Day: April 6, 2019

Amid Division, Representative DeBerry Delivers Inspirational Speech from the State House Floor During an Honoring of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Laura Baigert

The House Black Caucus honored Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on the 51st anniversary of his death in Memphis, Tennessee with a reading of what is known as King’s final “I’ve Been To The Mountaintop” speech, even as there is division amongst the group. Dr. King came to Memphis for a third time in less than three weeks on April 3, 1968, to support the striking sanitation workers in a non-violent way after the second march erupted into violence and was called off, as explained by Stanford University’s King Institute. King delivered his inspirational and optimistic speech at the Bishop Charles Mason Temple, which he eerily closed by saying he wasn’t afraid to die. The next day, as he waited to go to dinner at Reverend Billy Kyles’ home, King was fatally shot at The Lorraine Hotel located at 450 Mulberry Street, Memphis. Division In The Black Caucus Ironically, over the past week, Rep. John DeBerry has been the subject of reports by Daily Memphian that the Black Caucus is at odds with him over his recent votes which seems to have brought to a head with a vote in favor of Governor Bill Lee’s Education Savings Accounts (ESA) legislation.…

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Charlie Kirk Commentary: Socialists Fantasize About Becoming Mainstream

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by Charlie Kirk   Neo-socialist radicals have had so much success at bending the Democratic Party to their will that they’re starting to forget just how deeply unpopular their policy agenda is with the rest of the country. During a recent MSNBC profile of freshman Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, her former senior campaign aide, Walid Shaheed, advanced the dubious theory that democratic socialism has become mainstream and that capitalism is now a “fringe” movement. “I think Bernie Sanders really opened the window for the debate on democratic socialism in this country,” Shaheed said during the special. “It’s not as fringe as you might think. In fact, what’s becoming fringe is if you call yourself a capitalist openly.” Clearly, Shaheed needs to get out of the office more often. His assessment might accurately reflect the majority sentiment inside AOC’s Capitol Hill echo chamber, but for the rest of America, capitalism retains its revered status as the most effective economic and political system humanity has ever devised for enhancing safety, affluence, and human happiness. Socialist Senator Bernie Sanders is laboring under the same delusion as Shaheed. “Those ideas that we talked about here in Iowa four years ago that seemed so radical at…

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Commentary: A History Textbook That Inspires, Not Lectures, Students About America

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by Jenna Robinson   From the very beginning, it’s clear that Wilfred M. McClay’s Land of Hope: An Invitation to the Great American Story isn’t a typical textbook. The title alone alerts readers that McClay’s book will not be the kind of history text that has become so popular in today’s high school and college courses—a diatribe against America’s many sins. Instead, it is an accurate, but loving, story of our country and our shared culture. McClay describes his book as “a patriotic endeavor as well as a scholarly one.” In his introduction, McClay explains that the purpose of his text is: to offer to American readers, young and old alike, an accurate, responsible, coherent, persuasive, and inspiring narrative account of their own country–an account that will inform and deepen their sense of the land they inhabit and equip them for the privileges and responsibilities of citizenship. McClay is just the person to provide such an account. He is the G.T. and Libby Blankenship Chair in the History of Liberty at the University of Oklahoma and the Director of the Center for the History of Liberty. His other works include Why Place Matters: Geography, Identity, and Civic Life in Modern…

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Licensing Online Auctioneers Could Hurt Tennessee Economy, Expert Warns

Chris Butler

Online auctioneers will suffer, as will Tennessee’s economy, if state officials require them to get a license, which certain members of the Tennessee General Assembly hope will happen this legislative session. This, according to an official with the Beacon Center of Tennessee, a Nashville-based free market think tank. As The Tennessee Star reported, a bill going through the Tennessee General Assembly would, for the first time, require a license for certain types of online auctions. “The vast majority of complaints about online auctioneering came from business competitors who don’t like having to compete with a new business model. And of course, this artificially inflates prices of goods, all of which are passed on to the consumer. It’s not different than a tax hike” said Braden Boucek, Beacon’s vice president of Legal Affairs, in an emailed statement. Boucek linked to an Institute of Justice study that examined state and national estimates of the economic costs of occupational licensing. The Institute for Justice is a Virginia-based and libertarian law firm that pursues civil liberties and other public interest cases, according to its website. “According to this study, over 21 percent of Tennessee’s workforce is licensed. It costs us 46,068 jobs.  We lose $173…

