Perseverance .......

Much appreciation and gratitude to Karen and Brian who may get tired but never quit.

You are doing it!

Your prayers, calls, emails and contacts are moving the defunding bill to the top of the legislative agenda and on toward passage! That’s the GREAT news; the down side is that we can’t let up now…

Today’s update is that we faced delays again in both the House and the Senate. However, the morning started with the Health Department finally providing their proposed amendment language which was, in large measure, something TRL can live with. There are some items deleted that we want re-inserted but sponsor Sen. Jack Johnson promises to make his best effort to have them added as friendly amendments on the Senate floor.

I believe, too, that it can be accomplished. Action in the senate was delayed late this evening when it became clear that the scheduled Finance committee would not make their 3 p.m. meeting, nor would they be prepared to meet by 9 p.m. due to the long sub-committee meetings and enormous list of bills still needing to be heard. So Senate finance is re-scheduled for first thing in the morning and SB 470 is supposed to be at the top of the meeting agenda.

Update in the House is, first of all, that Rep. Joey Hensley was deeply encouraged and touched by the outpouring of support from TRL members and leaders. Thank you (!) for really taking action in a dramatic way. Karen and I could’ve cried as his assistant began playing phone messages of encouragement and reading out the names of those having emailed overnight. Little did she know that so many of the emails came from committed chapter leaders and officers, but Karen and I knew. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

When Rep. Hensley brought the bill to House Budget sub this morning, he agreed to accept the Health Dept. language. He was clearly bolstered by the emails and handled belittling attacks from Rep. Johnny Shaw, Jimmy Naifeh, and Gary Odom with class. (Rep. Shaw wanted to know ‘why he was doing this’ to which Rep. Hensley responded “because hundreds and thousands of Tennesseans are concerned that our tax dollars are funding entities that perform abortion.” Shaw retorted “who are these people? I don’t get these emails….” Well, of course not, Rep. Shaw, you’ve made your pro-abortion commitments so clear that trying to influence you would be a waste of time and energy… Rep. Hensley offered to bring copies of the emails for Rep. Shaw and others to see….

http://tnga.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=26&clip_id=1629 click on HB 1756


The budget sub-committee successfully added the amendment after House Speaker Kent Williams spoke in support and made clear that his will is for the bill to move forward. This can only be in response to prayers and hundreds of contacts to legislators. Even days ago the Speaker was not committed to muddying the final days of session with such a ‘partisan and emotional’ matter.

Because no fiscal note had yet been drawn up to determine the state’s cost to implement the defunding bill, HB 1756 had to be scheduled for the next meeting of the sub-committee (either Monday or Tuesday.) Opposition is fierce with Lois DeBerry, Gary Odom and others speaking strongly and stridently against pro-lifers. (Rep. Shaw also mocked Rep. Hensley today claiming that he may be a doctor but he’s clearly never been in a crowded public health department…. ‘people are going to die waiting for care because of this bill’ ?!?!?!?) Especially after passage of SJR 127, they are going to do everything in their power to kill the bill and have said so.

Only a continued strong show of support statewide from pro-life constituents is going to hold them back. As Karen and I left the Legislature tonight, Senator DeWayne Bunch thanked us for staying the course and urged that we keep the pressure on. He agreed that chances for passage look good right now but in the frantic last hours of the session, anything can happen. I know that pro-life Rep. Bill Dunn and many other stalwart legislative leaders agree..

So, that’s the wrap up from a busy but exciting day for TRL and pro-life efforts in Tennessee. Again, our next steps are: Senate Finance Committee on Thursday morning and, upon passage, scheduled for Senate floor debate early next week.

House budget sub-committee at their next meeting to be announced for either Monday or Tuesday. If passed as amended, it will go to House Finance (our toughest challenge), and then, if successful, on to calendar and rules and scheduled for a House floor debate and vote next week.

Should we succeed in the senate but fail in the House, there is still an opportunity to attempt attaching the language as a separate amendment to the state budget. But that would be extraordinarily difficult and would only be in effect for the one year of the budget period. As a stand alone bill, though, SB 470 / HB 1756 becomes pro-life state law and can only be changed by drafting a new bill to change it by pro-abortion legislators.

I hope this has been helpful. We need to keep generating contacts---urging friends and family who have not yet spoken out, to do so. The easiest way is to direct them to the www.tnrtl.org homepage where they can find prepared talking points and their own legislators’ emails. Anyone wishing to join us in the halls next week, let me know. Even if you can only come for an hour or so, we can make sure that you make contact with your legislators and personal visits will dramatically help to underscore the significance and priority of this matter for pro-life Tennessean.

And if you have questions, let me know. Once again, my deepest thanks for the many ways you are helping to move this forward. Should we win, ours will be one of only several known states where Planned Parenthood has been beaten back and put where they belong: at the end of the line. Let’s keep our eyes on the prize and do everything we can to bring this home next week…

Toward that Goal,
Brian

P.S. Statewide email alert will be going out in the next day or so. Please do what you can to forward to church lists, home school and personal email groups. Our goal is new contacts into the legislator’s offices every day until they adjourn….