Am I the only one who has found it a bit confusing that congressional districts have been restructured but even more so that candidate advertising on television does not indicate which district candidates are standing for? Welcome to August, everyone.
For 2026 election season, the August primaries are over. Due to recent redistricting, if you are unsure about your voting district, try the following helpful link. Put in your street address and you can find out what your district is: https://sos.tn.gov/announcements/2026-congressional-redistricting
Upcoming Noteworthy Election dates:
Monday, October 5, 2026, is the voter registration deadline.
Wednesday, October 14, 2026 - Thursday, October 29, 2026, is early voting
Tuesday, November 3, 2026, is election day
We have four of the nine districts in our membership area. This is a time to pay close attention to what matters to you and figure out exactly who you can support.
For this whole month and into September, both houses of Congress are in recess, and there will be another recess leading up to the General Elections in November.
What never ends for us is advocacy for earned benefit issues supporting both currently serving members of our armed forces and those who have served in the past. Our Middle Tennessee chapter has become somewhat famous for the depth and quality of our advocacy actions and participation. We are the most active among all Tennessee chapters. Veterans Administration health benefits are such a significant part of that activity.
The simple and most important point is that MOAA Advocacy on our behalf and our own personal participation does NOT go on recess. PLEASE Go to the MOAA website, www.moaa.org/advocacy -- look over the many items available for advocacy and speak out. Something else on that subject is that the Advocacy area of MOAA Website is not just for us members but is available to everybody out there. Driven by our addresses, it will deliver advocacy mail to our own representative and both our senators. It’s there, and it’s free – so let’s make use of it in August.
CDR Ted Edwards, USN Ret
MTC Legislative Liaison
MTC Legislative Update for July 2026
Welcome to July with our major event of the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. It is in the news everywhere, and I hope you are enjoying the celebration.
Before anything else: Our primary election date is 6 August preceded by early voting. Do remember to participate by voting. We have primaries for the House of Representatives, the Governor, and more.
The first day of July also begins a whole package of new laws passed by the 114th General Assembly and signed by the Governor. It is the normal calendar that the legislative changes all begin on 1 July every year. It is quite a long list and worth your time to read online. A few highlights are:
New/updated driver’s license requirements
Domestic violence registration requirements
Restrictions on hemp
Immigration and confidentiality requirements
Free speech protections in public schools
And a few dozen more
Being a nationally oriented organization, MOAA usually draws our attention to those issues on the larger scale for earned benefits relating to those currently serving and those who have served in the past. Your monthly issue of Military Officer magazine makes for great reading to keep current. There are always initiatives, changes, requirements, and benefit programs under consideration. This never stops, and an amazing amount of energy is contributed to creating and adjusting benefit programs on our behalf.
An interesting comment from our national leadership when I went to Advocacy-in-Action Week in April was how many surviving spouses do not close the mailing of the magazine to our members because they enjoy reading the magazine and getting so much helpful information from it.
A new and interesting item came through recently about the MOAA SLEF Legislative Action Center – oriented to the state-level of legislative action. Just beginning, it is only yet carrying news about Michigan, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania – but others will be added. It can be visited at: www.slef-moaa.com/slec. More on that will surely be coming.
Meanwhile, Congress is in recess for the Independence period and will return in mid-July. They will take the normal August recess and return after Labor Day. And then the push will be on for federal budget matters before the crunch date of 30 September. We will keep an ear to the ground about the NDAA legislation to come. Best Wishes to you for America 250 and a wonderful summer.
The June issue of Military Officer magazine, pages 22-23, shows a photo of the 260 visitors plus the 4 senior leaders of MOAA who traveled from all over the country to visit our Congress members in April for the annual Advocacy-in-Action Week (AiA). Three were from Tennessee. Together we visited over 300 offices to speak about MOAA’s four primary initiatives for 2026. We spoke with senators and representatives and very often with their senior advisors.