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Audit: Dickson County Sheriff’s Office Lost $2,000

Chris Butler

Members of the Dickson County Sheriff’s Office lost $2,000, according to an audit Tennessee Comptrollers recently released. The sheriff’s office collects various payments and fees, including child support payments. “On June 13, 2017, the Sheriff’s Office was contacted by a child support attorney with the Twenty- third Judicial District inquiring why a $2,000 child support payment that was made by an inmate at the jail had never been submitted to the State of Tennessee,” Comptrollers wrote. “Upon investigation, department personnel determined $2,000 in cash was receipted in the jail on May 9, 2016. The cash was signed-out to be delivered to the sheriff’s administrative office for deposit into the bank; however, the payment was never received by the administrative office. On July 21, 2017, a $2,000 check was issued from the county’s General Fund to replace the $2,000 child support payment of the former inmate. As of the date of this report, the $2,000 shortage has not been recovered, nor have any criminal charges been filed.” Department personnel learned of the shortage on June 13, 2017. They did not file a Fraud Reporting Form with the Comptroller’s Office until May 21, 2018 and that went against state law, the audit…

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New Memphis TV Show ‘Bluff City Law’ Wants Corporate Welfare

Chris Butler

Memphis officials want corporate welfare for a new fictionalized drama that could film regularly on location in the city and air on NBC, according to The Memphis Business Journal. The show’s working title — Bluff City Law. The website compares these potential incentives to what state officials gave the ABC and CMT drama Nashville. According to the Memphis-based WMC Action News 5, the show is about a father-daughter Memphis legal team who practice civil rights law. Jimmy Smits stars. Bluff City Law recently filmed its pilot in Memphis, but NBC has not yet committed to picking the show up, according to various news outlets. “City lobbyists and others hope to get up to $18 million in incentives included in the State of Tennessee’s proposed supplemental budget, which is scheduled to be released in the coming weeks. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee’s proposed budget that was released in March did not include any new money included for film and TV incentives,” The Memphis Business Journal reported. Linn Sitler, head of the Memphis & Shelby County Film and Television Commission, reportedly told the website the show could have “a powerful economic impact locally.” “However, there was no new state funding included in the…

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Hiring Rebounds as US Employers Add a Solid 196,000 Jobs

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Hiring in the United States rebounded in March as U.S. employers added a solid 196,000 jobs, up sharply from February’s scant gain and evidence that many businesses still want to hire despite signs that the economy is slowing. The unemployment rate remained at 3.8 percent, near the lowest level in almost 50 years, the Labor Department reported Friday. Wage growth slowed a bit in March, with average hourly pay increasing 3.2 percent from a year earlier. That was down from February’s year-over-year gain of 3.4 percent, which was the best in a decade. The employment figures reported Friday by the government suggest that February’s anemic job growth — revised to 33,000, from an initial 20,000 — was merely a temporary blip and that businesses are confident the economy remains on a firm footing. Even with the current expansion nearly 10 years old, the U.S. economy is demonstrating its resilience. At the same time, the economy is facing several challenges, from cautious consumers to slower growth in business investment to a U.S.-China trade war that is contributing to a weakening global economy. Stock futures rallied after Friday’s jobs data was released at 8:30 a.m. and bond prices rose as well, with…

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Commentary: Democracy Dies in the Darkness

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by State Representative Mike Sparks (R-Smyrna)   A few years ago, I decided to go back to Middle Tennessee State University and take the remaining few hours to complete my college degree. After attending a few semesters part-time, I needed one additional class, and I decided to complete a Maymester course. I was searching the university’s online platform and came across a Free Expression course. The class, at first really didn’t interest me, until I met Dr. Larry Burriss. Given the name, I was expecting the class to be taught by someone in a tie-dye shirt and wearing sandals. On the contrary, Dr. Burris was a tough, former lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force who had served on active duty in various parts of the world — even at the Pentagon. He held a wealth of knowledge and was very experienced in the many facets of journalism, including his time serving as the former director of the School of Journalism and the dean of the College of Mass Communications. The subject matter for this course was related to the expression of free speech and the First Amendment. I had often listened to his commentary on WGNS Radio and enjoyed…

