What do you view as the purpose and role of the TN State Senate?

To facilitate the means for every Tennesseean in the pursuit of Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. To debate, review, and enact legislation to aid in that pursuit. Not to benefit corporations, big tech, or political leadership.

What are your areas of special focus and/or expertise?

I want to introduce legislation that would require every bill, resolution, or government document to be written at the average reading level in the state.

I want to put a ban in for profit prisons.

Repeal the grocery tax.

All school lunches and breakfast provided at no extra charge to families.

These are just a few of the items I want to address.

If you are the incumbent: What key accomplishments would you like to highlight, and what are your main priorities moving forward that you want to share with Christian voters? If you are a challenger: What are your top priorities and planned initiatives if elected, and what would you most want Christian voters to know about your vision for the office?

No answer provided.

Should governmental laws, ordinances, regulations, etc. follow the moral principles of the Ten Commandments? Please elaborate on your viewpoint and reasoning.

No, I do not. Only because I believe religion does not have a place in our government. While the Ten Commandments can be the moral principles on which we base our own individual beliefs on, religion has no place in our government or as the basis of our rules, respectfully.

What is your position on the sovereignty of Tennessee within the United States, and do you believe that the powers of individual states should be considered superior to those of the federal government? Please explain your views in detail, including how you interpret the balance of power between state and federal authorities.

The way we were taught in school was the order was Federal, State, then local. I still believe that. That does not mean that you do not push back against laws that our state might not agree with.

What is your position on the rapid expansion of AI data centers in Tennessee? How would you address concerns about increased electricity rates, pollution, water usage, and taxpayer subsidies while still encouraging economic growth?

No more AI data centers in Tennessee, period. It does not benefit the everyday citizen, only the wealthy. There are other areas in which we can generate economic growth in our state without selling out our future to the elite.

What is your stance on the use of taxpayer funds in Tennessee to support the education of illegal aliens and their children who have recently arrived in the state? Please provide a detailed explanation of your position, including how you believe such funding impacts both the state's budget and the broader community.

All children should be educated, fed, and taken care of while in the state of Tennessee, no matter their immigration status. Holding children responsible for something they have no control over is about the furthest away from being Christ like one could possibly be. I believe that it is such a miniscule amount compared to the overall budget it is a non issue. If it was, the governor could have not given a nearly 1 billion dollar rebate to large corporations last year.

In light of fraud found in many states' government assistance programs, what policies can you craft for auditing and prevention of fraud in Tennessee?

Personally, I would look into how corporations are abusing our system well before I will start investigating citizens that are largely just trying to survive. I find it strange honestly that this question blames citizens and not large corporations for the amount of fraud committed. Doesn't seem like a question for a church questionnaire. Maybe for a political party, but not a church. Respectfully.

In light of the May 14th Supreme Court ruling continuing mail access to mifepristone at this time, what legislation would you craft to protect our women, children and citizens of Tennessee, or make available the reversal pill?

What exactly would I be protecting them from? The pill has to be ordered. It is not given out anywhere. This question seems to be asked liked the previous question. Not from a church perspective, but a political party. I worry that the lines between the two are being intentionally blurred.

Given the high difficulty of fully auditing electronic voting machines and past incidents of such machines being hacked in important elections, what measures would you support to increase transparency in ballot processing? Would you support end-to-end video recording of ballot chain of custody, automatic public access to ballot handling recordings, and making it easier for candidates to request hand counts in close elections?

But auditing electronic voting machines is not highly difficult. And it certainly is not a given. The question is slanted and biased from the beginning. Again, this is being asked not from a church perspective, but a political party. How do you answer a question that was not asked in good faith? What evidence of any of these assertions do you have occurring in Tennessee?

We have very secure elections in Tennessee.

What is your position on expanding school choice in Tennessee, including education savings accounts or vouchers? How would you ensure that public funds follow the child to schools that align with parental values and do not disproportionately benefit secular, non-Christian, or ideologically opposed institutions?

School choice should be repealed and those having found to have profited from it in our general assembly should be charged accordingly. If you want education to be fixed, fully fund education in Tennessee.

What do you view as the purpose and role of the TN State Senate?

As a member of the Tennessee Senate, I swear an oath to support the state and federal constitutions and swear to vote impartially without prejudice, corruption, or self-interest, and furthermore the oath requires that I will not assent to any action of the Senate that is injurious to the People of Tennessee.

I represent the voice of the 11th Senate District in all legislation that comes before the General Assembly.

What are your areas of special focus and/or expertise?

State Finance/Budget- 20 years experience on Senate Finance Ways and Means | Chairman since 2016 | Member Council of State Governments Fiscal Affairs Committee

Healthcare- 22 years on House and Senate Health Committees | 40+ years as hospital physical therapist | Co-Chair National Conference of State Legislatures Health Innovations Task Force

Commerce/Business- 12 years experience on Senate Commerce

Insurance- 12 years experience Senate Insurance and previous experience on TennCare Oversight (House)

State Government Rules and Regulations- House and Senate Government Operations Committee. Senate Chairman.

If you are the incumbent: What key accomplishments would you like to highlight, and what are your main priorities moving forward that you want to share with Christian voters? If you are a challenger: What are your top priorities and planned initiatives if elected, and what would you most want Christian voters to know about your vision for the office?

-Maintain Tennessee’s position as one of the “Best Fiscally Managed States” with a AAA bond rating from all agencies. Balance our budget every year as required by the state’s constitution.

