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Terri Lynn Weaver

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Terri Lynn Weaver
Terri Lynn Weaver in 2012
Member of the Tennessee House of Representatives
from the 40th district
In office
January 13, 2009 – January 10, 2023
Preceded byFrank Buck
Succeeded byMichael Hale
Personal details
Born (1957-09-19) September 19, 1957 (age 67)[1]
Mansfield, Ohio, U.S.
Political partyRepublican[1]
SpouseMike Weaver[1]
Children1[1]
ResidenceLancaster, Tennessee[1]
OccupationSinger, songwriter, small business owner, and politician[1]
WebsiteTerri Lynn Weaver
Representative Weaver

Terri Lynn Weaver (born September 19, 1957[1]) is an American politician who was a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives from 2009 to 2023. She represented the 40th district, which is composed of Smith, Trousdale, most of DeKalb, and part of Sumner counties.

State Representative Weaver (center) in Lancaster, Tennessee.

Biography

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Early life and career

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Weaver was born in Mansfield, Ohio. She moved to Dallas, Texas, with her aunt in the mid-1970s, where she played rhythm guitar in a local band.[2] On June 23, 1979, she married Mike Weaver.

Tennessee House of Representatives

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Weaver ran a campaign against incumbent Rep. Frank Buck (D) in 2006.[3] Though Rep. Buck retained his seat in the House he later announced he would not run again.[4] Weaver was able to run another campaign the following election in 2008 and was elected to the 40th district of the Tennessee House of Representatives from 2008, filling Buck's vacant seat.[5] She serves in the 106th General Assembly as a member of the House Agriculture Committee, the House Children & Family Affairs Committee, the House Education Committee, the House K-12 Subcommittee, and the House Domestic Relations Subcommittee.[1]

Weaver was indirectly responsible for the surprise 2009 Tennessee House of Representatives election of TNGA House Speaker Kent Williams, R-Elizabethton (and concurrently, the defeat of Rep. Jason Mumpower, R-Bristol) as Weaver's first vote within the House of Representatives sided with the Tennessee House Democrats on the recess motion prior to the January 14, 2009, vote for the Speaker of the House.[6] The Tennessee House Republicans tried to block the recess, but lost on a 50–49 vote.

Weaver supported a Tennessee law that allows prosecutors to charge women with criminal assault if they use narcotics during pregnancy and the fetus or newborn is found "addicted to or harmed by the drug".[7] The bill passed and Governor Haslam signed it into law. In 2016, the Legislature refused to renew it.[8]

On September 13, 2016, Weaver was one of just two House Representatives who was opposed to the expulsion of fellow lawmaker Jeremy Durham over allegations of sexual harassment, campaign finance violations, and tax evasion. Sixteen House members abstained.

In February 2017, Weaver introduced a bill that would classify children born through artificial insemination as illegitimate, even if both parents are married and consent to the insemination.[9] Weaver defended the bill in a subsequent Facebook post, claiming it was intended only to repeal a statute that the state Attorney General had deemed unconstitutional. However, in reviewing Weaver's argument, Snopes concluded that it rests on a "fairly significant misreading" of the Attorney General's views and existing Tennessee law.[10] The bill did not pass.

Weaver served seven two-year terms as state representative. In the August 2022 Republican primary, she lost her reelection bid to political newcomer Michael Hale.[11] Hale went on to win in the general election.[12]

2021 storming of the United States Capitol

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Weaver traveled to Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2021, to protest the results of the Electoral College. She attended the event that led to the 2021 storming of the US Capitol. She said that she was "in the thick of it" but "there wasn't any violence going on here." She did not state whether or not she had entered the Capitol.[13] The United States Capitol was breached and the incident led to five deaths.

Weaver said that members of antifa stormed the U.S. Capitol. The FBI stated there is no evidence antifa was involved in the attacks. Later that night she said it had been an "epic and historic day." Weaver also referred to those who stormed the Capitol as "patriots".[14][15]

Community involvement

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Weaver was previously chairman of Farm Bureau and is currently Vice Chairman of the Smith County Republican Party and Chairman of Smith County Republican Women. She is also a member of the Smith County Chamber of Commerce,[16] the local Rotary Club, and the National Rifle Association of America.[citation needed] Her musical talent lends her involvement as Chairman of the Lancaster Independence Day Parade and Host Musician of the Annual Christmas Eve Service.[1][2] Weaver is a second lieutenant in the Tennessee State Guard.[17]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Representative Terri Lynn Weaver". Representatives. Tennessee General Assembly. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  2. ^ a b Glenda Ogden (July 17, 2001). "iBluegrass.com Article – Terri Lynn Weaver". iBluegrass.com. Archived from the original on October 24, 2007.
  3. ^ "2006 Official Election Results Tennessee House of Representatives Districts 34–66" (PDF). Election Results. Tennessee Secretary of State. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  4. ^ Humphrey, Tom (February 12, 2008). "Long-time House member Buck will not run again". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
  5. ^ "2008 Official Election Results Tennessee House of Representatives Districts 34–66" (PDF). Election Results. Tennessee Secretary of State. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  6. ^ Humphrey, Tom (January 14, 2009). "Williams elected as House speaker". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
  7. ^ McDonough, Katie (July 17, 2014). "The right's favorite new quack: Terri Lynn Weaver's dangerous baby "science"". Salon. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
  8. ^ Jeltsen, Melissa (March 23, 2016). "Wave Goodbye To Harsh Tennessee Law Targeting Pregnant Drug Users". HuffPost.
  9. ^ Carlson, Amelia (February 10, 2017). "Proposed bill deems children born through artificial insemination illegitimate children". WMC Action News 5. Archived from the original on February 10, 2017. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
  10. ^ Kasprak, Alex (February 17, 2017). "Does a Proposed Tennessee Bill Classify in Vitro Children as "Illegitimate"?". Snopes. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  11. ^ Smith, Xavier (August 5, 2022). "Michael Hale defeats Terri Lynn Weaver for redistricted Wilson County State House seat". The Wilson Post. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  12. ^ Page, Dwayne (November 8, 2022). "Michael Hale Elected 40th District State Representative". WJLE Radio. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  13. ^ Dil, Cuneyt (January 7, 2021). "Several state lawmakers joined, observed US Capitol turmoil". AP News. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  14. ^ Allison, Natalie; Yu, Yue Stella (January 6, 2021). "'Worst since the British burned the Capitol': Rep. Jim Cooper, staff describe chaotic scene in D.C." Nashville Tennessean. Archived from the original on August 17, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  15. ^ Dil, Cuneyt (January 6, 2021). "West Virginia delegate records himself storming U.S. Capitol". AP News. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  16. ^ "Smith County, TN Chamber of Commerce —". Smithcountychamber.org. June 2012. Archived from the original on August 17, 2023. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
  17. ^ "Representative Terri Lynn Weaver Completes Tennessee State Guard Initial Entry Training". Tennessee Military Department. August 25, 2017. Archived from the original on October 22, 2017. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
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