The week in politics: Spurred by special session, new Democrat challenges GOP House whip in 2024

Former teacher and mother of two Alison Beale of Hendersonville will challenge incumbent GOP House Majority Whip Johnny Garrett for his seat in the Tennessee House of Representatives in 2024.

As a gun reform advocate during the last several years, Beale never considered running for office. But then, she attended the special legislative session on public safety at the state Capitol last August.

"Witnessing the callous disregard from our elected officials for grieving families, a community who was devastated by this school shooting, was really a tipping point for me," Beale said. "I never set out to be a politician. But I'm a mom, and I'm seeing running for office right now as doing what I need to do to protect not just my kids, but everybody's kids."

Beale announced her candidacy with a video posted on social media Wednesday.

Beale previously taught seventh grade math. During the 2018-19 school year, one of her students was Aldane Brooks, whose brother Akilah Dasilva was a victim of the 2018 Waffle House shooting in Antioch. Brooks became her student shortly after his brother was killed.

"Witnessing this family processing the most immense tragedy ― getting to know them and just being so inspired by their strengths and their motivation to turn their grief into action ― was a catalyst for me getting pretty heavily involved in gun violence prevention," Beale said.

She has since worked with the Akilah Dasilva Foundation as a gun violence prevention advocate. After a shooter killed six people at The Covenant School in Nashville in March, Beale went to the Capitol to call on lawmakers to pass gun safety laws.

When Gov. Bill Lee brought lawmakers back for a special session in August, Beale went to the Capitol carrying hope for bipartisan reform.

But meaningful progress during the special session stalled and Republicans adopted new rules banning spectators from holding 8.5" x 11" signs in House galleries ― a move that sparked a constitutional lawsuit.

"My representative was one of the people behind the sign ban," Beale said, of Garrett, R-Goodlettsville, who she is now running against. "It just turned into a circus."

If elected, gun reform would be Beale's top priority. Beale said she will advocate for safe storage requirements, restoring the state's gun permitting system, closing background check loopholes, and establishing red flag laws to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people. She would also support magazine capacity limits and an assault weapons ban, but acknowledges "that is not realistic" with the current makeup of the legislature.

"The fact that we can't pass a safe storage bill that is just simply saying 'please store your guns responsibly' ― it's beyond me," Beale said.

Beale said she will also advocate to raise the minimum wage to a livable wage, increase access to health care, ensure equal rights for LGBTQ individuals and restore abortion access.

"You shouldn't have to experience anything personally to care, but I'm somebody who has struggled with fertility: I've had two miscarriages, and as a result, my pregnancies have been higher risk," Beale said. "The thought of having another child here terrifies me, because I might not be able to get the care that I need."

Beale said a friend recently had to leave the state to terminate a medically unviable pregnancy.

As a former teacher, she says she'll also prioritize equitable education funding and fight against a Republican-led effort for the state to consider rejecting federal education funding.

District 45 has been represented by Republicans for more than a decade. Garrett, an attorney, has represented House District 45 since 2018, when he defeated Democrat Hana Ali by a nearly 20-point margin. He has run unopposed since.

Garrett was preceded by Courtney Rodgers, who later served as Gov. Bill Lee's commissioner of Veterans Affairs. Rodgers resigned in 2020 after a human resources investigation found that she had subjected employees to racist and homophobic remarks. District 45 was previously represented by Rep. Debra Maggart, and before that Rep. Diane Black, both Republicans.

Beale will kick off her campaign for Tennessee House of Representatives on Sunday, Nov. 5 at 2 p.m. at The Collab in Hendersonville.

Tennessee pediatrics group urges lawmakers to maintain federal education funding

The Tennessee Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics on Thursday released a statement urging lawmakers to maintain the billions in federal education funding the state receives.

Lawmakers on Nov. 6 will begin a series of hearings to determine the feasibility of foregoing the funding, which undergirds myriad K-12 programs.

“The federal funds that Tennessee receives to support the education of our children are vital to ensure all children receive a proper education by providing support for free meals, students with disabilities, and low-income students," TNAAP said in a statement. "Federal oversight provides accountability and protection for children who rely on these programs. Without these funds, children may go hungry, impacting their overall health and academic performance. Additionally, children with disabilities may not get the full level of academic support they need to thrive in the classroom and in life. Without the oversight of these funds, children may not enjoy the protections guaranteed under our Constitution."

TNAAP suggested the state utilize "all available funds to maximize the education of all children in our state rather than rejecting funding that we have already paid for," a point echoed by some disability advocates who say Tennessee should inject more funds into the education system if it has billions in excess to to make up.

Education funding group agenda set

The agenda has been set for the education funding working group, which will begin meeting at 2 p.m. Monday, Nov. 6.

Lawmakers will first hear from Fiscal Review and the Comptroller's Office of Research and Education Accountability (OREA) on Monday, followed by the Sycamore Institute and input from district leaders on Tuesday.

The federal Department of Education and National Conference of State Legislatures will follow n Nov. 8.

Lawmakers will hear from the Tennessee Department of Education on Tuesday, Nov. 14 and OREA again on Wednesday, Nov. 15, which is the last day scheduled for the group.

Attorney General files for abortion suit dismissal

The Tennessee Attorney General's office this week filed a motion to dismiss an ongoing Chancery Court lawsuit challenging the state's near-total abortion ban.

The office asked for a hearing on the motion in early December.

Three Tennessean women and two doctors sued the state in September, arguing the state's law is too restrictive and vague about when doctors can legally terminate pregnancies threatening a pregnant patient's health. All three women experienced complicated, terminal pregnancies and say the state's new law caused them to endure "catastrophic" risks.

The AG's office now argues plaintiffs don't have standing to challenge the law because they claim to seek changes to the law on behalf of other people not themselves, with the AG's office pointing out lead plaintiff Nicole Blackmon had a tubal ligation and can no longer become pregnant.

State lawyers also say the lawsuit relies on conjecture about hypothetical future pregnancies.

"Any alleged injury in the future from the challenged aspects of the medical exception is therefore not 'certainly impending,' as standing requires," the state's motion said.

Blackmon was pregnant in 2022 when an anatomy scan led to a fetal diagnosis of a fatal development syndrome where the baby's major organs developed outside of the baby's body. Due to Tennessee's abortion ban, Blackmon was forced to carry the baby after the diagnosis amid worsening side effects, including warning signs of preeclampsia and stroke.

Blackmon later gave birth to a stillborn boy, who she named Ethan, and she was later diagnosed with a placenta infection.

“No one should ever have to go through what I went through. Tennessee lawmakers put my life in danger with this abortion ban,” Blackmon said in a statement. “My fellow plaintiffs and I are asking for the bare minimum–the right to basic health care during the many risky complications that arise during pregnancy. Instead, our own state is trying to pretend that what we experienced never happened. It’s a disgrace.”

Catch up on the week

Former Nashville Mayor Megan Barry weighing run for Congress

Can Tennessee afford to replace federal education funds? Yes, but with caveats, report finds

Tennessee families ask US Supreme Court to block gender transition ban for minors

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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Newcomer Democrat challenges TN Republican House whip over gun control