Day: May 25, 2019

Sens. Blackburn, Kennedy Cosponsor Bill to Create Small Claims Court So Independent Musicians Can Protect Intellectual Property

Jason M. Reynolds

  U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and John Kennedy (R-LA) are cosponsoring legislation to protect independent musicians. The senators on Wednesday introduced the Support the Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement (CASE) Act of 2019. The legislation aims to protect independent musicians and artists from the unauthorized reproduction of their creative content through the creation of small claims copyright courts, Blackburn said in a press release. Kennedy tweeted, “Like Louisiana, the music industry plays an important role in the culture and economy of Tennessee. I’m grateful @MarshaBlackburn has cosponsored my bill, the CASE Act, which makes it easier for artists, musicians and creative designers to protect their intellectual property.” Like Louisiana, the music industry plays an important role in the culture and economy of Tennessee. I’m grateful @MarshaBlackburn has cosponsored my bill, the CASE Act, which makes it easier for artists, musicians and creative designers to protect their intellectual property. — John Kennedy (@SenJohnKennedy) May 22, 2019 In response, Blackburn tweeted, “This is like music to my ears @SenJohnKennedy! Protecting intellectual property is crucial to the creative community. Delighted to be cosponsoring the CASE Act with you so that the music industries in Tennessee and Louisiana continue to thrive!” This is…

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Commentary: Democrats Have a Three-Part Plan for the Politics of Impeachment

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by CHQ Staff   Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is facing a growing insurrection from the Far Left of her Democratic Conference who are demanding the immediate impeachment of President Donald Trump. The New Yorker’s John Cassidy reports that at a meeting of the House Democratic Caucus, Pelosi held off the radicals and secured support, at least for now, for her policy of allowing various existing congressional inquiries to proceed with their investigations of the President. After the meeting, she told reporters, “We do believe that it’s important to follow the facts. We believe that no one is above the law . . . and we believe the President of the United States is engaged in a coverup.” A coverup of what was not then, nor was it subsequently, explained by Speaker Pelosi or any other Democrat. According to Cassidy’s analysis of a Washington Post report, about twenty-five House Democrats have called for the opening of an impeachment inquiry. They and many other members of the majority conference claim to be aggrieved at Trump’s refusal to respect the division of powers laid down in the Constitution. They are also reacting to the anger of many Democratic activists and supporters,…

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Divided Minnesota Legislature Reaches Agreement on Major Budget Areas

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by Bethany Blankley   The nation’s only divided legislature has reached agreements on all of its remaining budget disputes, Gov. Tim Waltz and leaders of the Senate Republican and House Democratic majorities said Thursday. They reached a compromise on the biggest part of the budget during Thursday’s special session – the health and human services funding bill, which has not yet been posted. The special session could go into Friday, some aides say. Legislators first agreed to higher education funding and opioid bills. The final higher education spending plan totals $3.41 billion for the 2020-21 biennium, $150 million more than projected in February. It increased funding for the state’s Office of Higher Education, which oversees the state’s financial aid program, by $25 million. It also increased funding for the Minnesota State system by $81.5 million, and increased funding for the University of Minnesota by $43.5 million, excluding the House’s call for a tuition freeze. It left the Mayo Foundation’s medical education program funding at $2.7 million. The opioid bill requires pharmaceutical companies and drug distributors to pay $20.9 million in annual fees, limited to a minimum of five years, and only after the state recovers at least $250 million from…

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West Fayette Republican Club Calls for Renewed Support for Heartbeat Bill and Seeks to Call Out Senators Who Did Not Announce Support

Jason M. Reynolds

  The West Fayette Republican Club has cried foul against the “deceptive” defeat of the Heartbeat Bill in the Tennessee Senate and called for a number of steps to correct that error. The group unanimously passed a resolution regarding the Heartbeat Bill on Thursday, Hal Rounds, the president, said in a statement. The club has called upon Republican senators to “return to the aggressive support of the Heartbeat Bill” and extend the legislative session or call a special session, and that stage agencies should record the number of abortions during the time the bill has not been approved. Furthermore, the West Fayette Republican Party asks that volunteers portray the number of such abortions with crosses posted on the Legislative Plaza along with a list of senators who did not have their names listed as voting in favor of bringing the Heartbeat Bill to a full Senate vote. On April 22, a majority of the State Senate voted to table the motion to reconsider the Heartbeat Bill through a recall, putting an end to any further action on the measure during the legislative session, The Tennessee Star reported. The Senate version of the Heartbeat Bill was sent to “summer study” by…

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Report: Tennessee Health Care Department Takes Bigger Chunk of Federal Taxpayer Money Than Other Agencies

