Nashville, Tenn.—District 75 Representative Bruce Griffey has been named vice chairman of the Tennessee House of Representatives Transportation Committee and was appointed to the newly-named Judiciary Committee.
The 111th Tennessee General Assembly got underway on Tuesday with the swearing-in of new members and the official election of Republican Glen Casada as the new Speaker of the House. On Thursday, Casada began making committee appointments.
Griffey said the Transportation Committee oversees infrastructure, safety and funding, and played a pivotal role in the passing of the Gas Tax in 2017 – legislation to which he was opposed and that he protested on his campaign platform.
“I am truly honored by Speaker Casada’s faith and confidence in me and my ability to serve in a leadership position on this important committee. I recognize that infrastructure is critical to economic development, and economic development in my district was a key agenda item on my campaign platform and remains a priority for me today,” said Griffey.
Griffey supported Casada when he ran for Speaker of the House and is very happy with his decision to back Casada, stating that “Speaker Casada is a proven leader and conservative. He is already changing things for the better by restructuring the committee system and his actions evidence his desire for partnership, not partisanship, to make Tennessee even greater than it already is.”
In addition to serving as Vice Chairman of the Transportation Committee, Griffey will be sitting on the newly named Judiciary Committee, which will review both civil and criminal justice issues, and will be sitting on the Constitutional Protections and Sentencing Subcommittee.
As a nearly 30 year practicing attorney, Griffey explained that he can make significant contributions to the Judiciary Committee. “Having served as both a prosecutor and a defense attorney, I believe criminal justice reform is greatly needed in our state. Additionally, some legislation that I am in the process of drafting to address illegal immigration in our state will go through the Judiciary Committee,” Griffey said.
An additional issue that Griffey raised during his campaign was his desire to elevate the classification of animal cruelty and abuse offenses and increase sentences and penalties for those types of crimes. The Judiciary Committee would be the committee addressing such proposal.
Photo: Griffey, his wife Rebecca, who is an Assistant District Attorney who serves on the State Executive Committee for the Republican Party, and Speaker Casada at a legislative reception at the Capitol. Photo courtesy of Rebecca Griffey.
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