Committee advances bill to designate March as Father Charles Strobel Day

House Bill 325, carried jointly by Representative Bulso and Representative Dixie, drew unanimous support on Feb. 10 and will move to the health committee with a positive recommendation.

The bill would add a special day of observance in March to honor Father Charles Strobel, the Nashville priest who founded Room in the Inn, an outreach program serving people experiencing homelessness. Representative Bulso told the committee that the initiative serves more than 4,000 people a year and has been replicated by non‑denominational churches nationally.

Committee members described Strobel as a longtime advocate for the unhoused. Representative Dixie recounted participating in Room in the Inn and said the program involves volunteers who host, serve meals and sometimes shelter participants during severe weather. Representative Jones read a passage from Strobel’s posthumous book Kingdom of the Poor that emphasized his prioritization of the needs of the poor.

The committee recorded a 9-0 voice roll-call vote; the clerk reported the unanimous tally and the bill will proceed with a positive recommendation to the health committee. No amendments or fiscal notes were recorded in committee debate.