HB855 passed with no fiscal note—but now taxpayers are stuck with an $8M bill. Lawmakers raided Duck River funds to pay for it, after the fact. Jack Johnson and Lee Reeves led the charge—while their own wives stand to benefit. Deception, exposed.
By TruthWire News | April 2025
In a stunning confirmation of grassroots warnings, Tennessee Republican leadership has been exposed for quietly tacking on an $8 million fiscal note after the controversial HB0855/SB0799 had already cleared both chambers of the General Assembly—cementing what critics are calling a coordinated cover-up designed to suppress dissent and consolidate control.
The legislation, which forces county Republican parties to abandon voting conventions and instead hold state-run primaries, was sold as a no-cost, no-impact reform. But behind closed doors, leadership knew otherwise—and the real cost has now come to light.
Rep. Todd Warner, who voted against the measure, wasted no time going public with what he says was deliberate deception:
“The sponsor of this bill looked me in the eye and told me there wouldn’t be a fiscal note. That was a lie. Now, after it’s already passed both chambers, an $8 million fiscal note has been quietly added—after the fact, with zero transparency. And the taxpayers are the ones stuck with the bill.
Let me be clear: this wasn’t a mistake. Leadership in both chambers backed this bill, with the Speaker of the House and the House Caucus Chair serving as co-sponsors, and the Senate Majority Leader as the prime sponsor. This was deception at the highest level.
Leadership lied. Not just to me—but to every Tennessean. All to grow government, push their agenda, and protect their own power. It’s time we admit what’s really going on: despite our supermajority, true fiscal conservatives aren’t in charge. We’re being led by career politicians who serve themselves, not the people.
And I’m done staying quiet. No matter what threats House leadership and the career politicians in Nashville throw my way—I will keep standing for the truth, for transparency, and for the Tennesseans who sent me here!”
The unraveling occurred under the fluorescent lights of the Senate Finance, Ways & Means Committee, chaired by Senator Bo Watson, where a budget amendment—one to amendment three—suddenly revealed the $8 million appropriation. The funds were earmarked to reimburse county election commissions for the cost of holding primaries they were now required to conduct under the new law.
Senator Joey Hensley asked the question everyone was thinking:
“So that’s what it’s going to cost for the counties that don’t already have primary elections?”
The response? Yes—but also for counties that already do. When Hensley pushed further, budget officials admitted that the $8 million figure was being listed as “non-recurring” for now, with the expectation that it would need to be renewed year after year—effectively locking the state into a recurring financial obligation, without admitting it upfront.
Senator Jeff Yarbro seemed especially caught off guard. When the bill was debated in prior committees, lawmakers had been told counties that used voting conventions would be grandfathered in—and that there would be no significant fiscal impact.
That proved false.
“This is funding for that piece of legislation,” one official explained sheepishly, referring to HB0855, which passed the House and Senate with no fiscal note attached.
“I thought it grandfathered in anyone who wasn’t already using primaries?” Yarbro asked. The answer was murky at best.
Then came the quiet admission from Chairman Watson:
“There was a mandatory cost to local government. We are taking on that cost.”
And with that, the curtain was pulled back: lawmakers had always known this would financially impact counties. They had just chosen not to disclose it until after the bill passed.
The newly revealed $8 million wasn’t free. It came at the cost of other priorities. In committee discussion, it was disclosed that $35 million had been stripped from a major infrastructure initiative—the Duck River regionalization project—and redistributed toward “initiatives important to legislative members,” including this one.
Yes, funding a political power play took priority over regional water infrastructure.
The entire episode traces back to March 4, when grassroots conservatives defeated the establishment-backed “Williamson County Conservatives” slate in a county party reorganization convention. Despite heavy spending and a smear campaign engineered to tank the challenge, the Elevate slate won decisively.
Instead of respecting the result, in addition to lodging a formal contest by the losing slate, leadership struck back with legislation designed to remove conventions as an option altogether.
The bill’s backers claimed it was about “uniformity.” But in reality, it was a reactionary strike designed to prevent conservative county parties from using the very tool that had just proven successful against entrenched insiders.
Now, the cost of that power grab has landed on Tennessee taxpayers—and not a single word about it was said until the legislation had passed and was politically untouchable.
Grassroots Vindicated
The State Executive Committee (SEC) had already passed a resolution opposing the bill, warning of exactly this kind of maneuver. Many counties, especially rural ones, now face an uncertain future—either relying on the legislature to keep appropriating funds or paying out of their own strapped budgets to comply with a mandate they didn’t ask for.
In a social media post, Lee Mills, State Executive Committeeman for District 32, called it what it is:
“I warned you.
Yesterday—at the last possible minute—an $8 million fiscal note was added to SB799/HB855.
After weeks of being told this bill wouldn’t cost the state anything, the truth finally came out: it’s not cost-neutral, and it’s not harmless. It’s an $8 million one-time expense—not recurring funding—which means counties will still be left holding the bag for ongoing costs.
And let’s be honest: many counties across Tennessee are already financially strapped. Pushing new mandates from Nashville without providing long-term funding isn’t just irresponsible—it’s disrespectful to local governments and the taxpayers they serve.
This is a classic bait and switch. We were told it was about “uniformity.” Now it’s clear: it’s about control—and it comes with a hefty price tag.
The State Executive Committee overwhelmingly passed a resolution opposing this legislation. We stood up for local control, transparency, and the grassroots.
Instead, we got a last-minute cost, handed down from above—and now taxpayers across Tennessee are expected to pay for something they never asked for.
As we say in the South, that dog won’t hunt.”
HB0855 isn’t just an $8 million blow to the budget. It’s a glaring indictment of how power is preserved and protected in Nashville—even at the expense of the truth.
Leadership carried this bill through every committee, both floors, and the governor’s desk without disclosing the cost—then showed up in finance committee to slip in the tab under the watchful eye of Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, the bill’s original sponsor.
This was not a mistake. It was strategy.
And during next year’s election cycle, they could finally find out whether the juice was really worth the squeeze.
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