Tenure in state legislature and Tennessee Regulatory Authority
Hargett served in the Tennessee House of Representatives from 1996 to 2006 representing District 97 (Bartlett and Memphis). [3] He was twice elected Republican Leader by his colleagues.
In 2007,he was nominated to the position of Tennessee Regulatory Authority (TRA) chairman,which sets the rates and service standards of privately owned telephone,natural gas,electric and water utilities. [2] [4] He was confirmed by the Tennessee General Assembly and served from February 2008 through January 2009. He was succeeded by Dr. Kenneth Hill. [5]
Tenure as secretary of state
In January 2009,the state legislature's new Republican majority voted to replace longtime Secretary of State Riley Darnell with Hargett. Hargett immediately resigned from his position as TRA chairman and took office as secretary of state on January 15,2009.
Hargett's 'Safe at Home' Address Confidentiality program began in 2019. The program provides survivors of domestic violence,stalking,human trafficking,and sexual offenses with a substitute address to use throughout the state and local government. This resource is designed to protect survivors from discovery by their abusers or predators through public records. Participants may also use their substitute address to obtain a driver’s license and register to vote. [6] [7]
Hargett's partnered with several state offices in 2020 to distribute "Baby in the Back" hangtags in an effort to help reduce heat-related illnesses and deaths due to children being left in hot vehicles. [8] [9]
In 2020,during the COVID-19 pandemic in Tennessee,Hargett opposed allowing voters who fear catching or spreading the coronavirus to vote by mail in the 2020 elections. A state judge overruled Hargett's position,holding that Tennessee must allow vote by mail for all voters and that the restrictions on vote by mail that Hargett sought to impose were "an unreasonable burden on the fundamental right to vote guaranteed by the Tennessee Constitution." [10]
In July of 2021,a state debate took place on whether to remove a bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest,a Confederate general,from inside the Tennessee State Capitol. Hargett voted in favor of removing the Forrest bust,as well as those of U.S. Admirals David Farragut and Albert Gleaves. [11]
Hargett's Tennessee Businesses Against Trafficking program launched in 2024. It mobilizes businesses and their employees across Tennessee to recognize,report,and prevent human trafficking. The program includes a free,hour-long training for participating companies to help their employees identify the signs of human trafficking and take appropriate action when they spot them. [12]
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