NASHVILLE -- A bill that would require limited liability companies contracting with county governments to disclose the names of all owners and investors died Wednesday in the House Local Government Subcommittee.
The bill's sponsor, Rep. Frank Nicely, R-Strawberry Plains, said the bill was necessary because LLCs now do not have to disclose partners. He called it a "recipe for corruption" because a "mayor's sister or son-in-law or a state representative" secretly could have interests in a government contract.
That drew protests from Rep. Ben West, D-Nashville, who said he and his family have three LLCs that employ 23 people.
"We don't fall into that category of corruption," Rep. West said, noting his LLCs do not contract with local governments.
The bill failed on a voice vote. Also failing was another bill from Rep. Nicely that would have forced local chambers of commerce to hold open meetings and make their records open if they have entered into taxpayer-funded contracts with local governments. The Knoxville Chamber of Commerce sharply criticized him.
Earlier, the subcommittee delayed consideration of legislation to grant more voting weight to the seven cities that are members of the Hamilton County Water and Wastewater Treatment Authority.
"I've got some questions," Rep. Eric Swafford, R-Pikeville, told the bill's sponsor, Rep. Vince Dean, R-East Ridge.
Rep. Dean and East Ridge officials agreed to a week's delay. The WWTA has 12 members, but the seven cities on the board say they easily can be outvoted by the five members that represent Hamilton County. The county opposes the legislation.
In other action:
* Environmental, labor and other groups rallied in support of the Green Jobs Act, a measure sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Andy Berke, D-Chattanooga.
The legislation requires the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, in coordination with several other agencies, to develop a state plan for developing green jobs programs.
"These are the jobs of the future," Sen. Berke said, pointing to recent investments in the state such as the Volkswagen auto plant in Chattanooga and the Wacker chemical company's planned polysilicon plant in Cleveland. "This is what we need to be aiming for."
* A bill allowing businesses to require their employees to speak English at work is headed for a full House vote after the Consumer and Employee Affairs Committee approved the measure, sponsored by Rep. Matthew Hill, R-Jonesbrough.
Andy Sher is a Nashville-based staff writer covering Tennessee state government and politics for the Times Free Press. A Washington correspondent from 1999-2005 for the Times Free Press, Andy previously headed up state Capitol coverage for The Chattanooga Times, worked as a state Capitol reporter for The Nashville Banner and was a contributor to The Tennessee Journal, among other publications. Andy worked for 17 years at The Chattanooga Times covering police, health care, county government, ...
The two bills presented by Rep. Frank Nicely, R-Strawberry Plains - one requiring LLC ownership discloser when bidding for local and state business contracts and then other legislation requiring the local Chambers of Commerce in Tennessee to have open doors meetings for public - are two very good examples of legislation that actually advance the public interest of all Tennessee families.
Question for all the Teabaggers: if your local tax dollars across Tennesseeare being used to fund or provide supplemental funding for your local Chamber of Commerce, then how is the taxpayer funding not "socialism" propping up "socialist businesses" across Tennessee --- hmmmm?
I love to read where Tennessee newspapers got together and investigated statewide the extent to that local socialist funding of Chambers of Commerce with taxpayer dollars across the Volunteer State.
...and as the local Chambers of Commerce across Tennessee are recognized as tax exempt organizations by the Internal Revenue Service (I am thinking as a 501(c)(4) entity, maybe), then these local CofCs are required to make their IRS Form 990s (Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax) available for public inspection or copies can be obtained directly from the IRS.
I am not sure if Guidestar.org has CofCs Form 990s available for online public inspection:
http://www2.guidestar.org
" A bill that would require limited liability companies contracting with county governments to disclose the names of all owners and investors died Wednesday in the House Local Government Subcommittee.
The bill's sponsor, Rep. Frank Nicely, R-Strawberry Plains, said the bill was necessary because LLCs now do not have to disclose partners. He called it a "recipe for corruption" because a "mayor's sister or son-in-law or a state representative" secretly could have interests in a government contract.
That drew protests from Rep. Ben West, D-Nashville, who said he and his family have three LLCs that employ 23 people.
"We don't fall into that category of corruption," Rep. West said, noting his LLCs do not contract with local governments."
