(WJHL) – New representatives will be sworn into the Tennessee General Assembly on Tuesday, and we talked with a few of them about their goals.
Former broadcaster Scotty Campbell is representing Tennessee House District 3 once again after not running for re-election in 2012.
“I’m going to be focused on seeing that we have road improvements,” Campbell said. “There are many investments that need to be made here in terms of that infrastructure.”
Campbell said the coronavirus pandemic will be a hot topic in the General Assembly.
“Another big goal for us is always making the climate as good as it can be for jobs, especially with the pandemic,” Campbell said. “We need businesses open, following the guidelines.”
Tim Hicks, political newcomer for Tennessee State House District 6 agrees.
“During COVID, mental health and substance abuse has really soured. The problems with it, suicides and overdoses, are up all the way across the state,” Hicks said. “We haven’t got a lot of those numbers yet but we’ll be getting them very soon, and I’m concerned about that.”
Rebecca Alexander defeated longtime Tennessee Congressman Matthew Hill in Tennessee House District 7.
“I just want to make sure that we’re not going to leave our most vulnerable behind – whether it be children, special needs, the elderly, anything that would leave our most vulnerable behind,” Alexander said. “So, I’ve got to do a lot of work on that, a lot of studying on that.”
Longtime Tennessee congressman David Hawk had some words of wisdom for his new colleagues.
“Whether they be a freshman legislator or someone like myself starting their 19th year, all of our concerns and thoughts are equal in terms of the legislative body,” Hawk said. “So, I’ve encouraged them to stand their ground.”
As the pandemic persists, legislators said they will be taking extra precautions during this general assembly by continuing to social distance and having dividers between each seating area.