Chris Butler

  The Tennessee Department of Health Care Finance and Administration took in more federal taxpayer money than any other state agency in 2018, a sum of $7.2 billion, according to a report Tennessee Comptrollers released this week. In 2017 that same department took in less federal taxpayer money, a sum of nearly $6.9 billion, said spokeswoman Sarah Tanksley. But the amount of federal money the same department takes in will likely decrease next year, Tanksley went on to say in an emailed statement to The Tennessee Star. “Under current federal law, Medicaid is financed on a matching basis. The rate at which the federal government will match state dollars is based on the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage. In TN the ratio is approximately 65 percent federal dollars and 35 percent state dollars,” Tanksley wrote. “As mentioned in several budget hearings during the most recent legislative session, in FY2020 we anticipate that federal match rate will decrease by approximately 0.48 percent, which will result in a decrease in federal funding of approximately $42.1 million.  Our federal match rate is declining because of a federal formula based on state’s average per capita income. Tennessee’s per capita income has increased relative to other states…

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The Forgotten History of Memorial Day

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Memorial Day History Headliner

by Richard Gardiner   In the years following the bitter Civil War, a former Union general took a holiday originated by former Confederates and helped spread it across the entire country. The holiday was Memorial Day, and this year’s commemoration on May 27 marks the 151st anniversary of its official nationwide observance. The annual commemoration was born in the former Confederate States in 1866 and adopted by the United States in 1868. It is a holiday in which the nation honors its military dead. Gen. John A. Logan, who headed the largest Union veterans’ fraternity at that time, the Grand Army of the Republic, is usually credited as being the originator of the holiday. Yet when General Logan established the holiday, he acknowledged its genesis among the Union’s former enemies, saying, “It was not too late for the Union men of the nation to follow the example of the people of the South.” I’m a scholar who has written – with co-author Daniel Bellware – a history of Memorial Day. Cities and towns across America have for more than a century claimed to be the holiday’s birthplace, but we have sifted through the myths and half-truths and uncovered the authentic story of how this holiday…

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Commentary: Does the Constitution Mandate Universal Birthright Citizenship?

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by Amy Swearer   Who is a United States citizen by birth? This question has increasingly received national attention, in large part because of President Donald Trump’s promise to “end birthright citizenship.” As I explain, however, in my recent Heritage Foundation legal memo titled “The Citizenship Clause’s Original Meaning and What It Means Today,” Congress definitively settled that question in 1866 when it passed the 14th Amendment. The problem is that Congress’ answer was far different from what Americans today often assume. Even though the U.S. government has long abided by a policy of universal birthright citizenship—that is, of treating all persons born in the United States as citizens, regardless of the immigration status of their parents—the reality is that the Constitution doesn’t mandate this policy. In fact, while the Citizenship Clause eliminated race-based barriers to birthright citizenship, Congress expressly intended to limit birthright citizenship based on the strength of a person’s relationship to the United States. More importantly, the government today needn’t amend the Constitution in order to restrict citizenship for the U.S.-born children of illegal or non-immigrant aliens. It could simply stop abiding by a broad policy never required by the Constitution in the first place. Context and…

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British PM Theresa May to Resign After Bungling Brexit

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by Evie Fordham   United Kingdom Prime Minister Theresa May said she would resign from her position Friday after nearly two years of taking Great Britain on a bungled path toward Brexit. May said she would continue in her role until a new prime minister was selected, though she will step down as the Conservative Party leader on June 7. The new prime minister won’t be selected by general election but by members of May’s party, according to Reuters. “I believe I was right to persevere, even when the odds against success seemed high,” she said in her announcement. “But it is now clear to me that it is in the best interests of the country for a new prime minister to lead that effort.” May survived two votes of no confidence — one from her own Conservative members of Parliament (MPs) in December and another from the House of Commons in January. But her time ran out as the U.K. failed to separate itself from the European Union after delaying Brexit twice. May took the helm July 13, 2016, just weeks after the country voted in a referendum to leave the EU, even though May herself was a “remainer”…

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Ohio Senate Dems Push Statewide Protections for ‘Gender Identity or Expression’

Anthony Gockowski

  Ohio Senate Democrats are sponsoring an “Ohio Fairness Act” that would prohibit “discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.” The 114-page bill was introduced by Rep. Nickie Antonio (D-Lakewood) and claims to “uphold existing religious exemptions under Ohio’s Civil Rights Law.” The bill, Senate Bill 11, received its third hearing Wednesday before the Ohio Senate Judiciary Committee, where more than 200 supporters of the bill testified in favor of its passage, including the Ohio Chamber of Commerce. “In our efforts to champion economic competitiveness, the Ohio Chamber recognizes the value and power of diversity. We believe that employees deserve robust protections from discrimination and that discrimination of any type has no place in the workplace,” said Kevin Shimp, director of labor and legal affairs for the Ohio Chamber of Commerce. “The protections for housing, employment, and public accommodations in SB 11 would ensure that all Ohioans can benefit from Ohio’s growing workforce, enhance mutual respect between employers and employees, and further show that Ohio is a hospitable and welcoming place to live, work, and start a business,” he added. Shimp believes that the bill would help “solve a regulatory compliance issue for employers by…

