Where I Stand
| Income Tax | |
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I am absolutely opposed to a state payroll income tax. I am working toward modifying the Hall Income Tax to make it fairer. |
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| Immigration | |
| I have helped lead the effort to bring a halt to illegal immigration in the State of Tennessee. We conservatives have enacted several pieces of legislation this session to strengthen and enforce current immigration laws, and we have created several new laws to prevent illegal immigration abuse of many of our programs. We should secure our Nation's borders and enforce the law! | |
| Right to Bear Arms | |
| I support the second amendment right to bear arms. I am a member of the NRA. I recently co-sponsored legislation which supports gun owner rights. | |
| Family | |
| I am pro-life and will work to protect the unborn. I believe that marriage should be a union between one man and one woman. |
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| Health Care | |
| I will continue to work with the administration and the legislature to repair a broken health care system. The new Cover Tennessee program is a bandaid on a bleeding artery. Access to Tenn Care is very restrictive now, and it is very difficult for people who need and deserve help to get on this program. If one combines the unstable status of the available programs with abuse of the process by illegal and legal citizens, it becomes easy to see that overhaul and strict policy enforcement is required and very, very urgent. | |
| Homeland Security | |
| I strongly support emergency services and 'first responders'. In my thirty one year career with TVA, I served as a first responder and incident commander. My job was to assess any type of fire, medical or nuclear emergency and direct the response. Today our greatest threat to personal safety and freedom is terrorism. Two of the largest nuclear generating plants in the world are located in House District 31. Health and safety of the general public could be threatened if security is breeched at one of these facilities. I am confident that security at these sites is strong and competent; however, our first responders must be equipped, trained and skilled to the level that public safety is protected at all times. | |
| Education | |
| Education is the foundation to America's greatness and competitiveness. In Tennessee, the Basic Education Program (BEP) should continually be scrutinized for fairness to each child, statewide. | |
| Military | |
| I support and honor our troops and veterans. I have endorsed and co-sponsored legislation to ensure the needed and deserved benefits for our veterans are always being reviewed and improved. I will continue to hold the veteran as my hero. I will use all legal means to ensure they are given the care and assistance that they have earned for providing us with our freedom. | |
| Property Rights | |
| I believe the government should never use the right of eminent domain to seize private property for anything short of critical government services - never used to take private property just to provide business growth. | |
| Economy | |
| I will promote industrial and economic growth and job opportunities using wise free market solutions. Most recently, I have received recognition and approval from the Tennessee Department of Transportation, (TDOT) to consider a bridge crossing the Tennessee River that would connect the communities of Soddy Daisy and Harrison Tennessee. Once approved for consideration, this project quickly moved to the top two or three that are being considered for approval as pilot programs by TDOT. This would connect two of the fastest growing economies in the region. | |
