Day: March 16, 2018

Randy Boyd: Immigration Status Is Irrelevant to Filling Seats in Our State Colleges

Tennessee Star Staff

Speaking to a Mount Juliet Chamber of Commerce meet and greet on Thursday morning, Republican gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd said that while he does not support the current in-state tuition bill under consideration in the Tennessee General Assembly, immigration status of student should be irrelevant when it comes to filling seats in Tennessee’s state colleges and universities. Kicked off a full day in Wilson County at the @MJChamber. Look forward to seeing more friends and supporters! Check out our full list of stops via the @wilsonconews https://t.co/1KJt7MgOpx pic.twitter.com/bqZEkDWQpW — Randy Boyd (@randyboyd) March 15, 2018 “Do you support the legislature’s bill on in-state tuition?” one of the attendees at the meet and greet asked the Knoxville businessman. “No. I don’t think the state of Tennessee should be supplying or paying in-state benefits to people that are not in-state,” Boyd responded. The current bill proposed by State Rep. Mark White actually provides in-state tuition rates to illegal immigrant students by redefining what a public benefit is. “Having said that, though, I think, it’s the kind of nuance that, I want to bring more people from all over the country and all over the world to the state of Tennessee, and our…

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State Rep. Mark White Continues to Mislead Legislators on His In-State Tuition Bills

Chris Alto

Up for a fourth try to award a statutorily classified “state or local public benefit” to illegal immigrants in Tennessee, Rep. Mark White continues to tell his legislator colleagues that his bill is about education and not immigration even though the state law White needs to change was “based on Congress’s asserted interest in ‘remov[ing] the incentive for illegal immigration provided by the availability of public benefits.’” Tennessee’s “Eligibility Verification for Entitlements Act” (EVEA) passed in 2012, classifies in-state tuition is a state benefit. The EVEA requires that: …every state governmental entity and local health department shall verify that each applicant eighteen (18) years of age or older, who applies for a federal, state or local public benefit from the entity or local health department, is a United States citizen or lawfully present in the United States in the manner provided in this chapter. The EVEA defers to the federal law definition of  a “state or local public benefit.” A 2017 opinion issued by Attorney General Herb Slatery notes that this federal law was “based on Congress’s asserted interest in ‘remov[ing] the incentive for illegal immigration provided by the availability of public benefits.’” The federal law which limits the authority of state governments…

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GOP State Rep. Eddie Smith Could Be Deciding Vote in House Education Committee on Bill Rewarding In-State Tuition to Illegals

Chris Alto

State Rep. Eddie Smith (R-Knoxville), a member of the House Education Administration & Planning Subcommittee and Vice-Chair of the full Committee, was nowhere to be found when subcommittee chairman State Rep. Mark White (R-Memphis) jumped his own bill on in-state tuition for illegal immigrants from number 35 on the agenda to the very first bill to be heard. As The Tennessee Star reported earlier, White’s bill, HB2429, was passed on a voice vote without any discussion other than a strongly worded statement of opposition from State Rep. Dawn White (R-Murfreesboro)  (no relation to Mark White). It will go next to the full Education Committee although it has not been put on the calendar yet. The Senate companion bill, however, is scheduled to be heard on Wednesday, March 21st. Smith joined the subcommittee after White’s bill was passed. As to prior in-state tuition bills, Smith’s voting record is more transparent with the exception of the subcommittee votes where bills are passed by voice vote even though legislators have the option to request being recorded specifically as a “no” vote. With regard to Tuesday’s vote, the only recorded “no” vote was from Rep. Dawn White. The first year Eddie Smith served in the Tennessee General Assembly…

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Former Williamson County GOP Chair and First-Time Candidate Julie Hannah Hits the Bricks in Her Campaign for Register of Deeds

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Conservative firebrand Julie Hannah is taking her years of experience as a Williamson County Republican Party member and Chairwoman and using it in her unique campaign to be the county’s next Register of Deeds. “People think campaigns are all about big rallies, television ads, and media interviews but at the local level it is door knocking and personal connections that make the difference in winning or losing. That’s why my focus is on going door to door throughout Williamson County,” Hannah said in a statement, adding: “I want to bring my experience in the private business arena to provide consistent professionalism to the office. For me, being Register of Deeds is not about having a position, it is all about serving people and doing the job so well that it never really draws much attention. The Williamson County Register of Deeds is a fairly obscure office that not many people are familiar with. “You’re running for what? is almost always the first question I get,” she quipped. “Having the chance to meet people at their front doors and ask for their votes has been amazing out. I’ve never been more more optimistic about our future with having had the chance to meet families…