Whence cometh these 100 senators and 435 representatives? They are those who prevailed through the process of primary elections and then the general election to follow. It all begins with participating voters.
Middle Tennessee Chapter meets most commonly in Williamson County and occasionally in Davidson County, and our members live in several counties each with their own statistics. Looking at Williamson County with almost 190,000 registered voters, just under 14% voted in the recent primary. All representatives and 1/3 of senators are up for election this year, and will turnout for those primaries be stronger that 14%? So few are speaking for so many!
Our chapter is very strong with AiA letter writing – apparently the strongest in Tennessee. That is all fine, but it is worth remembering that we can only write to those who got elected. Elections matter. The candidates available to us in November will be those who won the primaries in August. There is no significance in writing to those who did not prevail in the elections, so having future impact through AiA depends on educating those who will later support MOAA initiatives for those serving and veterans.
The upcoming primary election day is August 6th, and early voting dates will be available in July. That process is coming up soon, and the realigning of the 9 Tennessee districts will impact many of us. It is worthwhile checking soon which district you reside in and then who the aspiring candidates will be competing for your attention, support, and vote.
The situation is confusing right now, so it is worthwhile to do your homework and prepare. Also, remember that your current congressional district and elected representative will continue to serve you until next January 3rd when the new congress is sworn in. For right now, prepare for your primary election.
Our MOAA culture is explicitly non-partisan as our MOAA initiatives are also – worth remembering that. It is thoroughly non-partisan to remind us to be aware of the process, the schedule, and the importance of our participating in it.
CDR Ted Edwards, USN (Ret)
MTC Legislative Liaison
MTC Legislative Update for May 2026
The annual MOAA Advocacy-in-Action Week has been accomplished, and leaders from the state councils and virtual chapters met in Washington and made impactful presence on Capitol Hill. Beyond the visits, one significant learning point is that MOAA enjoys enormous respect on the Hill and gets acknowledged by the lobbying community as the shining light among them and is instantly recognized by both congress members and their leading staffers.
Our Tennessee Team consisted of our own Karon Uzzell-Baggett (also a national board member), Ray Mitchell of Chattanooga (substituting for our state council president), and myself (for the Chaplains Virtual Chapter). We visited the offices of both senators and five of the representatives, and we must have walked five miles. Each of us took the lead on one of the four key issues listed in previous columns.
Reviewing those issues: Shutdown Fairness Act (S.3168) Military Care Act (HR.6796) Governing Unaccredited Representatives Defrauding VA Benefits Act, acronym is GUARD, (HR.1732)
Major Richard Starr Act (S.1032 & HR.2102)
Remarkable was that very little of this legislation had been co-sponsored by those representing us from Tennessee. We explicitly asked for co-sponsorship and supportive voting.
Staffers were generally very knowledgeable already on those bills, and they could recognize through our articulate advocacy that we were just as knowledgeable, too. This allowed for their specific questions and requests for clarification, and the results were cordial and helpful to all parties. It was really grand to be so welcomed by senior and busy people!
An important part of our advocacy is that were all officers but were advocating for the whole of our uniformed services to included enlisted members who are not represented within our membership. That concern for the whole and preparation about the whole community delivered a clear legitimacy for our messages and ready acceptance.
Do keep up your activity using the MOAA website advocacy page. You can always track legislation using the congress.gov website – very handy! And you can find out more about Tennessee matters at this website: TNVETS.org
MOAA Leaders go to Washington this month as a group to ask our representatives and senators to support legislation of interest to our community at the national level. There are a LOT of issues going on all the time, but MOAA identifies a few for special attention. I wrote about the chosen four bills last month; now comes my asking for you to visit the Advocacy-in-Action section of the MOAA.org website and send them some mail. To support our visits, mail in quantity makes significant impact.
Last time I wrote about the contents, and this article is about sponsorship and co-sponsorship.
