Mark Hall (politician)

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Mark Hall
Member of the Tennessee House of Representatives from the 24th district
In office
January 8, 2019 – January 10, 2023
Preceded byKevin Brooks
Succeeded byKevin Raper
Member of the Bradley County Commission from the 7th district
In office
September 2006 – September 2018
Succeeded byKevin Raper
Personal details
Born (1965-01-22) January 22, 1965 (age 59)
United States Marine Corps.
ProfessionBusinessman
Websitewww.capitol.tn.gov/house/members/h24.html

Mark Hall (born January 22, 1965) is an American politician from Cleveland, Tennessee. From 2006 to 2018, he served as a seventh district commissioner on the Bradley County commission. He is served as the representative for the Tennessee House of Representatives district 24 from 2019 to 2023.

Background

Mark Hall served in the United States Marine Corps. He is a small business owner, operating a barber shop in Cleveland, which he founded with $700 to his name.[2]

Legislative history and tenure

Mark Hall was first elected to the Bradley County Commission District 7 seat in 2006.[3] This district includes much of the city of Cleveland. He was reelected in 2010 and 2014.[3] During his tenure as a county commissioner, Hall advocated for the construction of a veterans home in Cleveland, serving as the co-chairman of the Southeast Tennessee Veterans Home Council.[4]

In January 2018, Hall announced his intention to run for the 24th district state house seat being vacated by Kevin Brooks, who was running for mayor of Cleveland.[3]

Hall won the Republican primary for the state representative district in August 2018 against challengers Gary Moore, Alan Ledford, and Israel Farless with 54% of the vote in a surprising margin.[5] On November 6, 2018, Hall was elected with 75% of the vote, defeating Democrat Mallory Pickert.[6] He was succeeded on the commission by Kevin Raper.

In response to the September 22nd, 2021, attack on Bradley County Sheriff's Office K-9 Joker, Hall proposed an amendment to increase the penalty for harming or killing law enforcement or emergency service animals.[7] The legislation, known as "Joker's Law", makes unlawfully harming law enforcement service animals a Class B felony, and allows juveniles as young as 14 to be charged as adults.[8] National attention came to this matter and other states have been encouraged to review their laws on this matter.

In 2022, Hall drafted "Ethan, Hailey, and Bentley's Law", commonly referred to as "Bentley's Law", which requires drunk drivers to pay child support for the children of their victims. The law is named after the children of a Chattanooga police officer killed in the line of duty and a Missouri child whose parents died in a crash in 2021, both of which were caused by intoxicated drivers.[9] This law resulted in several other states considering similar legislation.[10]

On November 8, 2021, Hall announced his intention to run for the 9th district of the Tennessee Senate, after incumbent Mike Bell announced he would not seek reelection. This seat became the 1st district after the 2020 United States redistricting cycle. He lost the August 4, 2022, primary to J. Adam Lowe.[11] He was once again succeeded by Kevin Raper.[12]

Controversies

In November 2014 Hall was accused of abusing his then wife, after police responded to a call at his home. His residency was also questioned for being within his respective county district.[13] He has also received criticism for incorrect assertions about his district.[14]

Political positions

Hall describes himself as a "conservative Republican."[14] Hall supports low taxes, believing them to be bad for business.[15] He opposes abortion, and supports veterans rights.[15] He is a supporter of border security and opposes in-state college tuition for illegal immigrants and sanctuary cities.[15] Hall supports work requirements for food stamp recipients, and opposes expanding Medicaid in Tennessee.[14]

References

  1. ^ "Representative Mark Hall". capitol.tn.gov. Tennessee General Assembly. 2019. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
  2. ^ "About". votemarkhall.com. Mark Hall for State Representative. 2018. Archived from the original on 2018-10-21. Retrieved 2018-11-02.
  3. ^ a b c Graves, Brian (2018-01-07). "Commissioner Hall plans state representative bid". Cleveland Daily Banner. Cleveland, Tennessee. Retrieved 2018-11-02.
  4. ^ Leach, Paul (March 12, 2016). "Tennessee accepts donated land for Bradley County veterans home". Chattanooga Times Free Press. Chattanooga, Tennessee. Retrieved 2018-11-17.
  5. ^ Denton, Colby; Norton, Rick (2018-08-02). "Hall, Pickert to square off for District 24". Cleveland Daily Banner. Cleveland, Tennessee. Retrieved 2018-11-02.
  6. ^ Siniard, Tim (2018-11-07). "Mark Hall heading to house; Mike Bell, Howell also win". Cleveland Daily Banner. Cleveland, Tennessee. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  7. ^ Collins, Liam (October 7, 2021). "East TN lawmaker drafting bill for stricter penalties for attacking law enforcement K-9s". WBIR-TV. Knoxville. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  8. ^ Brown, Jackson (June 29, 2022). "'Joker's Law' to go into effect July 1 in Tennessee, giving harsher penalties for hurting police dogs". WATN-TV. Memphis. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  9. ^ Aguilar, Karen (July 8, 2022). "Governor Bill Lee signs drunk driver accountability bill into law". WRCB-TV. Chattanooga. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  10. ^ Kurwicki, Holden (August 1, 2022). "More than 20 states considering 'Bentley's Law' DUI legislation". KSDK. St. Louis.
  11. ^ Siniard, Tim (August 4, 2022). "Lowe bests Hall in Senate primary". Cleveland Daily Banner. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  12. ^ Siniard, Tim (November 10, 2022). "Howell, Raper secure state House seats". Cleveland Daily Banner. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  13. ^ Leach, Paul (2014-11-05). "Bradley County commissioner's residency questioned". Chattanooga Times Free Press. 2018-11-02.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  14. ^ a b c Hughes, Autumn (2018-07-13). "District 24 Tennessee House candidates respond to Q&A". Cleveland Daily Banner. Cleveland, Tennessee. Retrieved 2018-11-02.
  15. ^ a b c "The Issues". votemarkhall.com. Mark Hall for State Representative. 2018. Archived from the original on 2018-10-21. Retrieved 2018-11-02.
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