"The lady doth protest too much, methinks." - Hamlet Act 3, scene 2, 222–230.
"That drew protests from Rep. Ben West, D-Nashville, who said he and his family have three LLCs that employ 23 people.
"We don't fall into that category of corruption," Rep. West said, noting his LLCs do not contract with local governments."
Perhaps further comment from Rep. West could be extracted by the Chattanooga Times Free Press to that CTFP readers could learn if the three LLCs controlled by Rep. Ben West and family are involved with state contracts.
I think that a really good starting point for the CTFP would be at the online Tennessee Ethics Commission site - examine the Statement of Interest disclosures filed by Rep. West over recent years to reveal the actual identities of the West family controlled LLCs...
CTFP: please investigate the statewide extent of taxpayer funding for the Tennessee Union of Socialist Chambers of Commerce...
Indeed. Perhaps Rep West and his family fall into another "category of corruption"? Just askin'. The potential is certainly there...ask any fraud-trained agent what THAT means.
Interesting that West [a Democrat], et al, would help kill a Republican's bill that would expose corruption in government. [Oh Yeah. Things that make ya go, "Hm-m-m-m".]
Not that I am a suspicious old coot, or anything...just experienced in the ways of government.
2009 Statement of Disclosure of Interests (ss-8004) https://www.tennesseeanytime.org/conflict-app/view_public_form_8004.htm?name=WEST,%20JR.&id=10699&f=20177&v=1
Date of Filing 2009-07-30
Filer Contact Information Ben West, Jr. Representative 4013 Port Cleburne Lane, Hermitage, Tennessee 37076
Security Express Protective Services, LLC 212B McGavock Pike, Nashville, TN with recipients Filer
Security Express, LLC 212B McGavock Pike, Nashville, TN with recipients Filer
Security Express, LLC 212B McGavock Pike, Nashville, TN with recipients Spouse
Security Express Protective Services, LLC 212B McGavock Pike, Nashville, TN with recipients Spouse
also see
Musical Companies A security-company lawsuit may leave a state representative in legal limbo http://www.nashvillescene.com/2008-10-23/news/musical-companies/1 By Brantley Hargrove Published on October 22, 2008 at 8:26am
"On the other, the maneuvering may simply be the first flailings of a floundering businessman. According to a federal tax lien filed in June 2004, West owes Uncle Sam $300,000 in taxes, for reasons the document does not specify.
Contacted for comment, a spokesperson for the Tennessee Ethics Commission said that legally, our representatives may not be mandated to report a fat tax lien hovering over their heads—but morally, they might be obligated. Either way, if money is what the Meekses are seeking, they may be barking up a fruitless tree."
Court grants class-action status to Hispanic abuse suit http://fairhousing.com/index.cfm?method=page.display&pageid=3297
Tennessee Fair Housing Council 719 Thompson Lane, Suite 200 Nashville, TN 37204 (615) 383-6155 Fax: (615) 383-8389
Court grants class-action status to lawsuit against apartment complex, security company whose guards abused a Hispanic resident
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jerry Gonzalez, Attorney and Counselor, 360-6060 Martha M. Lafferty, Staff Attorney, Tennessee Fair Housing Council, 383-6155
(NASHVILLE, Tenn., July 23, 2003) -- A federal judge has allowed a lawsuit over the abuse by security guards of a Hispanic resident at a Nashville apartment complex to proceed as a class action, which means that other victims of discrimination at the complex will be eligible for relief if the suit succeeds...
Positions Held https://www.tennesseeanytime.org/conflict-app/view_public_form_8004.htm?name=WEST,%20JR.&id=10699&f=20177&v=1
Security Express Protective Services, LLC President from Oct 1994 to Jul 2009
Security Express, LLC Managing Member from Oct 1993 to Jul 2009
Automated Teller Machines Unlimited, LLC President from May 1999 to Jul 2009
Lobbying https://www.tennesseeanytime.org/conflict-app/view_public_form_8004.htm?name=WEST,%20JR.&id=10699&f=20177&v=1
Jay West None, Brother with relations from Filer
Hey, whatta know?...Rep. Ben West doesn't seem to have a 2010 Statement of Disclosure of Interests (ss-8004 & ss-8005) report filed and available online with the Tennessee Ethics Commission...!
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