Day: March 30, 2017

Tennessee Not Among States Filing Amicus Brief In Support of President Trump’s Executive Order Banning Travel from Six Middle Eastern Countries

Wendy Wilson

Thirteen states have joined together to file an amicus brief in support of President Trump’s travel ban, but Tennessee is not among them. The friend of the court brief was filed Monday in the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. It defends Trump’s revised Executive Order 13780 temporarily barring citizens of six Middle Eastern countries-Somalia, Syria, Sudan, Iran, Yemen and Libya-from entering the U.S, and temporarily stopping the arrival of refugees from any country. A spokesman for Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery told The Tennessee Star that “our office does not typically discuss legal strategy.” “This matter is in the very early stage of litigation and not joining an amicus brief is not necessarily an indication of lack of support,” said spokesman Harlow Sumerford. Signing the amicus brief were attorneys general from Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, Montana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas and West Virginia. Gov. Phil Bryant of Mississippi also joined. Alabama and Texas have filed lawsuits against the federal government to end the resettlement of refugees in their states on grounds of failure to comply with the consultation clause of the Refugee Act of 1980. Earlier this month, Tennessee filed a lawsuit against the federal…

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State Rep. Jerry Sexton Calls Out Hypocrisy of Gas Tax Supporters Who Oppose Use of Sales Taxes for Road Construction

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Fireworks erupted on the floor of the Tennessee House of Representativesewhen the typically rapid-fire tick-tock of the day’s agenda was interrupted as Rep. Jerry Sexton (R-Bean Station) questioned Rep. Ryan Williams (R-Cookeville) on the “special privilege” of professional sports teams re-directing sale tax revenues back to a Nashville municipal organization whose purpose is to promote sporting events and sports teams. Rep. Sexton drew a strong parallel between the redirection of those funds – which Williams supports – and the redirection a small portion of sales tax revenues for the benefit of road construction, improvements and repairs – which Williams opposes. Williams supports of Gov. Haslam’s plan to raise taxes on gas and diesel to fund road construction instead. Sexton pointedly called out the hypocrisy of supporters of Haslam’s gas tax increase plan, who claim road construction can only be funded by “user fees” of those who use roads, while sports team stadiums can be funded by those who do not use or attend events at those stadiums. Sexton made his remarks during a debate “over an unrelated bill on the House floor on Thursday that would redirect sales taxes collected at a proposed Major League Soccer stadium in Nashville to be…

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Commentary: NO, It ISN’T a Tax Cut for Regular Tennesseeans

Steve Gill
Tennessee Star

Proponents of Governor Bill Haslam’s fuel tax increase claim it is actually a tax CUT thanks to reductions in a couple of large corporate taxes, like the Franchise & Excise tax. Cutting taxes on businesses to create more job growth while we have a $2 billion surplus is a great idea…but you don’t have to increase taxes elsewhere to justify it. As Nike ads used to proclaim: “Just DO It!!” The claim that a large tax increase on drivers in Tennessee with a slight reduction of taxes on food is a “net cut” because it is combined with unrelated cuts that benefit a few of the Governor’s cronies is the kind of misrepresentation that“fuels” a legitimate distrust of government. The tax INCREASES on fuel far surpass the CUTS in the sales tax on food. It’s not even close. Muddying the water with corporate tax cuts that benefit a few doesn’t change that truth. As the Haslam IMPROVE Act currently stands, it is a $345 million tax increase. Approximately $188 million will come from the increase in the gasoline tax; another $100 million will be generated by the increased diesel tax; and finally, about $57 million will be collected in the…

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Gardenhire Says Illegal Immigrant Students Will Pay For Empty Seats in State Colleges

Chris Alto

The Gardenhire/White bills SB1014/HB863 granting in-state college tuition to illegal immigrant students are moving through their respective chambers.  As reported by The Tennessee Star, the Senate Education Committee passed Gardenhire’s bill last week in a 7-2 vote.  Yesterday, the House Education Subcommittee on Planning & Administration was passed on a voice vote by Republican members Harry Brooks, Mark White, Eddie Smith and Democrats John DeBerry and Johnnie Turner. Rep. Dawn White asked to be recorded as a no vote. The House bill is scheduled to be heard by the full Education Planning & Administration Committee next Tuesday, and the Senate bill has been referred to Senate Finance, Ways & Means Committee. Gardenhire’s first attempt in 2014, never made it out of the Education Committee. The 2015 version of the Gardenhire/White bill passed the Senate 21-12. Despite a 49-47 House vote in favor of the bill it failed to achieve the constitutionally required 50 vote minimum. Illegal immigrant students including any student granted a temporary two-year deferred deportation under Obama’s DACA program, are ineligible for federal financial aid for school. However, states and individual schools have discretion to provide financial assistance. Tennessee’s HOPE lottery scholarship can be used at both four…

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State Sen. Joey Hensley: In-State Tuition Would Encourage More Illegal Immigrants To Come To Tennessee

Wendy Wilson
Tennessee Star

Offering illegal immigrants in-state tuition would encourage more illegal immigration into Tennessee, says state Sen. Joey Hensley. Hensley (R-Hohenwald) was one of only two senators on the Senate Education Committee to vote against the Tuition Opportunity Bill on March 22. In an interview with The Tennessee Star, Hensley said that if the bill passes, more illegal immigrant families would likely move to the state to establish residency to qualify for in-state tuition at state colleges and universities. “It encourages people to be here illegally when we let them obtain benefits,” Hensley said. “We have laws about legal immigration and people need to abide by those laws.” Hensley said many of his constituents in his rural district are strongly opposed to the bill. He also opposed the bill in 2015, when it passed in the Senate but failed in the House by only one vote. Currently, at least 18 states allow illegal immigrant students to receive in-state tuition, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). Three states—Arizona, Georgia and Indiana—specifically prohibit in-state tuition rates for illegal immigrants, and two states—Alabama and South Carolina— bar them from enrolling at any public post-secondary institution, the NCSL reports. In 1982, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in…

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