And win.
No different than just about every would-be Tennessee politician who runs as a Republican, Reeves claimed to be a “conservative” and opposed to illegal immigration.
In fact, Reeves goes further on the illegal immigration issue as posted on his “Reeves State Senate” website, claiming that he is “fighting to stop illegal immigration in Tennessee.” https://www.reevesfortn.com/the-issues/
A worthy question for his voting constituents would be: how does sponsoring and passing legislation rewarding people who don’t have lawful immigration status (meaning they are illegal aliens under the controlling federal law as determined by Congress) with state issued commercial and professional licenses, help stop illegal immigration in Tennessee?
Worse yet, it sounds like Reeves knew that the Obama DACA beneficiaries who were the main target of his bill, have absolutely none, zero, nada, lawful immigration status. On the Senate floor, Reeves was asked whether people covered by his bill are here illegally. Not surprisingly, he side-stepped the question but admitted that the bill “does not change anyone’s immigration status”.
Then he pulled out the open border advocates’ favorite feint to the left to help confuse his colleagues and said that DACA recipients are “lawfully present”. Even the Biden administration has admitted that “lawful presence” for DACA recipients does not give them any lawful immigration status.
Almost a full year before Reeves decided to reward illegal aliens living in and/or arriving to Tennessee, a federal district court in Texas in a 70+ page, detailed opinion, ruled that the Obama DACA program was procedurally and substantively invalid and violates federal immigration law. After the ruling was affirmed by the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, Biden’s Dept. of Homeland Security issued a new rule on DACA.
The new rule was reported by the Center for Immigration Studies to be almost identical to the original Obama administration rule. More importantly, the new Biden rule stated unequivocally that lawful presence (used by Reeves to confuse his colleagues), is only a specialized term of art distinct from lawful status, that DACA recipients only have a temporary two-year grant of deferred deportation, remain inadmissible illegal aliens subject to removal, and are not considered lawfully present under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). From page 16 of the new Biden administration rule for DACA:
a noncitizen who has been granted deferred action is considered “lawfully present”—a specialized term of art that does not in any way confer “lawful status” or authorization to remain in the United States https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2022-18401.pdf
Reeves filed his illegal immigration reward bill as a caption bill to make sure that unsuspecting legislators and/or the voting public wouldn’t know what he was up to until it was too late. https://dailyrollcall.com/tennessees-elected-gop-are-redefining-the-word-conservative/
Maybe he thought his constituents wouldn’t appreciate his campaign platform flip-flop? For sure though the NFIB (small business lobby) which lobbied this bill along with the TN Chamber of Commerce was probably thrilled that he fulfilled his commitment to them.
The secret no-parents-need-to-know-or-consent vaccine bill for minors
Given that Reeves apparently wasn’t concerned about transparency with his own bill, it didn’t stop him from voting for not one, but two bills which taken together, authorized dentists and other licensed healthcare providers to administer the HPV vaccine to minors without parental knowledge or consent. Once the intent of these bills became known (and the likely negative public reaction), bill sponsor Sen. Bill Powers added consent from the parent or legal guardian to his bill before a dentist could administer the vaccine.
Sen. Richard Briggs who sponsored the other bill which authorized certain licensed healthcare providers to give the HPV vaccine to a minor without consent from a parent or legal guardian was not changed to include consent. https://dailyrollcall.com/tennessees-elected-gop-are-redefining-the-word-conservative/
Both bills were recommended for passage and scheduling to go to the Senate floor but never made it because they were both taken off notice in the House.
Both Briggs and Powers were co-sponsors of Reeves’ licenses for illegal aliens bill and Reeves as a member of the Senate Health Committee voted for both HPV bills.
During this last legislative session Reeves sponsored a bill to enlarge the scope of practice of pharmacists like himself. The bill, SB869, would essentially let pharmacists stand in place of a physician for purposes of prescribing certain types of medications if the pharmacist decides the person needs it.
Included in the expanded list constituting the “practice of pharmacy”, are “[a]gents for active immunization when prescribed for susceptible individuals who are six (6) years of age or older for the protection from communicable disease”.
Since the HPV bills were never passed, is it possible that Reeves’ expanded pharmacy practice bill is the new back door to make this happen? The bill is still pending in the Senate Health & Welfare Committee where Reeves serves as (the gender neutral) 2nd vice-chairperson.
Is this really the type of representation voters of District 14 want or deserve?
