State Sen. Becky Massey, a Republican who represents about half of Knox County, began on a rough morning in February. Legislative Forum It is sponsored by the East Tennessee branch of the Federation of Women Voters and the Association of Professional Journalists.
I’ve seen Massey for years and I’ve realized that her pattern is to spread controversial topics in the discussion of the process. She asks harsh questions about pending laws and talks about which committees serve the committee and the status of its bill.
That bias was not possible at the start of the forum when Scott Barker, moderator of Knoxville’s local news site Compass, asked each of the five congressmen to explain their vote for the voucher bill. House Democrats Sam McKenzie and Gloria Johnson defeated many of the flaws in the plan, noting that it was a costly subsidy to families sending their children to private schools. Senate Republican Richard Briggs repeated his opposition, and House Republican Dave Wright had just a few words to support his Jesus vote.
Massey noted the overall increase in state spending for education and the change in the funding formula, saying, “I spoke with people when I was on the trajectory of the campaign, when I was at their door.” . This summer we voted for it. So there was a lot of conversation.. I read all the emails that came to me. “She also spoke to people in the church or invited events. I mentioned what I did. “I looked at all the details of the bill and got the answer,” he explained the “harmless” provisions of the law as a baseline to ensure that schools don’t lose money.
“The financial memo says that the school year will be coming next year,” Johnson said at the same meeting. [Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement Act, the formula for state public school funding] Funds are under $45 million due to the voucher. Well, it might be voucher maths, but it’s not the maths I went to public schools. Because $3.3 million won’t make up for our short $45 million. “Furthermore, the funding gap becomes more severe as the voucher program goes through scheduled expansions. Massey has not explained where the mysterious money comes from, and it appears that public schools will suffer very well.
Of course, public support for vouchers It’s very different It depends on how you express your question. 1 An unofficial poll by Knoxville TV station WBIR A whopping 89% of respondents to a survey against vouchers were found.
Massey also made some strange statements when subjects turned to the recently passed immigration bill promoted by Gov. Bill Lee. Her rambling answer included the line “former people registered on Ellis Island.” Mackenzie, a black man, did not interrupt, saying that some of his relatives may have arrived by another route. Massey then said immigration was a matter of Tennessee. It took someone to fix her during the question and answer session. Most such drugs enter through ports of entry and citizen actions, not through immigration.
Let’s alleviate criticism with gratitude. These five lawmakers were the same people who appeared last year at the same forum, YWCA in Knoxville. Statehouse Republicans Michele Kalinger, Elaine Davis, Justin Lafferty and Jason Zachary (Lt. Col. Randy McNally) were all invited to this month’s forum, but were not present.
Massey also gave me a quick response to my email, clarifying the points raised in the forum, saying, “I will evaluate each law with its own merits, which is what I did with last week’s Education Scholarship Bill. After doing the investigation, I answered my questions and voted for the bill.”
Although fair enough, a close look into the merits of the bill does not justify anything other than a “no” to Lee’s voucher scheme.
Massey certainly knows politics. In her early selective years, her name most often appeared as Becky Duncan Massey. Becky Duncan Massey is a less subtle reference to her brother and father’s surname, who represented the Knox County area in Legislature for 54 years. So, as numbers begin to enter about voucher plans failures, she has a stronger answer to switch the 2019 “no” vote to the 2025 “yes” vote for similar vouchers plans based on questionable reasoning. You need to give it. And the answer to the process is not sufficient.