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Arkansas Senate Passes Bill Mandating 72 Hour Waiting Period Before Abortions

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by Grace Carr   The Arkansas Senate passed a bill Thursday expanding the restrictions it places on women seeking to end their pregnancies by mandating they wait 72 hours post-counseling before they can have an abortion. The state senate voted Thursday 29-5 to pass SB 278. Under the legislation, women must wait 72 hours after they are counseled by a physician before they can undergo an abortion. If the law is passed, Arkansas will be the sixth state to enact a 72-hour waiting period, according to The AP. Previously, women seeking abortions were required to wait 48 hours following state-directed counseling before they could undergo a procedure. State law also requires minors to provide a letter of consent from a parent or guardian prior to the scheduled abortion with the exception of a court order or medical emergency. Arkansas has three abortion clinics, only one of which offers surgical abortions. Planned Parenthood operates two clinics, one in Little Rock and one in Fayetteville, that both offer medication abortions but not surgical abortions. Arkansas also passed a law, SB149, in mid-February banning all abortions except those that are necessary to save the mother’s life if the high court overturns Roe v.…

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Grassley: Mueller Team Mischaracterized Trump Campaign Emails in Court Filing

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by Chuck Ross   The special counsel’s office fed “speculation and innuendo” about possible collusion with Russia by withholding key details from emails cited in a court filing in the case of former Trump adviser George Papadopoulos, a top Republican senator alleged in a newly released letter. “The public deserves to have the full context for the information the Special Counsel chooses to release. The glaring lack of it feeds speculation and innuendo that distorts the facts,” Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley wrote to special counsel Robert Mueller on Oct. 16, 2017. Grassley, who then chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee, was responding to a “statement of offense” released in the case against Papadopoulos, the Trump campaign adviser who entered a plea deal in the special counsel’s probe on Oct. 5, 2017. Prosecutors quoted from several emails in a way that suggested top Trump campaign officials were eager to meet with Russians. But Grassley asserted that the full emails showed that campaign officials rebuffed the idea of meeting with Russians. The Iowa Republican took Mueller’s team to task for failing to correct news reports that cited the Papadopoulos court filings as evidence of possible collusion with Russia. “It should be the goal…

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Immigration Officials Arrest 280 at Texas Company

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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raided a Texas cellphone repair company Wednesday, in what Homeland Security officials are calling the largest worksite raid in the country in more than a decade. ICE arrested 280 employees of CVE Technology Group Inc. on immigration charges. The company is in the Texas city of Allen, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of Dallas. The investigation started after special agents with ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations division (HSI) received tips CVE was hiring undocumented people. ICE said some of those employed by the tech company were using fake documents. A business that knowingly hires undocumented workers “creates an unfair advantage over their competing businesses,” HSI Special Agent Katrina W. Berger said in a statement. HSI began an audit of CVE’s hiring practices in January 2019. The audit confirmed numerous hiring irregularities. Berger also said the practice creates “an atmosphere poised for exploiting their illegal workforce.” CVE’s website is down. VOA could not reach the company for comment. The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) in a statement to reporters said the organization is working non-stop to help undocumented workers arrested Wednesday. Domingo Garcia, LULAC’s national president, said the operation was tragic and unnecessary.…

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PAC Behind Ocasio-Cortez’s Rise Challenges Democratic Leadership with DCCC Blacklist Launch

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by Evie Fordham   The progressive PAC credited with Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s rise is launching its own infrastructure to raise funds for primary challengers because of a new anti-challenger policy from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). “We just launched DCCCBlacklist.com because it’s time to stand up to the DCCC’s bullying of the progressive movement. The movement is building a network of alternative infrastructure to help progressive primary candidates like AOC and Ayanna Pressley win their next race,” the Justice Democrats wrote on Twitter Thursday evening. Ocasio-Cortez and Democratic Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley tweeted March 30 to criticize the DCCC’s decision to not contract with consultants working with challengers to Democratic incumbents, reported The Hill. The two representatives followed similar paths to victory by defeating incumbents with roughly two decades’ experience apiece: Ocasio-Cortez knocked out Joe Crowley, and Pressley knocked out Michael Capuano. “The DCCC’s new rule to blacklist [and] boycott anyone who does business [with] primary challengers is extremely divisive [and] harmful to the party. My recommendation, if you’re a small-dollar donor: pause your donations to DCCC [and] give directly to swing candidates instead,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote on Twitter March 30. The @DCCC’s new rule to blacklist+boycott…