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Plaintiff Appeals Decision Setting August 2 Date for Special Mayoral Election to the Tennessee Supreme Court

Tennessee Star Staff

On Thursday attorney Jamie Hollin appealed directly to the Tennessee Supreme Court a ruling by Chancery Court Judge Claudia Bonnyman against his client, mayoral candidate Ludye Wallace, who argued the law says the special Nashville mayoral election should be held on May 1, and in favor of the Davidson County Election Commission, which set August 2 as the date for the special election. “This case involves a pure question of law regarding a matter of unusual public importance: When the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County—Tennessee’s capital city and most populous municipality—must hold an election to fill a vacancy in the office of Mayor,” the plaintiff’s brief began. “Even more significantly, this case seeks to determine whether the citizens of Nashville are entitled to have their government faithfully adhere to the text of a Charter provision that they collectively enacted with overwhelming support by popular referendum,” the brief continued. The appeal is not automatically heard by the Tennessee Supreme Court. Instead, they must actively decide to “reach down” to hear the case. You can read the entire plaintiff’s brief here: [pdf-embedder url=”https://tennesseestar.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/L.-Wallace-Motion-for-Direct-Review-Exhibits.pdf” title=”L. Wallace Motion for Direct Review & Exhibits”]

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Lack of Transparency Surrounds Williamson County Schools Superintendent Mike Looney’s Medical Condition

Tennessee Star Staff

A lack of transparency on the part of the Williamson County Schools (WCS) surrounds the medical condition of Superintendent Mike Looney. The Tennessee Star broke the story on Tuesday that Looney told WCS staffers earlier in the day that he has a tumor on his pancreas. The language of that communication suggested that he was going to go on medical leave during his treatment period: I need to share a little bit of news so that you can learn it from me rather than another source. I would much rather not share things of a personal nature, but given my role in the district, it really can’t be avoided. I very recently learned that I have a tumor in my pancreas. At this point, I am planning on having surgery toward the end of this month and unfortunately will need to take several weeks off for recovery. (emphasis added) The central office staff is wholly prepared to support your work without me. Jason Golden will act on my behalf during my absence. I will enjoy watching from a distance and will continue to cheer you on as our work progresses. However, Carol Birdsong, director of communications for WCS, told The…

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High School Teacher Julianne Benzel On Leave After Questioning if Schools Would Support Pro-Life Walkout

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A California high school teacher was placed on paid administrative leave this week after she pointed out an apparent double standard surrounding Wednesday’s national school walkout against gun violence. Thousands of students across the country walked out of classes Wednesday to protest gun violence in honor of the 17 students and teachers who were fatally shot last month at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. The walkout was organized by Youth Empower, a division of the national Women’s March, a left-wing group that has staged two national protests against President Trump.

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College Lists ‘God Bless You’ as a ‘Microaggression’

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Telling a classmate “God bless you” after she sneezes is a “microaggression,” according to extensive social justice guidelines posted by a women’s college in Boston. On its website, the Simmons College library lists six “anti-oppression” categories-“anti-racism,” “anti-transmisia,” “anti-ableism,” “anti-Islamomisia,” “anti-sanism” and “anti-queermisia”-with which students should be familiar. “This guide is intended to provide some general information…

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Commentary: How To Make Nancy Pelosi Speaker Of The House

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by CHQ Staff   Multiple establishment media outlets are reporting that White House officials have told key Republican leaders on Capitol Hill that President Trump is open to cutting a deal in an upcoming spending bill to protect young immigrants from deportation in exchange for border wall funding, according to four GOP officials briefed on the talks. This possible change in policy would be a significant cave-in for Trump, who, as The Washington Post’s Mike DeBonis and Josh Dawsey remind us,  in January insisted on a much broader package of immigration restrictions in exchange for any protections for the so-called “dreamers” –  the illegal aliens brought to the United States illegally as children, some of whom have been protected under Obama’s unconstitutional Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that Trump rightly canceled in September. The immigration framework that Trump issued in January called for $25 billion in wall funding, alongside changes to immigration law that would curtail two key pathways for legal immigrants by ending the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, which distributes 50,000 visas a year through a lottery system, and by scaling back family-based immigration rules. In exchange, Trump proposed offering legal status and an eventual pathway to citizenship for…

