Ideas matter. Results matter more.
Helping Tennesseans With Disabilities Work Without Losing Healthcare
PASSED INTO LAW · CO-SPONSOR · BIPARTISAN
I co-sponsored the bipartisan TennCare for Working Individuals with Disabilities Act, which became law.
The principle behind it is pretty simple:
People with disabilities shouldn’t have to choose between working and keeping the healthcare support they need.
Getting Tennessee Back on Track
PASSED INTO LAW · CO-SPONSOR · CHILDREN’S HEALTH
I co-sponsored legislation requiring TennCare to cover rapid whole-genome sequencing when specific clinical criteria are met.
It became law.
For some seriously ill children, identifying a genetic disorder quickly can mean getting to the right diagnosis and treatment sooner.
Families facing that kind of crisis shouldn’t have to fight the insurance system at the same time.
Helping Families When Disaster Strikes
PASSED INTO LAW · PRIME SPONSOR · 2026
When a tornado, flood or other disaster forces somebody out of their home, government shouldn’t make an already terrible situation harder.
That’s why I sponsored the Local Disaster Displacement Tax Relief Act.
It became law.
Sometimes good government is simply knowing when to get out of the way.
Demanding Answers About Nuclear Waste
GOVERNMENT TRANSPARENCY · PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY · ONGOING
When I learned that Tennessee was pursuing a federal nuclear partnership involving the nuclear fuel lifecycle, including the potential processing and disposition of nuclear waste, I had some questions.
Big ones.
Where?
What kind of waste?
Who made this decision?
What are the risks?
And when were Tennesseans going to be told?
I sent Governor Lee a four-page letter demanding greater disclosure and asking that the General Assembly and the public have an opportunity to understand and scrutinize a decision of this magnitude.
The press picked it up.
The governor had to answer questions about it publicly.
That’s what oversight is supposed to do.
Sometimes a Letter Gets More Done Than a Bill
OUTSIDE THE LEGISLATURE · OVERSIGHT · SUNLIGHT
Not everything worth doing needs a bill number.
When government isn’t answering questions, I’ve learned that one of the most effective tools available to a legislator is sometimes a piece of letterhead and a refusal to go away.
I’ve written letters and organized other lawmakers to demand action on:
Children in juvenile detention. After disturbing reporting about the Bean Center, I organized 14 legislators demanding immediate DCS intervention. The department responded that it was taking immediate action.
No-bid government contracts. I called for investigation and scrutiny of questionable pandemic-era contracting after reporting exposed millions in taxpayer losses.
Clear-cutting public land. I joined a bipartisan coalition demanding that TWRA stop its plans. Thirty-four legislators ultimately joined the effort, and the project was put on hold.
Nuclear waste. I demanded disclosure and legislative scrutiny before Tennessee makes commitments involving the nuclear fuel and waste lifecycle.
Special-session spending. I kept pressing for records about the extraordinary security operation surrounding the 2023 special session when the state wouldn’t disclose what taxpayers had spent.
A letter doesn’t have the force of law.
Sunlight has power, too.
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.
Turning Tennessee’s Trash Problem Into Jobs
BIPARTISAN COALITION · TAXPAYER SAVINGS · STILL FIGHTING
Tennessee is running out of landfill space.
At the same time, Tennessee manufacturers are trying to buy recycled raw materials that we’re literally burying in the ground.
That makes no sense.
So I built the Tennessee Waste to Jobs Act, bringing together manufacturers, mayors, environmental advocates and major consumer brands around a simple proposition:
If multinational corporations create the packaging, Tennessee taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay to bury it.
The proposal would shift those costs away from local taxpayers while investing in Tennessee recycling infrastructure and creating thousands of jobs.
It hasn’t become law.
Yet.
But what started as an environmental proposal has grown into a bipartisan economic-development coalition.
Sometimes changing what’s possible is part of getting something done.
Giving Tennessee Moms a Voice
FOUNDER · OUTSIDE THE LEGISLATURE · GRASSROOTS ADVOCACY
I created TNMoms.com because parents shouldn’t need a lobbyist, a law degree or a personal relationship with a legislator to understand what state government is doing to their families.
There are professional lobbyists on Capitol Hill representing almost every industry you can imagine.
Parents are usually at home trying to get dinner made.
TNMoms is about making state policy accessible, helping parents understand what’s happening and giving Tennessee moms a way to make their voices heard.
Because parents deserve a seat at the table, too.
Making Healthcare Work Better for Actual People
MULTIPLE LAWS PASSED · CO-SPONSOR · BIPARTISAN
Some of the legislation I’m proud to have helped pass doesn’t make headlines.
It just makes someone’s life a little easier.
I’ve co-sponsored successful legislation expanding access to rapid whole-genome sequencing through TennCare, creating the TennCare for Working Individuals with Disabilities Act, expanding biomarker testing coverage, improving access to important health screenings and strengthening Tennessee’s healthcare workforce through the Social Work Licensure Compact.
I’ve also worked to protect access to care for Tennesseans with disabilities and the families and caregivers who depend on state programs.
These aren’t partisan accomplishments.
They’re things that make healthcare work better.
