Archive for the ‘Rep. Curt Cobb (D-62)’ Category

FREE Premium Tickets for Bill Clinton Keynote at Jackson Day!

Thursday, August 6th, 2009

wjc_headshot_w300h450hd62-iconIF WE WIN THE 62ND CHALLENGE:

The Challenge: District 62 - TNDP Statewide Phonebank Challenge!

As you all know we are currently one seat down in the State House of Representatives. It is imperative that we regain a majority in the State House so that we can have a fair shake in the 2010 redistricting – this will effect every district in Tennessee.

A State House seat is currently OPEN as Democratic Rep. Curt Cobb has resigned his House District 62 seat to become the Bedford County Clerk and Master. Ty Cobb, the brother of Curt Cobb, is the Democratic nominee for the open seat.

It’s vitally important win the upcoming special election on Tuesday, October 13th and keep this seat in the Democratic column. We need your help for Ty to win!

To that end, I am happy to announce the details of a new TNDP STATEWIDE PHONEBANK CHALLENGE!

The Details

We need all of our County Parties to help us make phone calls into District 62 to identify likely Democratic voters and get them out to vote. That is where the challenge comes in. Between NOW and Sunday, August 23rd we will count the number of calls made. The County Party making the most calls will win one free table with priority placement at Jackson Day. By priority, we mean as close to President Clinton, Co-Hosts Governor Bredeson, and Harold Ford as we can put the table!

TOP TEN CALL MAKERS IN THE COUNTY GET THE SEATS! Call (615) 796-1472 or email our secretary at will.r.fields@gmail.com

Posted in Democratic Party, Elections, Fundraising, RCDP, Rep. Curt Cobb (D-62), TNDP, Volunteer | No Comments »

Our Chairman’s 2009 TN Legislature Wrapup…

Monday, June 22nd, 2009

Hello fellow Democrats. I’m pleased to inform you that this year’s session of the Tennessee Legislature has finally come to an end. It was a long and arduous one for our own Curt Cobb and Kent Coleman, who had to wade through 142 gun bills and several booze bills sponsored by our republican Senator Bill Ketron and Rep. Joe Carr . At last, republicans proposed a budget that killed recruitment dollars for a private solar power plant that would bring 30,000 jobs to Tennessee , put Pre-K education on the chopping block , gutted the Ethics Commission , repealed the Tennessee Voter Confidence Act , stripped funding for MTSU’s Education Building , halted badly needed road and bridge projects, and even refused to erect statues for Tennessee’s Nobel Peace Prize recipients! Senate Minority Leader Jim Kyle (D - Memphis) likened it to cuttin’ and runnin’ and Governor Bredesen called it “stupid” . Our republican Senators Jim Tracy and Bill Ketron quickly voted for this “stupid” budget, and refused to help MTSU and its Education Building project. Luckily, Democrats in the House were able to fix most of this disastrous budget and forced Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey (R-Bristol) to surrender . We won this round.

But, we weren’t able to save the Ethics Commission, even though Rep. Kent Coleman tried his best to stand up for ethics in government. We also have to live with guns in bars, and paper-verified voting was postponed for another year even though we’re sitting on $34 million to implement it! Bottom line - we need more Democrats in the Tennessee Legislature. This website offers ways to get involved, contribute to the effort, stay updated on the issues, and stay connected. Your continued help and involvement is appreciated.

Sincerely,
Jonathon Fagan
Chairman, Rutherford County Democratic Party
(615) 604-4211
han.d.man.2@gmail.com
www.rutherfordcountydemocrats.org

Posted in Budget, Education, Elections, Energy, Ethics, From the Chair, Gov. Phil Bredesen, Guns, Jobs, Legislation, Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, MTSU, Rep. Curt Cobb (D-62), Rep. Kent Coleman (D-49), Republican leaders, Sen. Bill Ketron (R-13), Sen. Jim Tracy (R-16) | No Comments »

Rep. Donna Rowland (R-34) opposes safe and energy efficient home construction

Wednesday, June 10th, 2009

Rep. Donna Rowland (R-34) tried to exclude Rutherford County from a bipartisan bill that would create statewide building construction safety standards and promote energy efficiency savings for working families.

Several rural counties in Tennessee have no home construction safety standards for one-family and two-family dwellings. The bill would protect residents from builders who place families at risk to maximize their own profits.

Rep. Rowland said establishing basic safety and energy efficiency standards in Rutherford County to protect the lives of homeowners and save them money on energy costs would present an unnecessary burden on home builders. After hearing Rep. Rowland’s argument today on behalf of her major donors, Rep. Rowland’s House constituents voted against her amendment, and it failed.

Rep. Kent Coleman (D-49) and Rep. Curt Cobb (D-62) are co-sponsors of the bill. Here is what the bill would do to protect working families and save them money:

Beginning July 1, 2010, this amendment applies the statewide building construction safety standards established by the state fire marshal to one-family and two-family dwellings, unless the local government has adopted the International Residential Code for such dwellings. Under present law, one-family and two-family dwellings are exempt from the statewide standards. The full text of this amendment establishes a process for appointment of deputy building inspectors to conduct safety standards compliance inspections of one-family and two-family dwellings.

Also, beginning July 1, 2010, this amendment requires that the statewide building construction safety standards must include energy efficiency standards. This amendment prohibits the state fire marshal from including in the standards a mandatory requirement that one-family and two-family dwellings have sprinklers; provided, however, that local governments will be authorized to adopt more stringent standards for such dwellings.

