By State Rep. Pat Marsh
“We the people, elect leaders not to rule but to serve.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower
It should be the last week of the legislative session for 2024. We passed the $52.8 billion balanced budget last week and have about 100 more bills to go through this last week.
This past week, I was honored to attend the Shelbyville TN College of Applied Technologies’ 2024 graduation. Over 100 graduates walked to the podium and picked up their diplomas. It was a very special event for the students, their friends, and their families, and it was very special for me, too. There were some very proud people there that night!
Some good legislation that we passed this week are:
House Bill 2088, by Rep. William Lamberth, allows the Tennessee Department of Military to create a critical skills retention bonus program to award National Guard members who continue to serve. This bill also ensures that if a state employee is called to serve and their military job pays less than their civilian job, the state will pay the difference to help from lost wages.
House Bill 1259 by Rep. Tim Rudd protects property owners from the illegal practice of squatting. It streamlines the process for citizens to repossess what is theirs quickly. This legislation expedites the process for judicial eviction and allows the removal of illegal occupants as soon as 72 hours.
House Bill 2269 by Rep. Clark Boyd gradually phases out the Certificate of Need permit requirements to provide nearly a dozen health care services in the state during the next five years. The last CON requirements this bill removes will be gone by 2029.
House Bill 2348 by Rep. John Ragan prohibits terrorist groups from being allowed to use meeting spaces or other forums, including electronic and print platforms, or publicly-funded entities to solicit support, recruit new members, or encourage violent action.
House Bill 2897 by Rep. Sabi Kumar encourages pharmacies to make a reasonable effort to notify a person of the lowest available cost of their prescription before their purchase. This should help save folks money so they are not up-charged for medicine.
I’m honored to serve as your state representative! Please call or email me if I can ever help. 615-741-6824, rep.pat.marsh@capitol.tn.gov. You are also welcome to come to the Capitol and stop by my office at 610 in the Cordell Hull building.
Pictured is the 2024 TCAT Graduation in Shelbyville. (Submitted photo)