Shutdown Fairness Act (S.3168) is sponsored by Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin with 7 cosponsoring senators (none from Tennessee) and matches H.R.5801 sponsored by Rep. Dusty Johnson with 17 cosponsors (none from Tennessee). When you write, do ask for cosponsorship.
Military Care Act (HR.6796) is sponsored by Rep. Stephen Hersford of Nevada and has 9 cosponsors but none from Tennessee. There is no matching bill in the Senate.
Governing Unaccredited Representatives Defrauding VA Benefits Act, acronym is GUARD, (HR.1732) is sponsored by Rep. Chris Pappas of New Hampshire and lacks a matching bill in the Senate. Of 121 cosponsors, 3 come from Tennessee but none from Middle Tennessee.
Major Richard Starr Act(S.1032 & HR.2102) has been around for years and never quite gets across the finish line. It is sponsored by Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut with 78 cosponsors including our Sen. Blackburn but not Sen. Hagerty and by Rep. Gus Bilitakis of Florida with 319 cosponsors with 4 from Tennessee but not including ours from Middle Tennessee.
You can always track legislation using the congress.gov website – very handy!
When you visit the Advocacy section of the MOAA.org website, please make special visits to the Advocacy section in of the website this month to help make greater impact. When you write do mention the bill numbers that are shown, because legislators and staffers understand that you have done your homework when they see that you know the bill numbers. I will report back on our visits in the May column.
CDR Ted Edwards, USN (Ret.)
MTC Legislative Liaison
MTC Legislative Update for March 2026
MOAA Leaders descend en mass at the Capitol in Washington every year in Spring – this year on 15 April – for Advocacy-in-Action to draw special attention to items of legislation that impact our uniformed services community. There are a LOT of issues going on all the time, but MOAA identifies a few for special attention. Here are the four specifics for 2026:
Shutdown Fairness Act (S.3168) supports those currently serving, including National Guard and reservists with continuity of pay during the periodic shutdowns awaiting continuing resolutions.
Military Care Act (HR.6796) supports all TRICARE beneficiaries who experience problems getting access to care or the care itself with a standard way to report the problems and seek out resolution.
Governing Unaccredited Representatives Defrauding VA Benefits Act, acronym is GUARD, (HR.1732) to protect beneficiaries from dealing with unaccredited representatives who then defraud the VA system. The goal is for individuals seeking assistance with VA services to receive that assistance from professional providers so that better care is delivered and the VA is not defrauded.
Major Richard Starr Act (S.1032 & HR.2102) to amend Title 10USC, to provide for concurrent receipt of veterans’ disability compensation and retired pay for disability retirees with combat-related disabilities. While this is heavily sponsored by legislators, it never quite gets across the finish line. There is supposed to be a Senate vote on this bill on March 3rd, so hopefully this is the year to get it through.
You can read greater details in Military Officer magazine, March issue, page 20 and following on page 26. Our MOAA impact increases significantly when the officials and their staffers know that constituents care about these items and then we visit their offices; that is to say, we all have roles to play in pushing these matters forward.
When you visit the Advocacy section of the MOAA.org website, you surely notice how many issues there are and how some draw your attention more than others. That is fine, because there is so much happening. Please make special visits to the Advocacy section of the website this month to help make greater impact. When you write do mention the bill numbers that are shown, because legislators and staffers understand that you have done your homework when they see that you know the bill numbers. I will report back on our visits in the May column.
CDR Ted Edwards, USN (Ret)
MTC Legislative Chair
MTC Legislative Update for February 2026
What a storm that was! Yesterday (28 January) was to be Veterans Day on the Hill, and we would have been well represented had it happened as planned. Tuesday was to have been our Chapter Annual Review Meeting, so we will move that to February. So many thousands of people are without electric power and may be for some days to come. Does it seem as if Tennessee has come to a crashing halt?
What does NOT stop are the public needs for safety and security – and the need for those who represent us to work the legislation that makes our national civilization and culture work. Since all that legislative activity needs to happen for the benefit of all, our advocacy needs to continue without a break. Even if meetings and hearings must momentarily pause, the needs to be addressed never pause. If needs cannot pause, advocacy cannot either.
