8-year-old Follows Tenn. Lawmaker Until He Drops Bill Linking Welfare to School Grades

An 8-year-old girl confronted Tennessee Sen. Stacey Campfield, in the hallways of the state legislature to tell him she's worried about Tennessee children.

By Jorge Rivas Apr 12, 2013

Last week I wrote about a bill in Tennessee that would cut welfare benefits from parents with children performing poorly in school. The bill cleared both the House and Senate committees but yesterday the lawmaker behind the bill dropped his support for the bill, claiming further research on the impact on families was necessary.

However, The Tennessean reports Sen. Stacey Campfield (R) may have dropped the bill because of a powerful 8-year-old girl:

Before Thursday’s session, activists organized a demonstration in the corridors of Legislative Plaza and the state Capitol. An 8-year-old girl confronted Campfield with a petition signed by opponents of the bill, and a choir of about 60 people, including some in clerical garb, sang "Jesus Loves the Little Children" outside the Senate chamber as lawmakers filed in.

Campfield walked away from the confrontation, saying repeatedly that he didn’t think children should be used as political props. But it was a long walk, and the confrontation extended over several minutes as video cameras recorded the back-and-forth.