Open Mic Catches Republican Leader's Conversation

(March 7, 2013) Jackson, TN - Speaking about a State House bill and proposed changes to Tennessee’s workers’ compensation law HB 194 / SB 200 Representative Jimmy Eldridge is heard saying "I’m going to take care of that bill”, "That freight train is going off ...",

The comments made by State Representative Jimmy Eldridge, 73 District, Madison County were caught on camera and have gone viral across the State.

In the video Eldridge can be seen and heard speaking with two Madison County constituents.  Eldridge is telling the two about a letter written by Madison County resident Patsy Johnson.

Representative Eldridge can be heard saying of Johnson "all she is trying to do is rouse employees, ... scare them to death"

 According to the newspaper the Nashville Scene, who first reported the story, "Mary Mancini of the pro-labor Tennessee Citizen Action watched the video and gave this reaction:

“This is a complicated issue that is going to affect tens of thousands of Tennesseans when they are at their most vulnerable. It shouldn’t be ‘freight-trained’ through any committee. It should be given the careful and thoughtful review that an issue if this magnitude deserves.”

Read the entire Nashville Scene article here

According to the State website HB 194 passed out of Subcommittee on Wednesday morning.  It is set to be heard in the full Consumer and Human Resources Committee, chaired by Eldridge, 10 a.m. Tuesday March 12.

Click Here to View the Tennessee Citizen's Action website