Tennessee Rep. Jon Lundberg, R-1st, hopes to build on three initiatives he started in his first term if he’s elected to serve a second, two-year term in the General Assembly.
A Bristol businessman and U.S. Naval Reserve officer, Lundberg said in a Friday interview that he will push forward plans to reform the state’s open container laws and ban text-messaging while driving. Both proposals, in bills Lundberg sponsored last year, died in House committees.
Lundberg said he also wants to continue working with other state representatives to strengthen penalties for sex offenders. The General Assembly adopted a law last year that requires convicted offenders to serve 100 percent of their sentences.
“I’ve felt very good about my first term,” said Lundberg, who represents most of Bristol, Tenn., and the northwest corner of Sullivan County.
Lundberg was first elected to office in November 2006. A political newcomer, he took over a seat previously held by Sullivan County Mayor Steve Godsey, who did not seek re-election that year. The state House has 99 representatives.
Democrat Michael Surgenor, who represents Kingsport on the Sullivan County Commission, is challenging Lundberg for the District 1 seat on the Nov. 4 ballot. Early voting has already begun, and lasts until Oct. 30.
Lundberg said his “greatest accomplishment and biggest disappointment” from the last session was that he couldn’t fix a loophole in the open container law that allows people to drink in cars as long as they aren’t driving.
“[Closing the loophole] would save millions of lives and bring millions of dollars to the state,” he said, adding that Tennessee is losing federal money for highway projects because it allows this practice.
Lundberg said his open container bill made it through two of the five committees a piece of legislation must clear before it hits the House floor. Calling it a victory, he said no open container bill has made it that far in the 16 years that people have tried to close the loophole. He vowed to try again.
Lundberg said he also hopes to bring back a bill that would make it illegal for people to send text messages while driving.
Admitting that even he sometimes talks on a cell phone while behind the wheel, Lundberg said a line must be drawn at text-messaging because it distracts both the eyes and the hands. His texting-while-driving bill was assigned to a special summer study committee. He said that tactic is often used to kill legislation without a vote.
On his effort to strengthen the state’s sexual predator laws, Lundberg was a co-sponsor of the law requiring convicted sex offenders to serve 100 percent of their sentences. He also promoted a bill requiring sex offenders to sign the Tennessee offender registry if they moved here from another state.
“In many ways, sexual predators were attracted to Tennessee because the penalties here were less severe,” Lundberg said. “I wanted to do a 180 on that.”
Lundberg said he also worked to pass legislation strengthening the penalties for sex offenders if they held a position of authority over their victims. That legislation was approved by the House and Senate, but the money to pay for it was left out of the budget. Lundberg said he wants to be sure that money is in the budget during the next session.
Lundberg and his family attend the Addilyn United Methodist Church in Bristol. On Friday, Lundberg said his favorite color was Navy blue.
gmclean@bristolnews.com | (276) 645-2518
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