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Trump Picks Former Presidential Candidate Herman Cain for Fed Board

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U.S. President Donald Trump plans to nominate former pizza chain executive and Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain for a seat on the Federal Reserve Board, where he will help set interest rates for the world’s biggest economy. “I have recommended him highly for the Fed,” Trump said in a press conference Thursday. “I’ve told my folks that’s the man.” Trump has been a vocal and strident critic of the Fed’s rate hikes under Jerome Powell, whom the president picked two years ago to chair the U.S. central bank. Trump’s other Fed appointees have also supported the Powell Fed’s rate hikes, which the president has said hurt the economy. This year the Fed has put rate hikes on hold, citing a slowing economy and risks from overseas. Trump, meanwhile, has continued to rail against the Fed, even as he has said he will nominate conservative commentator Stephen Moore, a proponent of rate cuts, for a second vacant seat on the Fed Board. Asked if he is sending a signal to the Fed with the pair of nominations, Trump said: “None whatsoever. He’s a highly respected man. He’s a friend of mine. He’s somebody that gets it, and I hope everything goes…

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‘Christians Rising’ Day On Capitol Hill in Nashville Announced For April 17

Laura Baigert

Layman Lessons Church Ministries has announced a “Christians Rising” Day on Capitol Hill in Nashville on Wednesday, April 17, 2019. The organizer of the event – Layman Lessons Church Ministries, based in Nashville and founded in 2001 – procures and provides $8 million annually in donated food, bottled water, and life-saving supplies to homeless and needy in Tennessee and 15 other states. The volunteer work is done with no paid staff. According to the announcement, “Christian Day on Capitol Hill is the Easter week worship celebration of the Passion of Christ and challenge to be the hands and feet of Christ in standing, serving, leading, together as Christ commanded us to do!” “Tennessee Christians are and always have been the fabric of society since before we became a state, leaders are called ‘The Volunteer State’ for our sacrificial service to our fellow man in need. Christians arising answer the call of duty!” The free event will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon at the historic War Memorial Auditorium in downtown Nashville, where limited seating is available. Legislative Plaza has also been reserved for the event to accommodate overflow attendees. The morning celebration worship will feature Governor Bill Lee…

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Hardin County Woman Charged with TennCare Fraud

Chris Butler

A Hardin County woman is charged with allegedly lying about her residency in order to enroll in TennCare, according to the Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration. The Office of Inspector General (OIG), with the assistance of the Hardin County Sheriff’s Office, this week announced the arrest of Samantha J. Briley, 31, of Savannah. An indictment charged her with TennCare fraud and theft of services over $10,000 for reporting to the state that she lived in Tennessee when she was actually living in Florence, Alabama, in order to receive TennCare, a press release said. Authorities say as a result, she obtained $15,327.06 in medical assistance benefits. Briley was served while lodged in the Hardin County jail on unrelated charges allegedly involving the sale of methamphetamine, state officials said in the press release. “Lying to the state can be trouble at any time – and it’s against the law to get enrolled in TennCare when living in any other state,” Inspector General Kim Harmon said. “We appreciate citizens bringing information to our attention so we can preserve TennCare benefits for Tennesseans.” District Attorney General Matthew F. Stowe is prosecuting. TennCare fraud is a Class D felony punishable by up to four years in prison…

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Chicago Police Union Announces Vote of No Confidence in Kim Foxx After Jussie Smollett Charges Dropped

