Tilting at I-69 windmills: Rep. Matthew Hill attacks Bush Administration interstate highway work

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Lawmaker's bill would make I-69 work a crime
East Tennessean fears loss of state sovereignty
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/jan/27/bill-i-69-work-would-be-crime
By Richard Locker, [e-mail]
Posted January 27, 2010 at 12:07 a.m.



FUD (fear, uncertainity, doubt) - Rep. Matthew Hill shown captivating the crowds during 2008 Republican Primary debate
in Jonesborough, Tennessee.

NASHVILLE -- An East Tennessee lawmaker has filed a bill to make it a criminal act for the state to contract for any work on any portion of Interstate 69 or any other highway project designed to link Canada, the United States and Mexico.

The design, and in some places the construction, of Interstate 69 is slowly moving along in West Tennessee.

But Rep. Matthew Hill, R-Jonesborough, has filed House Bill 2785 to make it a Class E felony under the state's criminal code for any officer of the Tennessee Department of Transportation to enter knowingly into any contract for work on I-69.

West Tennessee supporters of I-69 see it as a major new highway and economic development corridor for the Mid-South.

Hill said Tuesday that the bill is a "placeholder" for an amendment he will draft later, after his research is complete, that will rewrite the bill to address what it really is about.

"The whole purpose is to keep our state sovereignty intact," said Hill, whose district is 480 miles from Memphis. "I'm not against the roads. I'm against ceding over our state sovereignty to international authority."

Hill, one of the General Assembly's most conservative members, said the international authority he is concerned about is the Strategic Partnership for Prosperity -- an initiative that, according to its Web site SPP.gov, was launched by former President George W. Bush and his Mexican and Canadian counterparts "to increase security and enhance prosperity among the three nations through greater cooperation."

Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris, R-Collierville -- whose district encompasses most of I-69's proposed route through West Tennessee -- said the interstate "is very important to the nation's transportation infrastructure, international concerns aside."

Asked whether he believes the bill has a chance of winning legislative approval, Norris replied, "Oh, of course not."

-- Richard Locker: [phone]

http://wapp.legislature.state.tn.us/apps/BillInfo/Default.aspx?BillNumber=HB2784">House Bill 2784

http://wapp.legislature.state.tn.us/apps/BillInfo/Default.aspx?BillNumber=HB2785">House Bill 2785

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=179x5054">TNGA House 7th: Todd Mrozek to challenge John Gregory lapdog Rep. Matthew Hill

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1. West Tennessee members of the TNGA make Rep. Matthew Hill back down like a scared little girl...

West Tennessee members of the TNGA make Rep. Matthew Hill back down like a scared little girl...

I-69 legislation hits wall of opposition from lawmakers
http://www.nwtntoday.com/news.php?viewStory=36685
Posted: Wednesday, February 3, 2010 9:04 pm

Here’s a novel approach to opposing a public project: Pass a law that makes it a felony for state employees to work on it. That’s what state Rep. Matthew Hill of East Tennessee did recently when he filed a bill in the state House of Representatives that would make it a felony for state Department of Transportation employees to work on the proposed Interstate 69. Part of the massive highway project would run through West Tennessee.

As you might imagine, Hill’s bill ran into opposition. Paramount among the opponents are two locally elected officials — state Sen. Roy Herron of Dresden and state Rep. Judy Barker of Union City. Mrs. Barker said that when they heard of Hill’s bill, many of their constituents expressed concern about the proposed new interstate highway. “So I’m sending out an update,” she said. Because construction of I-69 is crucial to the long-term economic development goals of northwest Tennessee, it is a matter of great public interest. Therefore, Mrs. Barker plans to keep constituents informed on its advancement.

Herron said he contacted Hill and expressed his opposition to the bill. “I talked to Rep. Hill. He promised me he would not pursue the bill as filed,” Herron said. “Before the conversation ended, he told me, ‘I love I-69. I love all interstates. I love all asphalt and concrete.’”

Herron said the new four-lane highway will run through Obion, Dyer, Lauderdale and other West Tennessee counties and will “drive” new jobs, industry and small business opportunities to West Tennessee. “I-69 will bring jobs to our families,” he said. I-69, a proposed four-lane modern highway system, would extend from upper Michigan and the Canadian border, down through the Mid-South to near Greenville, Miss., thence through Louisiana and Texas, and terminate at the Texas-Mexico border.

The contract for construction of I-69 in this area has been awarded to Ford Construction Co. of Dyersburg. “Ford Construction is to be congratulated,” Mrs. Barker said. “This company provides many jobs for northwest Tennessee families. A pre-construction meeting is being scheduled for the near future wherein Ford and its subcontractors plan work schedules.”

The Tennessee Depart-ment of Transportation in Jackson is the project manager for construction of the northwest Tennessee part of I-69. The TDOT office at Newbern will provide project supervision by overseeing Ford Construction. Published in The Messenger2.3.10