Legislators give details on bill against tax dollars clinics from getting tax dollars

State Rep. Jimmy Matlock, R-Lenoir City, and state Sen. Mike Bell, R-Riceville, announced Wednesday the legislative details of House Bill 2251 and State Bill 2148, which would prevent abortion providers from receiving Tennessee taxpayer money.

The bill directs Larry B. Martin, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration, to seek a Medicaid waiver from the federal Department of Health and Human Services to require that abortion providers be excluded from reimbursements for services rendered to TennCare patients.

After discovering that more than $1 million in state and federal funds had been given to abortion providers for TennCare services over the past six years, Matlock said that “the time has come to put an end to taxpayer assistance of abortion clinics.”

“They can exist on fees for services and private donations, but they should not be operating with hard-working Tennesseans’ tax dollars,” Matlock said in the press release. “We are blessed with so many good public, private and nonprofit options for affordable women’s health care in every corner of this state, it makes no sense to subsidize abortion providers.”

Plus, “allowing abortion clinics to receive taxpayer money for other services frees up money for abortions in a ‘cost-shifting’ scheme,” he said.

“This is an issue that has frustrated us for years,” added Senate sponsor Mike Bell. “I am very optimistic that, with this legislation, we can finally put the issue to rest.”