BILLS DROPPED THIS WEEK

The deadline for filing new legislation is Jan 31, 2023, so new bills are beginning to pile up in the coffers of the recently-convened General Assembly. Meanwhile, as the Capitol slowly reawakens, Metro Council is business as usual: the agenda for next week’s meeting was added last night. Let’s look at some of the new legislation filed.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB90 was introduced this Wednesday; the bill, if passed, will prohibit local governments from spending money to assist women in obtaining abortions. In other words, it will prevent the use of tax dollars to fund travel and accommodation for out-of-state abortions–  a provision Metro Council attempted to push through this past fall via Planned Parenthood. It also include the following language: ”This prohibition includes expending funds as part of a health benefit plan or for travel to a state where abortion is legal,” which would directly void legislation passed in Metro council allowing their Health Board to include such healthcare as requirements.

Also introduced this week was HB77, a bill that would require each ignition interlock device (IID) installed in a car to be accompanied by a GPS tracking device. This goes along with SB2434, a bill passed last year requiring any person guilty of driving under the influence to install and use an ignition interlock device; the bill, which was signed into law on May 2, 2022 by Governor Lee, was enacted on January 1st of this year.

METRO CITY COUNCIL

Hats off to the Nashville “bicycle brigade” (unofficial reference)! Six pieces of legislation on the docket next week concern bicycles. One resolution, announced on Twitter by CM Sledge this week, will allocate one million dollars in American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds for Metro Government to subsidize electric bicycles. The other five items on the agenda are maintenance resolutions for lighting and signal upgrades associated with cycling and pedestrian facilities throughout Nashville.