This week has been incredibly busy, with many meetings in my office with constituents and others sharing their thoughts on legislation. We have several major bills moving through the process that have made some people upset and others happy. It makes for very interesting days.
This year, I have around 12 or 13 bills, and I will be presenting 10 of them in different committees throughout the first week of March. I have seven bills to present specifically on Wednesday. There are over 600 bills moving through the House Committees this week, which is a near record! There are around 1,400 bills in total this year, and most of them will be presented in the next 2 weeks.
I have a proposed piece of legislation that I will be presenting next week that deals with funding for Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA). Their revenues are not keeping up with their expenses, and we are trying to develop another funding model that does not require an increase in hunting and fishing licenses. Our proposal is to allocate 10% of the property taxes paid by Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to the state to be redirected to TWRA. This would amount to roughly $16–18 million annually. I truly hope I can get this done so TWRA can continue its important work throughout Tennessee.
TWRA has a staff of 750 people who manage 1.6 million acres of public land, over see1,200 boat ramps, and 21 shooting ranges, in addition to issuing 10,000 boating certificates and 8,500 hunter education certificates each year. They play a critically important role in Tennessee by caring for our wildlife and managing our natural resources.
I attended the 45th annual FFA Legislative Breakfast on Thursday and heard about the great things they are accomplishing in Tennessee. Tennessee has about 34,000 FFA members, and nationwide there are 9,400 chapters with more than 1 million student members. I also learned that farming and forestry contribute over $100 billion to our state’s economy.
On Wednesday and Thursday, the Tennessee Bankers Association held their annual Day on the Hill and their reception, with more than 700 Tennessee bankers in attendance. I was excited to have dinner with Scott Cocanougher of First Community Bank, along with members of their board and several employees.
Also on Wednesday, my sister, Susan Mayfield of Pulaski, was confirmed by the Senate Education Committee as a new member of the Board of Trustees at University of Tennessee- Southern. We are both very excited about this new chapter in her life.
On Thursday, I went to the retirement party for the Bedford County Property Assessor, Rhonda Clanton. She has been working this job for 30 years. I consider Rhonda a great friend and a real expert in her field of assessing property fairly and correctly. I wish Rhonda the very best in her retirement!
I had the pleasure of reading to my granddaughter, Kate’s first grade class at the Thomas Magnet School in Shelbyville. It is reading week across America, and I had about 60 well-behaved students listen to a book about horses that Kate picked out.
On Wednesday, March 4, I had the pleasure of hosting Leadership Bedford County for a day on the Hill here at the State Capitol. It was a great opportunity to show them how state government works up close. We started the morning with a Chick-fil-A breakfast before heading to the legislature, where they were able to observe part of the committee process and even witness a little protesting. Later, the group had the unique opportunity to participate in a mock legislative session in the House chamber, giving them a firsthand look at how bills are debated and voted on. They had lunch at the Nashville Farmers’ Market and spent time hearing from representatives of the TN Department of Corrections, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Tennessee Highway Patrol, and the TN District Attorneys General Conference to learn about the important work they do across our state. To finish the day, the group toured the TN State Capitol before heading home. It was great to see some familiar faces, and I hope they enjoyed their time learning a little more about how their state government operates!
I’m honored to serve as your state representative! Please call or email me if I can ever help. 615-741-6824, rep.pat.marsh@capitol.tn.gov. You are also welcome to come to the Capitol and stop by my office at 610 in the Cordell Hull building.