Raymond Finney

Last updated


Raymond A. Finney, Jr. (born March 29, 1941) is a former Republican member of the Tennessee Senate representing the 8th district, which encompasses Blount and Sevier counties.

Contents

In the 104th General Assembly, he was Assistant Floor Leader for the Senate Republican Caucus, as well as Vice-Chair of Senate Government Operations, and he served on the Senate Environment, Conservation and Tourism Committee and the Senate General Welfare, Health and Human Resources Committee. In the 105th General Assembly, he served as the Chair of the Calendar Committee, the Chair of Select Oversight Committee on TennCare, Secretary of the General Welfare, Health and Human Resources Committee and was a member of the Environment, Conservation and Tourism Committee and the Finance, Ways and Means Committee. [1]

Finney graduated from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville with a B.S., and in 1964 he received an M.D. from the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in Memphis. For one year he worked as a surgical intern in Memphis hospitals, and for four years he worked as an anatomic and clinical pathology resident at The University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville.

Finney has previously worked at the United States Public Health Service. He retired in 1999 from practice as a pathologist and laboratory director at Blount Memorial Hospital in Maryville, Tennessee. [2] [3]

Creationism in public schools

In February 2007, Finney filed a state senate resolution which asked the Tennessee Department of Education to address a number of creationist points. [4] In his resolution, Finney requested that the Department of Education answer three particular questions regarding creationism and the teaching of creationism in public schools. The first question asks:

Is the Universe and all that is within it, including human beings, created through purposeful, intelligent design by a Supreme Being, that is a Creator?

Question two assumes that the answer to the first question is Yes, and then goes on to query:

Since the Universe, including human beings, is created by a Supreme Being (a Creator), why is creationism not taught in Tennessee public schools?

If the answer to the first question is This question cannot be proved or disproved, the resolution then goes on to ask:

Since it cannot be determined whether the Universe, including human beings, is created by a Supreme Being (a Creator), why is creationism not taught as an alternative concept, explanation, or theory, along with the theory of evolution in Tennessee public schools?

Finally, if in the opinion of the Department of Education, the answer to the first question is No, the resolution offers

admiration for being able to decide conclusively a question that has long perplexed and occupied the attention of scientists, philosophers, theologians, educators, and others.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tennessee House of Representatives</span> Lower house of the Tennessee General Assembly

The Tennessee House of Representatives is the lower house of the Tennessee General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tennessee Senate</span> Upper house of the Tennessee General Assembly

The Tennessee Senate is the upper house of the U.S. state of Tennessee's state legislature, which is known formally as the Tennessee General Assembly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tennessee General Assembly</span> Legislative branch of the state government of Tennessee

The Tennessee General Assembly (TNGA) is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is a part-time bicameral legislature consisting of a Senate and a House of Representatives. The Speaker of the Senate carries the additional title and office of Lieutenant Governor of Tennessee. In addition to passing a budget for state government plus other legislation, the General Assembly appoints three state officers specified by the state constitution. It is also the initiating body in any process to amend the state's constitution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Burchett</span> American politician (born 1964)

Timothy Floyd Burchett is an American politician who is the U.S. representative for Tennessee's 2nd congressional district, based in Knoxville, serving since 2019.

The Constitution of the State of Tennessee defines the form, structure, activities, character, and fundamental rules of the U.S. State of Tennessee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew Hill</span> American politician

Matthew Joseph Hill is an American talk show host, businessman, and politician who served as a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives from 2005 to 2021. Hill briefly served as Deputy Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives under appointment by House Speaker Rep. Glen Casada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Government of Tennessee</span>

The government of Tennessee is organized under the provisions of the 1870 Constitution of Tennessee, first adopted in 1796. As set forth by the state constitution, Tennessee's government is divided into three branches: executive, judicial, and legislative branches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beth Harwell</span> American politician (born 1957)

Beth Halteman Harwell is a member of the board of directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority and the former Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives. She served as State Representative for Nashville and is a former chair of the Tennessee Republican Party. First elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives in 1988, Harwell served as a Republican Minority Whip and Commerce Committee chair before being elected to the Speakership. She is the first woman to serve as Tennessee's Speaker of the House. In 2017, she announced her candidacy for governor of Tennessee in the 2018 election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Shipley</span> American politician

Tony Shipley is a former State Representative for the Tennessee House of Representatives 2nd District in Sullivan County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doug Overbey</span> American politician (born 1954)

