Tag Archives: Butt

Rep. Butt Putting Disclaimer Stickers on Yard Signs

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State Rep. Butt is attempting to “show good faith” in modifying some of her campaign’s yard signs after a complaint revealed the signs did not comply with state law, reports the Columbia Daily Herald.
At a function of the Maury County Republican Party last week, the candidate, who is running for state House District 64 against Democratic candidate Brian Brewer, said she is providing stickers to her supporters and asking them to affix the stickers to her yard signs to put her campaign in compliance with state statute.
According to the law, political communications, advertisements and solicitations must explicitly name the person or organization who authorized them. The incumbent candidate said the missing text from many of her signs was an unintentional oversight. The stickers denote the signs as the responsibility of the Committee to Re-Elect Sheila Butt.
“When I was in Florida at the Republican National Convention, the assistant attorney general called and said, ‘Someone called this morning ranting and raving to say your signs are not in compliance,'” Butt said. “I don’t see it as a big deal. It’s just one of those things in elections that come up and people want to complain about it.”
Assistant District Attorney General Kimberly Cooper confirmed Thursday that her office had received two phone calls about the missing text. In a letter to the candidate dated Aug. 30, Cooper recommended that Butt attach the stickers to her signs to avoid non-compliance.
…Greg Hanners, chair of the Maury County Democratic Party, said his organization brought the missing text to the attention of the state Registrar of Elections, but failed to take the issue farther as it was soon addressed by Butt’s campaign. In an email last week, Hanners said he is pleased with Butt’s attempts to correct the problem. He agreed there was probably no ill intent in the signs’ missing information.

Republicans Rewriting Unemployment Benefits Law

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A laid-off worker could lose his unemployment benefit by refusing to take a job paying less than his previous paycheck, under a bill passed by the state House on Thursday, reports WPLN.
Under the Unemployment Security rewrite (HB3431, a laid-off worker could collect the entire amount of his benefit for thirteen weeks – but then he must lower his employment standards.
After 13 weeks, the worker loses the benefit if he turns down a job paying only 75 percent of his previous pay. That ramps up – or down, depending on how you look at it – to losing benefits after 38 weeks for refusing a job paying only 65 percent of the previous paycheck.
House Democratic Caucus Chair Mike Turner says the bill is aimed at working people.
“You know we’ve passed a lot of bills in this state this last two years helping the business people. But we haven’t passed that many to help that working man. So that’s what, who’s got me concerned right now …This bill is one-sided.”
But Republican Terri Lynn Weaver of Lancaster says the bill isn’t meant to hurt anybody.
“I don’t believe we are punishing anybody. If anything I believe we are actually helping the working man by keeping him honest.”
The bill adds three new types of misconduct for which a jobless benefit can be denied – including failing a drug test while applying for a new job.
The Senate Finance Committee approved the Senate version of the bill and it’s ready for a floor vote in the upper chamber.
…Republican Representative Sheila Butt of Columbia says that concern is misplaced.
“This is common sense legislation that incentivizes people to look for a job. A hundred and seventy-five dollars a week on unemployment takes you out of the middle class automatically. So you’re already out of the middle class, you need to start going and finding work, and try not to be a burden to the taxpayers.”

Legislator Apologizes for Making Colleague Butt of Jokes

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State Rep. Phillip Johnson, R-Pegram, has apologized to “anyone offended” by his joking about Rep. Sheila Butt’s last name in a House floor speech last week.
Johnson regularly makes joshing remarks whenever a freshman representative makes his or her first appearance on the House floor to present a bill. When Butt, R-Columbia, brought a resolution to the floor on Monday night, Johnson began by observing that her maiden name was Keckler and questioning her about the name change with marriage.
People say his wife married a Johnson, he said, then inquired what people would say she married.
“One of those five Butt boys from Portland, Tenn.,” she replied.
Johnson went on with several puns and comments on posteriors. For example, he pronounced the word “ascertain” as if it had an extra ‘s,” and stressed the words “rear” and “behind” in other commentary.
“Do you see any crack in this legislation that’ll prevent us from crossing the great divide and bringing smiles to the cheek of every member of this House?” he asked at another point.
He concluded by declaring “I will no longer make you the butt of any practical jokes in this session.” Then, after pausing a moment, he added, “But.”
On Thursday, Johnson made an apology speech, also on the House floor.
“Sometimes my wit can push the envelope a little bit.. On Monday night I pushed the edge,” he said, adding praise for Butt as “a wonderful representative.”
“I apologize if anyone was offended by any of my words. They were all in jest,” he said.