Fighting for Public Schools and Kids
PUBLIC EDUCATION · EARLY CHILDHOOD · MENTAL HEALTH
I also co-sponsored successful legislation requiring a comprehensive study of Tennessee’s publicly administered early-childhood education programs.
I’ve pushed for expanded pre-K, better support for students and teachers and greater investment in the public schools that educate the overwhelming majority of Tennessee children.
And I’ve opposed taking public-school dollars and sending them to private-school voucher programs.
If we really believe education creates opportunity, our budgets should show it.
Protecting Tennessee’s Water, Air and Land
ENVIRONMENT · CONSERVATION · LONG-TERM FIGHT
I also co-sponsored successful legislation requiring a comprehensive study of Tennessee’s publicly administered early-childhood education programs.
I’ve pushed for expanded pre-K, better support for students and teachers and greater investment in the public schools that educate the overwhelming majority of Tennessee children.
And I’ve opposed taking public-school dollars and sending them to private-school voucher programs.
If we really believe education creates opportunity, our budgets should show it.
Protecting Older Tennesseans From Financial Exploitation
PASSED INTO LAW · CO-SPONSOR · CONSUMER PROTECTION
Scammers are getting more sophisticated.
Our protections have to keep up.
I supported successful legislation giving Tennessee investigators stronger tools to investigate suspected financial exploitation of older Tennesseans.
It became law.
Helping First Responders Save Police K-9s
PASSED INTO LAW · CO-SPONSOR · BIPARTISAN
In 2026, I co-sponsored the bipartisan Tennessee K-9 Emergency Medical Care and Transport Act.
It became law.
The law makes it easier for emergency medical personnel to provide emergency care and transportation for law-enforcement K-9s injured in the line of duty.
Sometimes there really is something everybody can agree on.
Bringing More Accountability Into Tennessee Prisons
PASSED INTO LAW · CO-SPONSOR · GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY
When government hands enormous responsibilities to private contractors, oversight becomes more important, not less.
I co-sponsored legislation requiring correctional officers at the troubled Trousdale Turner Correctional Center to use body cameras while interacting with inmates.
It became law.
Private company or public agency, if taxpayers are paying the bill, accountability comes with it.
Getting Ahead of AI Instead of Chasing It
TECHNOLOGY · CONSUMER PROTECTION · FUTURE-FOCUSED
Artificial intelligence is changing faster than government normally moves.
That’s exactly why government needs to start paying attention now.
I’ve worked on AI transparency and consumer protection and supported efforts to study how Tennessee should approach AI systems and generative-AI chatbots.
The goal isn’t to stop innovation.
It’s to make sure we aren’t writing the rules after all the important decisions have already been made.
Giving Communities a Say
TECHNOLOGY · CONSUMER PROTECTION · FUTURE-FOCUSED
There’s a principle that runs through a lot of my work:
If the impact is local, the people who live there deserve a voice.
When Tennessee authorized privately operated toll lanes, I introduced legislation requiring local government approval before one could be developed in a community.
It didn’t pass.
But I haven’t stopped believing in the principle.
It’s the same reason I believe local communities should have a real say before massive data centers arrive and place new demands on their water, roads and electrical grid.
Your community.
Your call.
Getting Things Done in a Republican Supermajority
31-0 · 94-0 · BIPARTISAN RESULTS
I’m a Democrat.
That’s not a secret.
Neither is the fact that Republicans have a supermajority in the Tennessee General Assembly.
So if my definition of success were getting Democrats to agree with me, I wouldn’t accomplish very much.
I look for places where people can agree.
My passenger-rail legislation passed the Senate 31-0.
My ticket-consumer-protection legislation passed the Senate unanimously and the House 94-0.
I’ve worked with Republican legislators on conservation, transportation, disability services, healthcare, public safety and government accountability.
When 34 legislators stood up against clear-cutting public wilderness, that coalition included Republicans and Democrats.
I won’t compromise my principles to get a bill passed.
But I’ll work with just about anybody to get something good done for Tennessee.
Getting Things Done in a Republican Supermajority
31-0 · 94-0 · BIPARTISAN RESULTS
I’m a Democrat.
That’s not a secret.
Neither is the fact that Republicans have a supermajority in the Tennessee General Assembly.
So if my definition of success were getting Democrats to agree with me, I wouldn’t accomplish very much.
I look for places where people can agree.
My passenger-rail legislation passed the Senate 31-0.
My ticket-consumer-protection legislation passed the Senate unanimously and the House 94-0.
I’ve worked with Republican legislators on conservation, transportation, disability services, healthcare, public safety and government accountability.
When 34 legislators stood up against clear-cutting public wilderness, that coalition included Republicans and Democrats.
I won’t compromise my principles to get a bill passed.
But I’ll work with just about anybody to get something good done for Tennessee.
And I’m Not Finished.
HUNDREDS OF BILLS SPONSORED & CO-SPONSORED · MORE TO DO
I’ve sponsored and co-sponsored hundreds of pieces of legislation.
Some became law.
Some got money into the budget.
Some forced an agency to answer a question.
Some protected people who didn’t have much political power.
Some changed the conversation.
And some haven’t passed.
Yet.
I don’t measure this job by how many bills have my name on them.
I measure it by whether Tennessee is a little better because I showed up.
There’s still a lot to fix.
I’m working on it.