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After Some Antioch High School Students Dishonor ‘National Walkout Day,’ Others Step Up to Make Amends

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Some students at Antioch High School took the opportunity to sow chaos and destruction Wednesday during the so-called “National Walkout Day” organized by the far-Left group, Women’s March only one month after the horrific school shooting in Parkland, Florida. NewsChannel5 reports that the Metro Nashville Police are looking into incidents of a few students taking down a flag and jumping on a police car, but that no arrests or citations have been issued. Fellow protesters posted some of the incidents on social media.   Wednesday afternoon, Metro Nashville Public Schools’ Public Information Officer Michelle Michaud released the following statement: At MNPS, we respect the right of our students to advocate for causes that are important to them. Unfortunately, some students on our Antioch campus today chose to protest in ways that significantly disrupted school operations and threatened the safety and order for other students and staff within our school. Swift action was taken by school security and MNPD to address the situation. No students or staff members were injured during the walkout. The safety of our students and staff is our top priority. Inappropriate behaviors that threaten school safety will be handled immediately and firmly in accordance with the Student Code of Conduct and MNPD. We understand…

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California’s Atty Gen Becerra and Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf Are ‘Reprehensible,’ Says Father of Illegal Immigrant’s Victim

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ICE Arrest

A California man whose son died at the hands of the an illegal immigrant blasted his state’s attorney general Thursday over hardcore “sanctuary” policies. Don Rosenberg, who works for the group Fight Sanctuary Cities, said on “The Laura Ingraham Show” that he is disgusted by the defiance of figures like California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, who famously issued a public warning that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers were preparing a raid in the city across the bay from San Francisco.

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‘Free Speech on College Campuses’ Seminar Hosted by Americans For Prosperity Next Week in Franklin

Laura Baigert

Americans For Prosperity –Tennessee, the grassroots organization that played a key role in bringing an end to the Hall Income Tax in Tennessee, is hosting a no-cost seminar on the topic of “Free Speech on College Campuses.” Sam Nienow, AFP Middle Tennessee Field Director, describes the event as “a fascinating seminar on the infringements upon free speech at both public and private universities.” AFP recognizes that “colleges and universities used to be a place where intellectual diversity was embraced. Now, this philosophy has changed as many higher education institutions fail to uphold the promises of free expression, assembly, and religion to students and faculty.” The Gallup/Knight Foundation conducted a survey in 2017, “Free Expression on Campus: What College Students Think About First Amendment Issues.” Compared to a 2016 survey, students believe all five first amendment rights – freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, freedom for people to assembly peacefully and freedom to petition the government – are perceived as significantly less secure in 2017. However, the majority of students consider the protection of citizens’ free speech rights and promoting an inclusive society that is welcoming to diverse groups to be extremely important. But, when given a…

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Legal Expert: If Decision by Judge Was Based on ‘Dicta,’ That Would Place Integrity of Special Mayoral Election and Judicial System in Question

Tennessee Star Staff

Professor Judith M. Stinson, Executive Associate Dean of the Sandra Day O’Connor School of Law at Arizona State University and a recognized national expert on the distinctions between legal holdings and “dicta,” told The Tennessee Star that if the decision by Chancery Court Judge Claudia Bonnyman to set the date for the special mayoral election in Nashville at August 2 treated dicta as binding, that places the integrity of that election, as well as the entire judicial system in the state of Tennessee, in question. Only a legal holding in a case on the issue argued by both sides establishes legal precedent, Stinson told The Star in a phone interview on Thursday. “Dicta” is entirely irrelevant and is not solid grounds for a legal precedent. Last Friday, the Davidson County Election Commission ignored the plain meaning of the law and voted 3 to 2 to set August 2 as the date for the special mayoral election. On Wednesday, Judge Bonnyman sided with the commission and ruled that August 2 should be the date for the special mayoral election. On Thursday, Jamie Hollin, attorney for plaintiff and mayoral candidate Ludye Wallace, appealed Judge Bonnyman’s ruling to the Tennessee Supreme Court, The Tennesseean reported. Here is the…

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