Posted in Home, Public Safety, Rep. Curt Cobb (D-62), Rep. Donna Rowland (R-34), Rep. Kent Coleman (D-49) | 1 Comment »

Rutherford County Republicans vote to pollute Tennessee waterways

Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009

A Republican sponsored bill (HB 1204 / SB 1331) that would have allowed the coal industry to pollute Tennessee’s waterways narrowly failed in the state House today 49 - 42. The bill’s House sponsor says he is not sure if he’ll try to refile the bill.

Rep. Joe McCord (R-8) admitted today on the House floor that the bill was written and given to him to sponsor by the coal industry. The bill would have allowed selenium levels from coal production to reach unacceptable levels (7.5 ppm) in Tennessee lakes, rivers and streams. Watch this video to see what selenium waste has done to aquatic life.

Rep. McCord and several of his Republican colleagues repeatedly claimed the bill would bring Tennessee up to the latest EPA standards for selenium levels in U.S. waterways. The EPA, however, never adopted the proposal which Republicans falsely claimed were the latest standards.

Furthermore, the scientist who helped draft the 2004 proposal for the EPA on selenium levels has since reported that his findings were wrong and that the bill as written would in fact kill nearly 80% of fish in Tennessee waterways, one reason the proposal was rejected by the Bush Administration’s EPA in the first place.

Despite these facts, Tennessee Republicans persisted on behalf of the coal industry, including those representing Rutherford County.

The audacity of Tennessee Republicans to pass off junk science and misrepresent the truth in the state legislature as the basis of their support for poisoning Tennessee waterways is embarrassing and immoral.

Tennesseans are called upon to be good stewards of God’s creation and to protect it for generations to come. Tennessee Republicans demonstrated today yet again whose side they are on when it comes to that calling. Tennessee Republicans sided with the interests of the coal industry over protecting our environment and our great state’s cultural heritage of hunting and fishing.

Here is how our state’s delegation voted on the selenium bill:

Posted in Environment, Legislation, Public Safety, Rep. Curt Cobb (D-62), Rep. Donna Rowland (R-34), Rep. Joe Carr (R-48), Rep. Kent Coleman (D-49), Sen. Bill Ketron (R-13), Sen. Jim Tracy (R-16), Special Interests, Wildlife | 4 Comments »

Rep. Kent Coleman (D-49) stands with voters over liquor lobbyists

Thursday, May 21st, 2009

House Republicans failed to defeat Rep. Kent Coleman’s (D-49) amendment to a booze bill in the House yesterday.

Rep. Coleman’s amendment allows voters to decide if they want liquor stills built in their communities. A Republican led attempt to defeat this amendment failed Wednesday just as it did the week before.

As written, Rep. Joe Carr’s (R-48) booze bill would have forced any county whose voters approved liquor stores to also allow liquor stills whether they want them or not. Rep. Coleman’s amendment takes that decision away from lawmakers in the back pocket of liquor lobbyists and puts it back in the hands of the voters.

Rep. Carr attempted to kill Rep. Coleman’s amendment on May 14 on behalf of liquor lobbyists but failed to get support from House members. Republicans returned Wednesday with a second attempt to kill Rep. Coleman’s amendment by forcing counties to accept liquor stills whether they want them or not. The Republican effort was withdrawn yesterday after a considerable outcry from House members who wanted their voters to make these decisions for themselves.  Several of Rep. Carr’s own Republican colleagues had filed amendments to exclude their counties from his booze bill.

Sen. Bill Ketron (R-13), the Senate bill’s author, stated on WPLN today that he would support the bill and its amendments, but we’ll see about that once the bill goes to committee. If the amendment is stripped by liquor lobbyists, voters could bring lawsuits against the state for retroactively changing what their votes on liquor store referendums meant for their communities.

Another amendment Republicans might try to strip from the bill in committee is an amendment by Rep. Curt Cobb (D-62) that would protect churches. Rep. Cobb’s amendment requires liquor stills to abide by liquor store zoning rules that prevent them from selling liquor next to churches. The amendment is opposed by liquor lobbyists who want the right to sell liquor anywhere they want.

Also read:

Posted in Legislation, Rep. Curt Cobb (D-62), Rep. Joe Carr (R-48), Rep. Kent Coleman (D-49), Sen. Bill Ketron (R-13), Special Interests | 1 Comment »

Liquor lobbyists angered over booze bill amendment that protects churches

Friday, May 15th, 2009

Liquor lobbyists who support Rep. Joe Carr’s (R-48) booze bill were angered yesterday by a proposed amendment that would protect churches.

Rep. Curt Cobb (D-62) filed an amendment yesterday to force distilleries who sell liquor to abide by local ordinances that define how close to churches liquor can be sold. Local zoning laws approved by voters across the state prevent liquor and porn stores from locating near churches. As written, Rep. Carr’s booze bill would allow licensed liquor stills to locate wherever county manufacturing zoning allows.

Several conservative Republican representatives, including Rep. Maggart (R-45) and Rep. Lynn (R-57), filed amendments to exclude their counties from Rep. Carr’s booze bill because the bill doesn’t protect churches or the will of voters. Carr’s conservative colleagues felt they were protecting the values of their communities from a poorly written bill.

Rep. Kent Coleman (D-49) successfully added an amendment to the booze bill that gives voters the right to decide if they want liquor stills in their county. Rep. Carr fought the amendment unsuccessfully hoping to force counties to accept liquor stills whether they wanted them or not. Rep. Donna Rowland (R-34) also voted against the amendment.

The bill goes to the House floor for a vote next Wednesday.

Posted in Legislation, Rep. Curt Cobb (D-62), Rep. Joe Carr (R-48), Rep. Kent Coleman (D-49), Special Interests | 2 Comments »