Press Release submitted to Smith County of Insider by the Campaign to Elect Gayla Hendrix.

SMITHVILLE – On September 20, The Tennessean published a story about Andy Miller, a wealthy Republican donor and businessman, who, along with his brother and others, has been fined $7.74 million dollars for defrauding TRICARE, the federal healthcare program for veterans and their families.

Miller also made news recently for taking campaign money as investments from Jeremy Durham, the Tennessee legislator expelled only last week from the General Assembly for inappropriate conduct involving the alleged sexual harassment of 22 colleagues and subordinates on Capitol Hill. Durham was expelled by a 70 – 2 vote with District 40’s Terri Lynn Weaver being one of the two votes to allow him to retain his seat, and thus, draw a lifetime pension and benefits from the taxpayers of Tennessee.

Yesterday September 22, Miller served as a cohost for a fundraiser benefitting Representative Weaver. He has also supported her previous campaigns through his political action committee, Truth Matters, by donating over $8,000.00.

Smithville attorney, Gayla Hendrix, who is challenging Weaver in November’s general election and condemned Weaver’s support of Jeremy Durham, issued the following statement today:

“Terri Lynn claims to represent the interests of everyday Tennesseans, and relies on her credentials as a gospel singer to present a persona of values that she shares with people of District 40; but clearly, it is only a persona. Given her recent actions, both with her vote on the Durham matter and now her financial association with those who have stolen healthcare dollars from veterans and their families, her ability to represent District 40 must be called into question.

It is a legislator’s duty to put the needs and values of their constituents first; but once again, we see Representative Weaver put her political alliances and campaign coffers above all else.

Whether Terri Lynn’s breaches of responsibility are due to a weakness of character, a knowledge deficit or some combination of factors, she must be held accountable for these failures of leadership and representation.”

Paid for by the Campaign to Elect Gayla C. Hendrix, State House District 40, Joy Parker, Treasurer

GALLATIN, TN – The Diane Black for Congress campaign is calling on Joe Carr, a delegate for Ted Cruz’s Presidential campaign, to repudiate the Texas Senator’s refusal to endorse Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump last night at the Republican National Convention. Diane Black released the following statement:

“Americans face a binary choice this November: Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton. Tennesseans know that Hillary Clinton lacks the integrity and judgment to hold any elected office, let alone President of the United States. That is why, back in May, I endorsed Donald Trump’s campaign and encouraged others to do the same so that we could unify our party and ensure a Republican victory this November,” said Diane Black. “Last night, Ted Cruz set us back in those efforts and handed a gift to the Clinton campaign by refusing to endorse Donald Trump. As a delegate for Ted Cruz, it is deeply concerning that Joe Carr has so far been silent on this selfish power play. Tennesseans deserve to know where Joe stands. I call on him to immediately denounce Ted Cruz’s refusal to endorse the Republican nominee and make clear his own support for Donald Trump.”

Washington, D.C. – Today Congressman Diane Black (R-TN-06), a registered nurse and member of the Select Investigative Panel on Infant Lives, presented her bill: the Conscience Protection Act, before a meeting of the House Rules Committee. The legislation is slated to be considered on the House floor tomorrow. To watch a video of Congressman Black’s remarks before the House Rules Committee, click here. A full transcript is provided below:

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and members of the committee. I appreciate the opportunity to speak on this urgently needed legislation.

It was our nation’s third President, Thomas Jefferson, who famously said: “No provision in our Constitution ought to be dearer to man than that which protects the rights of conscience against the enterprises of the civil authority.

Being an American has always meant experiencing the freedom to live by the dictates of one’s deeply held beliefs at home, at work, and in the public square. After all, if we don’t have a right to abide by our own consciences – particularly on a matter as deeply affecting as abortion – we don’t have much left, do we?

President Obama himself acknowledged this time-honored freedom at a speech to students at Notre Dame University in 2009, saying: “Let’s honor the conscience of those who disagree with abortion.” Unfortunately, this right is not consistently enforced today, the President’s words notwithstanding.

In 2013, I first met Cathy Cenzon-DeCarlo. She, like me, is a registered nurse. Back in 2009, she was forced by her hospital in New York to assist in the abortion of a 22-week preborn baby. The hospital knew her longstanding opposition to abortion, yet threatened her job and her nursing license if she did not take part.

A federal law, known as the Weldon-Amendment, which has been attached to annual appropriations bills since 2004 – bills that Democrats and Republicans on this committee voted for – protects people like Cathy, and any other healthcare entity refusing to provide, pay for, or perform abortions. But, when Cathy filed a complaint, it took the HHS office of civil rights three years to resolve it and affirm her right not to perform an abortion against her will.

