeagwula of Jacksonville was wounded in the shooting rampage.
Passed the Senate 30-1, Passed the House 78-3
 

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT ON ABORTION 2011

Played a significant role in getting this Amendment to the Constitution passed.
Constitutional Amendments - Proposes new provision to Article I to provide that nothing in Constitution of Tennessee secures or protects right to abortion or requires the funding of an abortion; states that the people retain the right through their elected state representatives and state senators to enact, amend, or repeal statutes regarding abortion, including, but not limited to, circumstances of pregnancy resulting from rape or incest or when necessary to save the life of the mother
Became part of the TN Constitution with voter approval in 2014.

 “MATERIAL SUPPORT TO DESIGNATED ENTITIES OF 2011:

·       the intent of the bill all along has been to close the prevention gap of the 2002 “Tennessee Terrorism Prevention Act” which was passed shortly after 9/11.

eliminates designation of terrorist entities by the state authorities and instead, defers to designations made by the U.S. Secretary of State and the Department of the Treasury. 

updates several of the definitions including the definition of “material support” to be consistent with the federal statute and the recent U.S. Supreme Court cases. 

adds the “material support to designated entities” violation into the existing statute. This recognizes the entities designated by the federal authorities and operates to cut off the very types of support that typically enable others to carry out planned acts of terrorism. 

makes both types of material support violations Class A felonies (the current statute is only a Class B felony).

REFUGEE ABSORPTIVE CAPACITY ACT 2011:

Purpose of the bill:
· to help close the communication gap inadvertently created when the State of Tennessee enlisted a NGO to administrate the state’s refugee resettlement program

· to identify and define the objective factors that constitute “absorptive capacity”, the local resources necessary to support refugee resettlement in a host community

· clarifies that “local government” includes the elected officials of potential host communities

Chapter 38 Refugee Absorptive Capacity Act
4-38-101. Short title.
4-38-102. Chapter definitions.
4-38-103. Duties of Tennessee office for refugees.
4-38-104. Request for moratorium.

TENNESSEE LAW FOR TENNESSEE COURTS 2010:

As amended and passed, it is the public policy of this state that the primary factor a court, administrative agency, arbitrator, mediator, or other entity or person acting under the authority of state law may consider in granting comity to a decision rendered under any foreign law, legal code, or system against a natural person in this state is whether the decision rendered either violated or would violate any right of the natural person of this state guaranteed by the Tennessee Constitution or the United States Constitution or any statute or decision under those constitutions.
TENNESSEE WAS THE FIRST STATE IN THE NATION TO PASS SUCH A LAW. It has now been introduced in over 20 states and has passed in several states.

PROTECTING FREE SPEECH FOR TENNESSEANS 2010:

As amended and passed, this bill provides that no foreign defamation judgment will be authenticated, or execution issued upon, if:
(1) It is determined that the judgment was rendered by a judicial system that does not provide impartial tribunals or procedures substantially compatible with the requirements of due process of law applicable to Tennessee courts;
(2) The court or tribunal issuing the foreign defamation judgment did not have personal jurisdiction over the defendant in accordance with the principles applicable under Tennessee law; or
(3) The court or tribunal issuing the foreign defamation judgment did not have subject matter jurisdiction over the action.

JUST A FEW FROM YEARS GONE BY:

After seeing the bill pass three years in the Senate, only to be defeated in the House, we were finally successful in passing legislation in 2009 that would prohibit mental health screening or evaluation without informed parent consent. Parents cannot be coerced into putting their children on psychotropic drugs, teachers cannot recommend a child be put on these powerful and sometimes deadly drugs (those are medical decisions). SB 850 - HB 1552. Although it took four years, protecting parental and student rights was worth the effort. Persistence pays!  Public Chapter Number 127

We played significant role in passing the amendment to the State Constitution defining marriage as a union between one man and one woman.

We have worked on and helped to pass multiple pieces of legislation supporting home schooling.

We have played a supporting role in helping to pass multiple pieces of pro-life legislation, including SJR 127, which led to the successful Yes on 1 campaign.

We have passed legislation to strengthen our statutory rape laws to reduce exploitation of minors by predatory adults.

We have passed legislation requiring colleges and universities to develop and publish a policy on Hazing.
 

We have passed legislation that prohibits school nurses from dispensing birth control or refer for abortions.

We have passed legislation that strengthens our child sex abuse laws.

We helped to pass legislation that defines 'public indecency'

We helped to pass legislation that requires the doors to be removed from the booth in sexually oriented businesses.

We have passed legislation requiring public schools to develop a policy outlining parental and student rights and guidelines with respect to the administration of surveys, analysis, or evaluations of students.

We prohibited a Family Life Bill (read: sex education) from passing for three years until amendments were accepted that provide for an opt-out provision, primary emphasis on abstinence, parental access to reviewing curriculum, etc.