-Maintain our low tax rate. Low taxes are important to business and citizens in Tennessee.

-Maintain our state’s low indebtedness. Tennessee has one of the lowest debt per capita of all states in the U.S.

-Build on our conservative policies that have made Tennessee so attractive to businesses and people.

-Continue to reform K-12 education with policies that give students and families options in determining what is the best environment for their education. Increasing parental engagement is essential.

-Protect our 2nd Amendment Right.

-Protect the sanctity of life. Pro-Life legislator.

Should governmental laws, ordinances, regulations, etc. follow the moral principles of the Ten Commandments? Please elaborate on your viewpoint and reasoning.

The Tennessee Senate has passed and I have supported laws that clearly state that our system of government and laws is based on the Judeo-Christian principles as presented in the scriptures of the Old and New Testament including the moral fabric of Tennessee as described in the Ten Commandments.

What is your position on the sovereignty of Tennessee within the United States, and do you believe that the powers of individual states should be considered superior to those of the federal government? Please explain your views in detail, including how you interpret the balance of power between state and federal authorities.

I am a strong supporter of the 10th Amendment and believe all powers except those powers given specifically to the federal government in the U.S. Constitution should be left to the states.

It was the states that created both the federal government and our local government. While all power comes from the consent of the people, it is the states that determine how that power is distributed between the states, the federal and local governments.

States must guard their sovereignty rigorously against federal intrusion.

What is your position on the rapid expansion of AI data centers in Tennessee? How would you address concerns about increased electricity rates, pollution, water usage, and taxpayer subsidies while still encouraging economic growth?

As President Trump has noted, data centers have great potential for some communities, and we certainly do not want outside influences to control our data. That being said, I believe decisions regarding data centers are best made at the local government level. Local governments have the best information about the impact a data center will have on natural resources, workforce development, and potential tax benefits, such as reducing property taxes for local residents. We certainly don’t need data centers in and around our neighborhoods. We also must recognize that technologies like quantum may significantly change what data centers of the future look like, making them smaller and less demanding on natural resources and energy.

What is your stance on the use of taxpayer funds in Tennessee to support the education of illegal aliens and their children who have recently arrived in the state? Please provide a detailed explanation of your position, including how you believe such funding impacts both the state's budget and the broader community.

I have offered and supported legislation that restricts the use of tax payer funds for the education of those in the US and the State of Tennessee Illegally.

We do not know the impact on our state and local budget because we are not allowed under current federal law to ask a student’s immigration status. Until the U.S. Supreme Court revisits the 1981, 5-4 decision, that established a free public education, the state and local governments have no option but to continue the current funding practice.

In light of fraud found in many states' government assistance programs, what policies can you craft for auditing and prevention of fraud in Tennessee?

Tennessee has a good legislative review process through our House and Senate Government Operations Committees and the House and Senate Fiscal Review Committees. The committees are charged with oversight and review of governmental agencies and contracts. We have created fraud prevention units within the Bureau of TennCare as well as the Attorney General’s office. Tennessee does its best to ensure that we protect Tennessee taxpayers’ dollars. Where fraud is found it is prosecuted to the full extent of the law. The state’s Comptroller of the Treasury carries out audits of agencies, programs and local governments. I support providing the resources to these oversight agencies so they can effectively carry out their responsibilities to root out any waste, fraud or abuse.

In light of the May 14th Supreme Court ruling continuing mail access to mifepristone at this time, what legislation would you craft to protect our women, children and citizens of Tennessee, or make available the reversal pill?

I have a consistent pro-life record.

I have supported legislation in the Senate addressing this issue. I believe we should do all we can legislatively to protect the life of the unborn and the mother. Drugs like mifepristone are not without risk to the mother and we should insure that our laws are as strict as the constitution will allow and will withstand legal scrutiny.

Given the high difficulty of fully auditing electronic voting machines and past incidents of such machines being hacked in important elections, what measures would you support to increase transparency in ballot processing? Would you support end-to-end video recording of ballot chain of custody, automatic public access to ballot handling recordings, and making it easier for candidates to request hand counts in close elections?

Tennessee is the highest ranked state for election integrity and Hamilton County has been a role model for other counties around the State of Tennessee. To my knowledge there has not been an election in the past 25 years in Hamilton County in which the integrity of the election has been successfully challenged. We have passed numerous laws in the past 10 years that insure that only qualified citizens are allowed to vote and that the standards for the chain of custody are high. I supported to continue to invest in processes and procedures that insure the confidence of the voter in our elections and allow for open review when necessary as I believe the current law allows.

What is your position on expanding school choice in Tennessee, including education savings accounts or vouchers? How would you ensure that public funds follow the child to schools that align with parental values and do not disproportionately benefit secular, non-Christian, or ideologically opposed institutions?

I support increasing students and parents choice in determining the best educational environment for them whether that be traditional public school, private school, Christian school, charter school, virtual school or home school. Parents and families need options for their children. One size does not fit all.

I have supported legislation that insures that schools focus on the basics- reading and math, and there be instruction that teaches the accurate history of the United States and stresses American exceptionalism. I am a supporter of the Bible in the Schools program and believe that incorporating Christian values/morals is NOT a violation of the 1st amendment.

School choice is a part of the Republican Party’s 2024 Platform adopted at the national Republican convention.