Opinion: Note to Tennessee GOP: State’s issues transcend partisan … – Chattanooga Times Free Press

Several weeks ago, Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee signed a proclamation designating Oct. 11 as a “voluntary Day of Prayer, Humility, and Fasting.”

Before his signature Lee asserted that “[Tennesseans] acknowledge God’s sovereignty and the need for God’s grace over our state.” And “the people of Tennessee acknowledge our rich blessings, our deep transgressions, the complex challenges ahead, and the need to pause, to humble ourselves and to seek God’s guidance for the days ahead.”

His inclusion of “fasting,” which is addressed in both the Old and New Testaments, emphasizes the thrust of Lee’s message.

Fasting has not gone unnoticed in commentaries about the practice.

The C.S. Lewis institute, for example, has noted that it “has been recognized as an important way to draw near to God … and seek His help in times of special need.” Indeed, “fasting means going without food, the purpose of which is to earnestly seek God in prayer.”

Among the reasons for engaging in the biblical practice of fasting, the institute states, are “national emergencies, deliverance from danger, protection, and help in sickness.”

It adds: “Fasting is also connected with seeking deliverance for the oppressed.”

In the context of Lee’s proclamation, it’s worth noting that generally speaking, Tennesseans are not oppressed in the biblical sense.

However, there is much that Tennessee’s Republican supermajority legislature could do to address the anxieties of those in our state who struggle with issues resulting in desperation.

One obvious task for legislators is to acknowledge that some of those issues transcend partisan politics.

Lee and members of the state House and Senate will present their respective legislative proposals when the General Assembly convenes in January. While 2024 is an election year, it’s important that the Lee administration and legislators of both parties agree on what they can accomplish for Tennesseans.

There is no question that the legislators can do that. But will they?

Lee made an implicit plea in that respect in his proclamation by explicitly reminding Tennesseans — and legislators — of how important it is to act together “with justice, kindness and love, no matter the circumstance[s].”

For decades Tennesseans without health insurance have been forced to rely on hospital emergency rooms even for medical services. One problem is that 16 hospitals have closed since 2010 — and of that number, 13 are in rural counties.

A major factor in the hospital closings is that Tennessee is one of 10 states where the legislatures have refused to expand Medicaid, thereby denying hospitals millions of dollars in revenue.

Two other statewide actions would resolve an issue for thousands of Tennesseans: The repressive fee system in the criminal court system that effectively allows the state to make money off individuals convicted of crimes. They can find themselves impoverished by statewide fees mandated by the legislature.

Since there are reportedly millions of dollars in uncollectible court fees statewide, the Legislature could resolve this problem for thousands by drastically minimizing the number and amounts of fees imposed on families.

Finally, a recent news article reported that more than 400,000 people who have been released from prison have been denied their right to vote. Their ticket to being re-registered to vote: Pay off all prosecutorial fees assessed against them — and all of their accumulated child support obligations.

This legislated disgrace is not just a gratuitous poll tax, a relic of the Jim Crow era. It also transforms the right to vote into a privilege.

This is an opportunity for Gov. Lee to create a bipartisan effort to end the electoral discrimination against those who have paid their debt to society. His intervention will be cheered.

Michael Loftin is a former editorial page editor at The Chattanooga Times.