Tennessee State Representative Monty Fritts Talks Legislative Priorities: Illegal Immigration, Grocery Sales & Property Tax Reform, Sanctity Of Life, 2A Bills & More!

Olivia Lupia of The Tennessee Conservative interviews State Representative Monty Fritts, who is also running for governor, discussing upcoming bills and his legislative priorities for the session. The bill filing deadline was extended to February 3rd at 3:00 p.m..

Key topics and bills discussed include:

• 
  Grocery Sales Tax Bill: Representative Fritts is running a bill that would remove the 4% state sales tax on items that qualify for WIC. He notes that this is the same bill he carried a couple of years ago and it removes the burden from grocers by not requiring them to reprogram anything. The intent is that all Tennessee citizens would benefit from the tax removal on these items. A few years ago, the fiscal note was about $150 million. He believes this is a "measured step forward" compared to trying to remove all grocery taxes and that the dollars saved by Tennesseans will go back into the economy.
• Charlie Kirk Memorial Courtyard Bill: Representative Fritts and Senator Pod are running a bill for schools that would create the Charlie Kirk Memorial Courtyard. The idea evolved from an initial proposal for a road or boulevard. The courtyards are intended to be a conversation space, memorializing the importance of dialogue, and would allow for public donations to help. The idea is to remind "crazy leftist Marxist radicals" on college campuses that they are near things like the Ten Commandments and the Declaration of Independence.
• Illegal Immigration: Representative Fritts believes Tennessee has led the nation in addressing illegal immigration, specifically with House Bill 1872, which addresses violent crime committed by illegal immigrants with a life in prison sentence without parole. He also highlighted the importance of considering residency status for bond.
• Non-Essentialism Bill: Representative Fritts is still pursuing his non-essentialism bill, which the governor's office has fought for three years.
• Property Tax: Representative Fritts wants to address property taxes by getting rid of the unrealized capital gain tax. He also wants to fix the value of a home at its 2020 value or what the owner paid for it since then. His bill aims to prevent U.S. citizens from being evicted for delinquent property taxes, especially if they have owned the house for ten years.
• Sanctity of Life Bill: This bill focuses on five areas and includes provisions related to In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). Representative Fritts stated that to discard or destroy a fertilized egg as part of the IVF process is murder. The bill is intended as a "corrective measure" after Governor Lee did not veto a bill that Fritts believed gave the right to create and discard human life at will. The other categories addressed in the bill are transgender surgeries, human trafficking, and abortion.
• Obscenity and Pornography: A bill is being introduced to take on obscenity and pornography in public places. It would require places like a strip club to post a sign warning that patrons "may be contributing to human trafficking, sexual assault, and family violence". Books and tapes would also require a warning label similar to a pack of cigarettes.
• Gun Bills: Representative Fritts is working on two gun bills, which address the "intent to go armed". One bill is already filed. The other bill would also include campus carry, allowing young adults to carry a firearm on campus, and would allow citizens to protect their private property with a firearm. The bill also addresses long guns.