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by Evie Fordham   Chicago’s police union and a group of suburban chiefs demanded Thursday that Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx resign after prosecutors dropped charges against actor and alleged hate crime hoax perpetrator Jussie Smollett. Duane Mellema, head of the North Suburban Association of Chiefs of Police, said the chiefs voted unanimously to declare they had “no confidence” in Foxx, reported The Chicago Sun-Times. His organization represents more than 30 departments. The Smollett case did not start the discontent for the police chiefs, but instead became a symbol of the problems they had with Foxx. “Our officers must explain your decisions not to prosecute to our local victims,” Mellema said. He also called the Smollett case “the straw that broke the camel’s back,” according to The Chicago Sun-Times. Chicago Fraternal Order of Police president Kevin Graham also said the decision was about more than just the Smollett case. “This is about many cases in the Cook County system that have gone un-prosecuted, or having charges reduced,” Graham said. Foxx’s office responded by saying the police chiefs were resistant to the way her office prioritizes resources to fight crime. Chicago police chiefs were not only angered that charges against…

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Possible 2020 Candidate Howard Schultz Says He Doesn’t Believe in Third-Trimester Abortion

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by Evie Fordham   Possible 2020 candidate Howard Schultz, who has teased a run as an independent for months, said Thursday he does not believe abortion should occur in the third trimester. “I recognize that every woman has — this is such a personal issue, and it’s between her and her god as to what that decision should be, and in my view there should be no abortion that is in the last trimester,” Schultz said during a town hall that aired on Fox News. He said the Supreme Court has already decided the abortion question “in many ways” and seemed reluctant to call himself pro-choice, saying, “I have been a person that is pro-choice.” “President Clinton said something a long time ago that I think does apply, and he said abortion should be safe, legal and rare. And that’s where I am. Thank you very much,” Schultz continued. Moderator Martha MacCallum followed up by asking the former Starbucks CEO if he was afraid he would lose support on the right by describing himself as pro-choice. “Do you worry at all that, you know, when you want to court Republicans, that even just being pro-choice is going to cross you…

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Democrats Are Suing to Stop Trump From Funding Border Wall Construction

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by Jason Hopkins   Democratic leaders voted to file a lawsuit against President Donald Trump’s emergency declaration, a move they hope will block the billions in funding he’s accessed for border wall construction. “The President’s sham emergency declaration and unlawful transfers of funds have undermined our democracy, contravening the vote of the bipartisan Congress, the will of the American people and the letter of the Constitution,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a Thursday statement following the vote. The Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group, a five-member board that controls the House of Representatives’ general counsel, voted 3-2 on Thursday to authorize a lawsuit against Trump’s emergency declaration. The lawsuit claims the president violated the Constitution’s Appropriations Clause, which gives lawmakers in Congress the authority to control funding measures. The vote fell strictly along party lines, with Pelosi, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Majority Whip Jim Clyburn voting for it, and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Minority Whip Steve Scalise voting against it. “The President’s action clearly violates the Appropriations Clause by stealing from appropriated funds, an action that was not authorized by constitutional or statutory authority,” Pelosi continued in her statement. “Congress, as Article I — the first branch, co-equal to…

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Ohio’s Lt. Gov. Husted Named as Director of Another Top State Office

Anthony Gockowski

Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted was named director of the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation, a role he will take on in addition to his capacity as director of InnovateOhio. Gov. Mike DeWine announced the appointment during a Thursday Cabinet meeting, saying he was “pleased” to have Husted “serve as the point person for Ohio’s workforce development efforts.” “It is so important that we continue to invest in our state’s most valuable asset—our workforce, and Lt. Gov. Husted will ensure that our efforts in this area are focused and deliver results,” DeWine said, according to a press release. In his new role, Husted will oversee 75 different workforce development programs across 12 state agencies, and will report directly to the governor. The position was previously occupied by Ryan Burgess, but he stepped down after being appointed director of cabinet affairs for DeWine. “Ohio’s economy has a lot of things working in its favor right now, but if we are going to reach our full potential and make our state more attractive to new businesses, we have to close our skills gap,” said Husted, who worked as vice president of the Dayton-area Chamber of Commerce before entering public office. “If we…

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Minnesota House Votes in Favor of Driver’s Licenses for Illegal Immigrants

