Here's a list of some current legislation that is up for a vote in the Tennessee General Assembly, in committee or has recently passed.

SB0015: A bill to prohibit consumption of milk from an animal that you own part of.

HB0528: A bill to remove some of the appeals open to an inmate on death row.

HB1369: Your standard “Natural Marriage Defense Act” AKA more hate legislation

HB1264: Lets someone with a handgun carry permit carry it concealed

HB0077: Prohibits abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected, effectively after the 6th week

HB1029: Bans abortion outright as soon as Roe v. Wade is overturned

The voucher bill, the so called heartbeat bill and abortion ban bill, the effort to inhibit Nashville's police oversight board and the bill amendment to prohibit municipalities from limiting or restricting single use materials like plastic bags, straws and styrofoam, are all policies written by ALEC – The American Legislative Exchange Council.

ALEC writes policy and drafts bills which they try to get them passed in state legislatures. Many of them are deliberate attacks on the sovereignty of local governments and on individual rights – and always in the interests of big business.

On top of that add the lobbyists for big business working at getting their agenda passed and stopping legislation they don't like.

Medical Marijuana hasn't been able to pass in this state because people like Diane Black, along with pharmaceutical and private prison companies that benefit from it being illegal, pour millions into making sure it doesn't.

The bottle bill – that would help us all recycle glass bottles for cash – got tabled again. Wonder why? Follow the money – obviously someone benefits from us not recycling.

Rutherford County is poised to make solid waste decisions that will affect us for decades. The state legislature is trying to take away our ability to make those decisions.

Solid waste will never be solved unless we address the sources of the problem and use less. This bill stops the County from doing that.

Recently the mayor talked about being a model for the state on how to handle solid waste. The model we have been so far is let a large portion of the state dump their trash on an ever-growing mountain.

It has to change, we don't need the state telling us how to do that, especially when they have done nothing to address the problem and TDEC does even less to regulate the trash companies.

Can our legislators not have an original thought?

Are they just too lazy to figure out what might be good for the people of this state?

Or does Tennessee badly need campaign finance reform because they are mostly in the pay of lobbyists and working for big business and not the people?

Look at the state website for more information on bills.

Note that you most often cannot view the amendments and these often hide crucial legislation. You can also look up who donates to our legislator's campaigns, that's usually an interesting read.

Write and call your representatives and state senators. They are supposed to work for us, let's remind them of that.