What Was the Governor’s Cabinet Bill that Failed in Blue House and What Exactly Happened?

By Alianna Jones and Trish Zheng

Controversy shook the Blue House today, when BSB/D-1, a dynamic legislative bill from the Governor’s Cabinet, failed. The goal of this bill was to reduce carbon emissions by taxing oil companies at both the point of extraction and refinement. This would bring in almost six hundred million dollars annually to the Tennessee State General Fund.

When brought in front of Blue House by sponsors Reed Hampton, Toluwakitan Akinsola, Aidan Castellanet, Lee Greeson, and John Hancock, the bill proved very divisive. According to some Blue House members, a very convincing con speaker took the floor and convinced the committee that the passage of this bill would result in raised gas prices across the nation, resulting in an entire side of the room failing the bill.

Another common theory is that Aden Cobb, a delegate in the Blue House, convinced everyone to fail the bill. Cobb stated in an interview that he didn’t like how the sponsors represented BSB/D-1 because they seemed unsure and uninformed about the topic. Others have come to Cobb’s defense, sharing that they also believed the bill was poorly represented in the House. 

Governor Will Severn immediately took action against the failure of the bill, warning the Blue Senate and House that he would not sign any of their bills into law, due to the failed bill making up a large portion of the possible budget. Many were outraged at this, not wanting their bills to fail due to a lack of funds.

At the end of the session, comments about the controversy arose. Word has spread regarding the situation in the Blue House Chamber. There was a mix of opinions. Some thought it was unfair for the Blue Senate to be dragged into something the Blue House stirred up. Some sided with Governor Severn, saying his decision was reasonable. The bill was a main source of money; without it, the budget plan would greatly suffer. 

After the Blue House reconvened, there was a vote to reconsider BSB/D-1. The whole situation came to a close when Blue House finally passed the bill 95-13. The bill was then passed to Blue Senate. If it passes, it will be signed into law.