When times like this come around and the winter weather slows us down, that computer on your desk gives you the tools you need to communicate with our legislators – so long as you have electricity and connectivity. Being confined at home gives you the opportunity to write to your legislators and accomplish some advocacy. That is perfect for when you unexpectedly get some free time.
Our January column provided directions for using the MOAA Advocacy platform, and the storm may have given you some free time to do that. When the storm hit and I pulled limbs from the driveway and sidewalks, I wondered what to do with some free time. So, I did some online advocacy.
This is the season when MOAA would announce its primary and focused initiatives in anticipation of Advocacy-in-Action week and the day on Capitol Hill which will be 8 April. More on that when I hear more.
Consider what matters to you and what you value on matters of quite a list of possibilities: military personnel, family health and welfare, veterans matters and the VA, retired veterans, new retirees finding their way back into the civilian world, veteran disabilities, career retraining, … so much more.
And in the meanwhile, be safe and well.
CDR Ted Edwards, USN (Ret.)
MTC Legislative Chair
MTC Legislative Update for January 2026
We are starting a new year, and Congress is back in session. This seems like an opportune time to bring up the subject of legislative action in several ways.
First is the MOAA Legislative Action Center. If you sign into the moaa.org website, there is a drop-down menu for Advocacy then you can choose the Legislative Action Center. It will give you topics of interest from which you can choose and adapt letters on a range of topics. Your zip code will enable forwarding the letters to our two senators and your specific representative. There is an icon below letters to allow you to edit them and personalize them including adding your name to the signature line.
Moving away from the generic text to individualize your note is a good idea to separate your letter from the pack. There is a submit button, and not long after you will probably receive an email acknowledging your letter. It is all quite easy to do, and there is no limit – so write often and vary the chosen topic.
Our chapter has a reputation for high level of advocacy activity. It is one of many measures that supports our continuing Five Star chapter status. That advocacy delivers not only impact for our congressional members getting supported by your participation but also for our Middle Tennessee Chapter as a whole. Supporting critical benefits and advocacy issues on a regular basis pays dividends. Even if you do not often make our monthly meetings, your participation in advocacy activities furthers our national level mission to “Never Stop Serving”.
Further to that matter, this is an election year for the whole House of Representatives. The usual cycle of candidate announcements of primary elections will start soon. You may know some of these potential candidates personally. As the Advocacy system only addresses those elected and in office, how can you help the Chapter communicate with unelected candidates so that they know what matters to our chapter of officers and the larger veteran’s community. How powerful would it be if aspiring candidates could have a sense of what we value and what matters to us? Something to think about…
Tennessee "Veterans Day on the Hill" is 28 January. Registration is open if you wish to attend. I know of a half dozen or so who plan to participate – myself among them – and you could as well. Here is the website to learn and register: https://tnvet.org/veteran-day-on-the-hill/information-on-attending
Happy 2026 to Everyone!
CDR Ted Edwards, USN (Ret.)
MTC Legislative Chair
Middle TN Chapter Non-Partisan Policy
The Middle TN Chapter Board and Membership has a mandate to always remain politically nonpartisan as an affiliate organization of MOAA National. As such, we do not support or oppose any candidate for political office. We will periodically provide notice that a member is continuing to serve by running for office; however this is not to be construed as an endorsement of his or her political views.
Normally during this time frame each year we would organize visits to our elected officials when they are home during Congressional break and when the TN State Legislature is out of session. However, this being an election year we are unable to accomplish these tasks without being drawn into the election fray.
So, while the Chapter cannot become actively involved in supporting a candidate, we whole heartedly support the individual involvement of our members on a personal basis. An informed and active electorate is important to the success of our state and nation, so it is up to each of us to become informed on the issues and to vote and encourage all that you know to do so as well.