While Cathy eventually found a resolution to her case, after her hospital agreed to change its policies, others were not as fortunate.

In August of 2014, the Department of Managed Healthcare in California issued a mandate requiring that all insurance plans under their authority, including those offered by churches and Christian universities, must include coverage for elective abortion. Churches and pro-life organizations across the state pleaded with the HHS office of civil rights to enforce the law and protect their conscience rights – but, after a nearly two year investigation, their requests were denied. Now, other states are following suit; New York being the latest state to enact an abortion mandate of its own.

Congress needs to act.

Mr. Chairman and members of the committee: We talk a lot about the supposed “right to choose” in matters of abortion. That’s a phrase that some of you on this committee use with great frequency. But what about the other right to choose – the right to choose not to be a forced partner in a practice that goes against everything you believe? That is what my bill would protect.

Many of you know me well, and you know that I wear my pro-life convictions on my sleeve. But take note: this legislation doesn’t change the legality of abortion in any way. It does not speak to matters of birth control and contraceptives. And it does not change doctors’ and hospitals’ responsibilities to pregnant women in life threatening situations.

This is a modest, reasonable bill to protect Americans’ conscience rights and provide a civil right of action so that victims can have their day in court when those rights are trampled.

I urge you to heed the words of President Jefferson – and, for that matter, President Obama – and pass this compassionate bill to ensure these most foundational rights are respected and upheld.

Thank you.

Gayla C. Hendrix, candidate for State Representative for the 40^th District, will host a campaign kickoff on Thursday, July 21 from 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. on the Courthouse lawn located at 200 East Main Street, Hartsville.

State Representative Karen Camper of Memphis will be the keynote speaker. Please join us for refreshments, music, and discussion about the issues impacting Trousdale County and the 40^th District.

Washington, D.C. – Today Congressman Diane Black (R-TN-06), a member of the House Border Security Caucus and the recipient of an A+ lifetime rating from NumbersUSA, introduced H.R. 5654, the Stop Dangerous Sanctuary Cities Act. The legislation would withhold key federal funding streams from sanctuary cities; jurisdictions that forbid their law enforcement officers from cooperating with federal immigration officials. The bill is a companion to Senator Pat Toomey’s (R-PA) legislation of the same name. Congressman Black and Senator Toomey released the following statements:

“We all know that, for years now, Congress has ceded more and more power to the executive branch. But less talked about is the fact that, for just as long, Congress has also done the exact same thing with more than 200 rogue localities that willfully ignore federal immigration law. This is unconscionable. Sanctuary cities thumb their nose at Congress, they flout the law, and they endanger the lives of their own citizens. The Stop Dangerous Sanctuary Cities Act will take a broad-based approach to cutting off funding for these jurisdictions and asserting Congress’s Constitutional role in setting immigration policy,” said Congressman Diane Black. “I have been fighting to combat sanctuary city policies since I first came to Congress in 2011, and I am proud to join Senator Pat Toomey in this effort today. It is appalling that Senate Democrats chose to play politics with public safety and block his bill from moving forward in their chamber. With today’s introduction in the House, we are providing a renewed opportunity to advance this needed solution. If Democrats in Congress won’t work with us to toughen our immigration laws, the least they can do is support this legislation to enforce the ones we already have.”

“I am pleased that Congressman Black and her colleagues have introduced companion legislation in the House that will protect our communities from violent criminals and suspected terrorists who are in the U.S. illegally. Despite receiving support from a bipartisan majority, my legislation was regrettably blocked in the Senate. We cannot give up the fight. The House introduction provides another opportunity to focus on this issue,” said Senator Pat Toomey. “Our proposal stands for the simple proposition that public safety matters. The lives of Kate Steinle and other innocent Americans matter. Protecting our neighborhoods from violent criminals and terrorists matters.”

Background:
As a member of the House Border Security Caucus, Congressman Black has been a longtime leader in the fight for tough enforcement of federal immigration law. Weeks after being sworn in as a Member of Congress, she cosponsored the Enforce the Law for Sanctuary Cities Act. She voted for the most recent iteration of the bill when it came to the House floor on July 23, 2015 (see roll call vote here) and has supported measures to combat sanctuary city policies throughout her time in Congress, earning her a rare A+ lifetime rating from the anti-amnesty group NumbersUSA. Black is the co-author of the SMART Border Act of 2015, which would mandate operational control of the U.S-Mexico border territory within one year of enactment, and earlier this year, participated in a site visit to the Rio Grande Valley sector of the southern border region. In May of this year, she introduced an amendment to withhold funding for sanctuary cities in the House Energy and Water Development appropriations bill. Congressman Black’s amendment passed by a voice vote, but the underlying bill was rejected for unrelated reasons.