Constitutional Government: Protecting the Rights and Freedoms of Every Tennessean

I took an oath to defend the Tennessee Constitution, and I take that oath seriously. This session, the 114th General Assembly passed important legislation to strengthen constitutional governance, protect individual rights, and push back against overreach from both Washington and international organizations.

We passed the Regulatory Freedom Act, which requires government agencies to be transparent and accountable when they adopt new rules that impose costs on the private sector. Government agencies should not have the power to create law-like rules without oversight. This legislation restores that accountability.

We protected free speech on college campuses, ensuring that students at Tennessee's public universities have the right to express their views without fear of censorship. The First Amendment does not stop at the campus gate, and Tennessee law now reflects that clearly.

We enhanced voter verification by requiring election coordinators to compare voter registration databases with Department of Safety records to ensure that only citizens are registered to vote. Voting is the most fundamental right of citizenship, and protecting it from fraud protects democracy itself.

We passed important legislation on bail reform, including a constitutional amendment allowing judges to deny bail to defendants charged with violent offenses who pose a danger to the community. This balances due process rights with the basic obligation of government to keep communities safe.

We rejected any effort to allow international organizations to override Tennessee law. Tennessee families should be governed by officials they elected, not by unaccountable international bureaucrats. That principle is embedded in our legislative actions this session.

We expanded judicial officer protections, allowing judges who have completed enhanced firearms training to carry a firearm for their own protection. The people who administer justice in our courts deserve to be safe.

Constitutional government is not just a phrase. It is a set of principles about the proper role and limits of government, the rights of individuals, and the accountability of those in power to those they serve. Every law I vote for, I measure against those principles. This session, I am proud of how well Tennessee held to them.