E09: Brandon Puttbrese (Part 2)- WTF Bills Were Passed Last Session?
Standing Tall with Gloria Johnson
Brandon Puttbrese (Part 2)- WTF Bills Were Passed Last Session?
Air Date: 09/01/2026
Guest: Brandon Puttbrese, Press Secretary for the Tennessee Senate Democratic Caucus
Host: State Rep. Gloria Johnson
CONTENT NOTE: This episode discusses Tennessee's abortion ban in specific terms, including the state's lack of exceptions for rape, incest, or minors, and references a proposed bill involving capital punishment for abortion.
NOTE: This is Part 2 of the multi-part conversation with Brandon Puttbrese (Part 1 covered vouchers, school funding, and the K12 charter school story).
Episode Summary
Gloria and Brandon pick back up for a second, wide-ranging conversation covering Tennessee's abortion restrictions and a personal-privilege bill Gloria brought to add narrow exceptions, a wave of "Charlie Kirk" bills restricting campus speech and inserting religion into schools, a series of pro-corporate deregulation bills (including one custom-built for Elon Musk's Nashville tunnel project), state takeovers of local school boards and airports, an unfunded immigration enforcement mandate, and a rare bipartisan win on voting rights restoration.
They close with what's giving Brandon hope: growing bipartisan coalitions and a new generation of candidates running on concrete, popular reforms.
Topics Covered
Tennessee's abortion ban: no exception for life of the mother, incest, or rape; a real example of the state forcing a 10-year-old to carry a pregnancy from rape
New 2025 legislation attempting to criminalize providers and increase penalties around mifepristone/medication abortion, while exempting FedEx as a shipper
Gloria's personal-privilege bill to add narrow rape/incest/health exceptions to the abortion ban, and her account of bringing her own personal story to committee, where members reportedly cried but still voted against the bill
A proposed bill referenced as allowing capital punishment for having an abortion
Tennessee's OB-GYN shortage: fewer than half of counties have an OB-GYN, and a reported 21% drop in OB-GYN residents choosing Tennessee since the Dobbs decision
A wave of "Charlie Kirk" bills passed after his death, including campus free speech penalties Brandon and Gloria argue function as censorship, and religion-in-schools provisions
The vague, "chilling effect" nature of Tennessee's divisive concepts and book-banning laws, tied back to the earlier Knox County "Roots" ban discussion
Pro-corporate deregulation bills: a custom regulatory framework enabling Elon Musk's proposed Nashville airport tunnel project, limits on class-action lawsuits against corporations, deregulation of the reverse mortgage industry, and a rollback of worker/health safety regulations
State takeovers of local control: the Memphis-Shelby County school board takeover, an airport takeover law being challenged by Chattanooga, and changes to local election timing
The Memphis "Safe Task Force" and National Guard deployment, and new state limits on local district attorneys' prosecutorial discretion
A mandatory, unfunded statewide 287(g) immigration enforcement mandate for local sheriffs, and a new tax on international money transfers already facing a federal lawsuit
A real constituent story: a divorced mother earning $100,000/year (with a spouse earning $500,000/year not factored into eligibility) qualifying for a school voucher
A rare bipartisan win: a voting rights restoration bill from Sen. Raumesh Akbari and Leader Karen Camper, reforming (but not eliminating) court fee and back child support barriers to restoring voting rights
Closing hope segment: bipartisan coalitions on the Monsanto immunity bill and the immigrant education bill, plus a new generation of candidates running on paid family leave, minimum wage increases, and universal pre-K
Follow:
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Notable People Mentioned:
Sen. Raumesh Akbari (TN Senate Democratic Caucus Leader)
Leader Karen Camper (TN House Democratic Leader)
Sen. Jack Johnson (TN Senate Majority Leader)
Sen. John Stevens (TN State Senator, sponsor of several bills discussed)
Rep. Andrew Farmer (TN State Rep, quoted re: abortion exceptions)
Justin Kanew (The Tennessee Holler, referenced)