HUNTINGDON (March 10) — State Representative Tandy Darby spoke at the Carroll County Civic Center Friday morning. Darby stated the state house had over 1,500 bills at the start of the session. They have currently passed 95 that have come before them.

Darby brought up Tennessee’s two controversial legislations, referring to them as House Bill 1 “Gender Mutilations” and House Bill 9 “Adult Cabaret Performances.” House Bill 1 bans minors in Tennessee from accessing gender dysphoria and transition treatments such as puberty blockers and hormone therapies, in addition to surgeries. House Bill 9 makes it 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. The bill defines an adult cabaret performance to mean “a performance in a location other than an adult cabaret that features topless dancers, go-go dancers, exotic dancers, strippers, male or female impersonators who provide entertainment that appeals to a prurient interest, or similar entertainers, regardless of whether or not performed for pay.”

Representative Darby referenced the legislation in a positive light as it was designed to strengthen the state and protect children. In regards to children, he commented on the Third Grade Retention Law, calling it a “knee-jerk reaction.” Quoting statistics, he said about one-third of fourth-grade students were reading on grade level producing a need for intervention. He added that there are numerous bills for amendments to the law that would produce workarounds to prevent mass numbers of retention.

During the Q&A session, Darby was asked about the possibility of the state rejecting $1.8 billion in federal funding toward education. He stated that Cameron Sexton, Tennessee Speaker of the House, believes the rejection would allow teachers and educators to teach as they see fit. Accepting the funds would produce additional inference from the federal government.

Following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the Trigger Law was brought up - the law prohibits a person from performing or attempting to perform a criminal abortion. Any person that provides or attempts an abortion will be charged with a Class C felony. Representative Darby stated there are bills out there working to adjust the law from a medical standpoint while still keeping up with the Pro-Life stance held by the majority party.

Transportation was another topic of interest as TDOT and Governor Lee work to address issues of congestion in heavily populated and traveled areas. Both are looking to increase the number of lanes on highways and interstates, this does not include choice lanes. The Choice Lanes would be implemented through Public-Private Partnerships through private investment in new roadway infrastructure. Choice Lanes allows motorists to have an option on congested urban highways to provide reliable trip times. These new lanes typically use pricing, vehicle eligibility, and/or access control to achieve better operational performance than general-purpose lanes.

Governor Lee’s budget was a topic of discussion. Mentioned was the Governor’s plan to increase teacher pay, build six new technology centers across the state, invest in improvements to the foster care system, and aid children who are considered at risk. His plans also include the hiring of 100 additional state troopers.

Representative Darby was questioned about the state not increasing its Medicare and TennCare Programs. Simply put he stated that there are too many individuals out there trying to take advantage of the system and it hurts those in need. He added that he wished he had a magic wand to use so he could fix the situation.

State Representative Brock Martin speaks to Capitol Talk on Friday, April 14. The events are sponsored by the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce.