Ideas matter. Results matter more.
When I was elected to the Tennessee Senate, I knew I would be serving in the minority.
What I never accepted was the idea that being in the minority meant I couldn’t get anything done.
Sometimes getting something done means passing a law. Sometimes it means finding someone across the aisle who agrees with you and working together. Sometimes it means getting money into the budget.
And sometimes it means asking the question nobody wants asked, requesting the records somebody doesn’t want released, writing the letter that forces an agency to respond, or simply refusing to let an issue disappear.
I’ve done all of those things.
Here are some of the things I’m proudest of.
Getting Tennessee Back on Track
PASSED INTO LAW · PRIME SPONSOR · BIPARTISAN WIN
I want to be able to get on a train in Nashville and go somewhere. I suspect I’m not alone.
For decades, Tennessee talked about passenger rail while other states built it.
I wanted us to stop talking and start planning.
I sponsored legislation to make passenger rail a real state transportation priority, including work toward five potential corridors: Nashville–Chattanooga–Atlanta, Memphis–Nashville, Chattanooga–Knoxville–Bristol, Memphis–Chicago and Nashville–Louisville.
The legislation ultimately required TDOT to report every year on exactly what Tennessee is doing to advance passenger rail, freight rail and public transportation.
It passed the Tennessee Senate 31-0 and became law.
Not a single Republican or Democrat voted against it.
We’re not at the station yet.
But Tennessee is finally moving down the track.
Getting Tennessee Back on Track
$180 MILLION FOR DCS · CHILDREN & FAMILIES · ONGOING FIGHT
Some of the people most dependent on state government can’t vote, hire a lobbyist, make a campaign contribution or call a press conference.
They’re children in state custody.
When Tennessee’s Department of Children’s Services was in crisis, I worked with colleagues to force the issue into the open and keep it there.
We pushed for better staffing, better facilities, better oversight, better treatment of children and enough funding to actually do the job.
That sustained effort helped produce a historic $180 million increase in funding for DCS.
But writing a bigger check doesn’t automatically fix a broken system.
I’ve continued fighting for reasonable caseworker caseloads and stronger oversight so children don’t disappear inside an overwhelmed bureaucracy.
When investigative reporting exposed disturbing treatment of children at the Richard L. Bean Juvenile Service Center, I organized a letter signed by 14 legislators demanding immediate action from DCS.
The department responded that it was taking immediate steps and treating the situation as an urgent priority.
Children in state custody are our children.
I’m going to keep acting like it.
Taking on Hidden Ticket Fees
PASSED INTO LAW · PRIME SPONSOR · 94-0 IN THE HOUSE
If a concert ticket says $90, it shouldn’t magically become $133 after you click on it.
I sponsored legislation cracking down on deceptive practices in the ticket resale market and increasing transparency for consumers buying tickets online.
It passed the Senate unanimously, passed the House 94-0 and became law.
That’s consumer protection in plain English:
Tell people what they’re actually buying and what it actually costs.
Putting Facts Behind the Gun Debate
PASSED INTO LAW · PUBLIC SAFETY · TRANSPARENCY
Tennessee has spent years arguing about gun violence while failing to collect some of the most basic information about what is actually happening.
I thought that was ridiculous.
So I sponsored legislation requiring the Tennessee Department of Health to publish an annual report on firearm injuries and deaths, including where they occur and relevant demographic information.
It became law.
You can disagree about what Tennessee should do about gun violence.
We shouldn’t disagree about whether Tennesseans deserve to know the facts.
Standing Up for Tennessee’s Public Lands
BIPARTISAN COALITION · 34 LEGISLATORS · PROJECT PUT ON HOLD
When the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency planned to clear-cut roughly 2,000 acres in the Bridgestone Firestone Centennial Wilderness, I helped organize opposition.
And something unusual happened.
Republicans and Democrats agreed.
Hunters and environmentalists agreed.
Business leaders and conservationists agreed.
Ultimately, 34 legislators from both parties joined the effort to stop the project and demand answers from TWRA.
The project was put on hold.
I also pursued legislation to bring greater financial transparency and legislative oversight to an agency making decisions about public land largely outside public view.
Tennessee’s public lands belong to the public.
Making Government Show Its Work
BIPARTISAN COALITION · 34 LEGISLATORS · PROJECT PUT ON HOLD
Your government works for you.
You shouldn’t have to take its word for anything.
When reporting uncovered questionable no-bid contracts awarded during the pandemic, I asked Nashville’s district attorney to investigate the Lee administration’s contracting practices.
Millions of taxpayer dollars had gone to companies that failed to deliver what they promised.
I wanted to know why.
I’ve repeatedly used public records requests, legislative oversight, committee hearings and direct questions to find out where taxpayer money is going, how decisions are being made and who is benefiting.
I also serve on the legislature’s Fiscal Review Committee, where we scrutinize state finances, audits and major noncompetitive contracts.
After the 2023 special legislative session, I kept pressing the state for information about the extraordinary law-enforcement presence at the Capitol. I confirmed that roughly 500 additional state troopers had been deployed and estimated the salary cost alone at approximately $750,000, while the department resisted releasing complete cost information.
If taxpayers paid for it, taxpayers have a right to know about it.
Click here to see more of what I’ve done