Doug Overbey is an American lawyer and former politician who served as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee from 2017 to 2021. Prior to becoming the U.S. Attorney, he represented District 2 in the Tennessee Senate as a Republican from 2009 to 2017. Overbey was chairman of the Senate Ethics Committee and vice-chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate Finance Committee. He is a senior partner and co-founder of the Robertson Overbey law firm and has served as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Tennessee College of Law. Prior to becoming a state senator, Overbey served in the Tennessee House of Representatives from 2000 to 2008. On February 8, 2021, he along with 55 other Trump-era attorneys were asked to resign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Ragan</span> American politician

John D. Ragan Jr. is a Republican member of the Tennessee House of Representatives, for the 33rd District, encompassing parts of Anderson County, Tennessee.

Robert "Bob" Ramsey is an American politician. He serves as a Republican member of the Tennessee House of Representatives for district 20, encompassing parts of Blount County, Tennessee.

William H. Wisener was an American politician, active primarily at the state level in Tennessee during the mid-19th century. He served four terms in the Tennessee House of Representatives, including one term as Speaker (1853–1855). A Southern Unionist, he led the opposition to secession in the House on the eve of the Civil War. After the war, he served in the Tennessee Senate, where he introduced the 13th Amendment for ratification in April 1865.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shane Reeves</span> American politician

Shane Reeves is an American businessman, pharmacist and politician who is the State Senator for the 14th District of Tennessee, which is composed of Bedford County, Moore County, Lincoln County, Marshall County, and part of Rutherford County. Reeves campaigned as a conservative Republican in the Tennessee State Senate District 14 Special Election in 2018. The special election was mandated because of a vacant seat created by Jim Tracy's acceptance of Tennessee Director for Rural Development with the Trump Administration. Jim Tracy endorsed Shane Reeves. Prior to entering politics, Reeves co-owned Reeves-Sain Drug Store in Murfreesboro, TN, and after selling in 2015, he founded Twelvestone Health Partners in 2016.

Mark Cochran is an American politician. He represents District 23 in the Tennessee House of Representatives. He was elected as part of the 111th general assembly in November 2018. He was preceded by Republican representative John W. Forgety. District 23 encompasses McMinn County and parts of Monroe County. Cochran began serving as the treasurer for the Tennessee State House of Representatives in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Leatherwood</span> American politician

Tom Leatherwood is an American politician serving in the Tennessee House of Representatives from Tennessee's 99th house district, since 2019. He is a member of the Republican Party. The 99th district includes the Northeast part of Shelby County, Tennessee, including the Town of Arlington, City of Lakeland, City of Millington, parts of North and East Bartlett, and unincorporated Northeast Shelby County.

Vincent Dixie is an American businessman, politician, and a Democratic member of the Tennessee House of Representatives, representing District 54 since November 2018. Dixie is one of 32 freshman members of the 111th Tennessee General Assembly. He succeeded Brenda Gilmore after she was sworn into the Tennessee Senate.

Jerome Moon is an American politician who serves as a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives. He represents part of Blount County in Maryville, TN, which is also known as Tennessee's District 8. Moon, the former chair of the Blount County Commission, was appointed the State House seat vacated by Art Swann on December 13, 2017.

London Lamar is an American politician. She is a member of the Democratic Party and a member of the Tennessee Senate representing district 33 since 2022. She was previously a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives from 2018 to 2022 representing District 91. During her time there, she was the youngest Tennessee State Representative in office. She was appointed to the Tennessee Senate in March 2022 by the Shelby County Commission after fellow Democrat Katrina Robinson was expelled due to her indictment on charges of wire fraud. Lamar was sworn in on March 8, 2022, and effectively resigned her house seat.

Clark Boyd is a Republican member of the Tennessee House of Representatives, representing District 46 since January 11, 2018.

References

  1. ↑ www.legislature.state.tn.us http://www.legislature.state.tn.us/ . Retrieved July 5, 2008.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. ↑ www.legislature.state.tn.us http://www.legislature.state.tn.us/senate/members/s8.htm . Retrieved July 5, 2008.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. ↑ "Biographical Information". Archived from the original on December 16, 2005. Retrieved August 18, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  4. ↑ http://www.legislature.state.tn.us/bills/currentga/BILL/SR0017.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]

See also


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.