Anthony Gockowski

The Minnesota House voted in favor of a bill Friday afternoon that will allow illegal immigrants in the state to obtain valid driver’s licenses. Under House File 1500, an individual will not be “required to demonstrate United States citizenship or lawful presence in the United States in order to obtain a noncompliant driver’s license or identification card.” DFL legislators and their allies first unveiled the bill at a February press conference, which Archbishop Bernard Hebda spoke at in favor of the legislation. Hebda has called the bill an “important human rights test,” and said the Catholic Church sees it as “closely related to the question of dignity of human life.” Prior to Friday’s floor vote, supporters of the bill called one last press conference to discuss its importance. Fr. Joseph Williams, pastor of St. Stephen’s Catholic Church in Minneapolis, spoke at the press conference on behalf of the Minnesota Catholic Conference. “Some of the people whom I pastor don’t have their papers, but all of them bear the image and likeness of God. And I’ve discovered over the years that they love this great country as much as I do, and they’re working hard, often in humble circumstances, to make…

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State Rep. Sedrick Denson Pleads Guilty to Lesser Charge, Lawyer Claims It’s ‘Not a Sweetheart Deal’

Anthony Gockowski

State Rep. Sedrick Denson (D-Bond Hill) pleaded guilty Thursday to having physical control of a vehicle while under the influence, a lesser charge than the OVI he initially faced. Under a plea agreement, charges of driving on a suspended license and driving outside of marked lanes were dropped. The freshman lawmaker will be required to complete a driver’s intervention program, pay a $250 fine and court fees, and will face an 180-day driver’s license suspension, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer. Denson, who had a single Adderall pill in his car when he was pulled over, still faces felony drug possession charges. “This isn’t a sweetheart deal,” attorney Brandon Shroy said of the plea agreement. “This is a normal outcome.” “My advice to him was that this is a case I don’t believe the state of Ohio could prove,” Shroy added. “But in this case, he accepted the offer to get back to his work and stop being on the news for this.” Denson maintains that he’s “not prescribed” Adderall and does “not use” the drug. “The fact that it was in my vehicle is concerning and very serious,” he said. Denson will appear back in court on April 15 for…

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Smoking Age Will Jump to 21 Under DeWine Budget

Andrew Shirley

In a move to improve health quality in the state, Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine has included a provision in his proposed 2020-2021 Executive Budget that would increase the age for purchasing cigarettes from 18 to 21. The intent is to further discourage the use of cigarettes overall throughout the Buckeye State. Governor DeWine’s proposed budget was officially released on March 15.  Outlined in the Executive Budget: The fiscal years 2020-2021 Executive Budget proposes an important change to the cigarette and OTP taxes. The Budget would change Ohio law by increasing the minimum legal age – from age 18 to age 21 – for purchasing cigarettes, other tobacco products, alternative nicotine products, and cigarette papers. Although the proposed age increase does not constitute a change in how these products are taxed, it would reduce the quantity of purchased items because of the age change and therefore result in a modest decline in cigarette and OTP tax revenue. By the governor’s own assessment, the move would cut cigarette revenues by more than $20 million over the two year budget period. Despite this, a 2017 poll found that 58 percent of Ohioans favor this change. The measure has significant precedent throughout the country.…

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State Rep. William Lamberth Completely Overhauls Public Records Bill, Creating Increased Government Transparency

Laura Baigert

State Rep. William Lamberth has completely overhauled a public records bill that received significant public outcry to a version that creates increased government transparency. Rep. Lamberth (R-Portland), who is also the House Republican Majority Leader, initially drafted HB 0626 to protect government employees from abusive requesters. As The Tennessee Star reported, the original bill would limit public records access to as few as three requests per year, and that proposal was met with backlash on social media. While government watchdogs and media might have disagreed with the measure that may have appeared to be directed toward them, Leader Lamberth was requested to assist in dealing with a situation where certain records custodians in his district are being intimidated and harassed, an issue for which there is no current remedy. The five-page amendment that makes the bill seeks to balance public records requests that constitute harassment with improving the public’s access to basic government records. The most recent version of the proposed legislation would allow a public records custodian to pursue judicial relief from a public records requestor, with clear and convincing evidence that the records requests constitute harassment. The measure defines harassment as 12 or more public records requests to…

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