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Steve Roller

Vowing to continue supporting middle class families by improving education, health care, and economic development, state Senator Steve Roller, D-McMinnville, announced today that he is officially seeking re-election to the Senate District 14 seat he currently holds.

"Middle class families are feeling the pinch all across this district," he said. "It's increasingly difficult for Tennessee families to find and keep quality jobs in a shrinking job market. College tuition costs keep going up, putting the higher education our children need for success out of reach for more and more middle class families. And shrinking access to quality health care means more families are one serious illness away from being unable to pay next month's bills.

"It's the job of state government to make sure that everyone that works hard and plays by the rules has a chance to be successful, and I pledge to continue to fight for that opportunity in the State Senate for every Tennessee family."

A McMinnville attorney, Roller was appointed to the District 14 seat by the Warren County Commission in January. As a senator, he has worked to create a scholarship program for medical students that agree to practice in rural and other health resource shortage areas, worked to provide leave for employees caring for sick family members, and worked to create a state pilot project to provide water for rural areas.

"Being from this district, I see every day how hard middle class people struggle to get ahead. Our job in state government is to give Tennessee families a hand up not a hand out," he said. "We have to make college more affordable. We need to make sure a parent of a sick child or a child of a sick parent can take time off work to care for their loved one without fear of losing their job. And every Tennessean, including people in rural areas, should have clean, safe drinking water and access to the health care they need to live healthy lives."

He also supports opening lottery scholarships to more non-traditional students, creating a college scholarship for veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, and reforming Tennessee's long-term health care system so that senior citizens and others struggling with debilitating illnesses can stay at home as long as possible.

"It's an honor to serve the people of Senate District 14," he said. "I promise to continue listening to them and to continue standing up for their needs in Nashville."

Roller and his wife, Jeanne Pelham Roller, live in McMinnville. They have five children, Gunter, Jarrett, Justin, Jordan, and Stephanie. A 1974 graduate of Middle Tennessee State University with a B.S. in Biology, Physics, Chemistry, and History, he received his law degree from Lewis University School of Law. He is a member of the Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and was named the "Best of the Best Lawyer" for Warren County in 2007. He is also a member of the Warren County Chamber of Commerce, the Warren County Lions Club, and the Warren County Democratic Party. In the Senate, he sits on the State and Local Government Committee and the Environment, Conservation, and Tourism Committee.

Contact: District 14 - Bledsoe, Coffee, Franklin, Grundy, Sequatchie, Van Buren, and Warren Counties.

District Address
111 West Court Square
McMinnville, TN 37110
Phone: (931) 473-7119

Nashville Address
3 Legislative Plaza
Nashville, TN 37243-0214
Phone (615) 741-6694
Staff Contacts: Ginger Johnson

Email: sen.steve.roller@legislature.state.tn.us