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Planned Parenthood and ACLU File Federal Lawsuit Against Alabama Abortion Legislation

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by Mary Margaret Olohan   The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the ACLU of Alabama and the Planned Parenthood Federation of America filed a lawsuit Friday morning against restrictive Alabama abortion legislation signed in May. The ACLU groups and Planned Parenthood filed the lawsuit “on behalf of Alabama abortion providers” in the United States District Court of the Middle District of Alabama, according to a press release provided by the ACLU. Plaintiffs represented in the case include Alabama Women’s Center, Reproductive Health Services, West Alabama Women’s Center, and Planned Parenthood Southeast. The lawsuit references the abortion legislation passed in Alabama signed by Republican Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey. The governor signed H.B. 314 into law May 15, a near-total ban on abortions that makes no exceptions for victims of rape or incest. The law, which will take effect in six months, will be the most restrictive abortion law in the United States. Doctors who violate H.B. 314 will face a Class C felony, which is punishable by a minimum of 10 years in jail and a maximum of 99 years. The ACLU claims in its press release that it has never lost in challenges to abortion restriction in Alabama. “The Alabama…

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University of Ohio State Police Officer Awarded Nation’s Highest Public Servant Award

Zachery Schmidt

  An Ohio State University policeman received a prestigious honor for his response to a 2016 shooting on the school’s campus. President Donald Trump awarded Officer Alan Horujko the Medal of Valor at a May 23 ceremony celebrating first responders. Horujko stopped a terrorist attack at Ohio State in 2016. The officer shot and killed Abdul Razak Ali Artan after he drove into a crowd and attacked people with a knife. One person died and 13 people were injured during Artan’s attack. “There was a plan that had me there that day,” Horujko told Ohio State in 2017. “It seems like the stars aligned in some way to put me right there where I was needed to protect those people. So that’s why I’m just very grateful that happened.” Trump noted Horujko during the ceremony. Also with us today is Officer Alan Horujko of the Ohio State University Police. On November 28, 2016, an ISIS-inspired terrorist sped into a crowd of students at Ohio State. I remember that. He then got out of his car and chased them with a knife. Alan ran to the scene and yelled at the man to drop his knife. The man charged toward Alan…

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Pelosi Continues Swing Through Midwest With Speech at DFL Fundraiser

Anthony Gockowski

  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke Friday night at the DFL’s annual Humphrey-Mondale Dinner in Minneapolis, continuing her swing through key Midwest states. “The House Democratic Majority in Washington has been hard at work tackling the toughest issues facing our country, just as the DFL has been doing in Minnesota,” Pelosi said in a press release. “Democrats have led the way on everything from job-creating infrastructure investments to lowering the prices of prescription drugs. Republicans have responded with division, obfuscation and theatrics.” Pelosi said it was “an honor to celebrate our accomplishments, both legislative and electoral, with so many fine Minnesota Democrats.” “I’m proud of our record of fighting for the American people and I’m confident that record will carry us to victory in 2020,” she added. Both President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence have visited Minnesota in recent months. Trump has gone on record saying he believes he could have won Minnesota in 2016 had he made one more visit to the state. “Right now, the DFL is in one of the strongest positions in our party’s storied 75-year history,” DFL Chairman Ken Martin said. “We are offering Minnesotans great schools, fair wages, and affordable health care,…

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Rep. Mark Green to Attend Memorial Day Events in Franklin, Decaturville

Jason M. Reynolds

  U.S. Rep. Dr. Mark Green (R-TN-07) said in a press release that he has made it a priority throughout his time in Congress to honor the fallen and support Gold Star spouses and families and to honor veterans in general. His first bill in Congress was a bipartisan piece of legislation called the Protecting Gold Star Spouses Act to continue pay to Gold Star families during government shutdowns. Recently, Green introduced a second bill called the Protecting Gold Star Children Act. This bill would return Gold Star children to a tax rate derived from the parent’s tax bracket, instead of being taxed at a rate from trust fund tax brackets. Many children will go from a 37 percent rate to a 15 percent tax rate. Also, on Memorial Day on Monday, Rep. Mark Green will be attending and speaking at the Williamson County Memorial Day Service at the Veterans Park in Franklin at 10 a.m. CST. He will also be attending and speaking at a Decatur County Memorial Day event in Decaturville at 2:30 CST. “We should never forget the men and women who paid the ultimate price for our freedom,” Green said. “Many Americans will gather around monuments on Memorial Day, paying their…

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Consumers Would Pay More Under Ohio Nuclear, Coal Bailout

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by Tyler Arnold   Legislation that would bail out nuclear and coal power companies passed the House Energy and Natural Resources Committee Thursday. To pay for the bailout, consumers would be charged an extra one dollar every month on their utility bills for the next six years. The fee is expected to raise about $200 million, most of which will go toward the plants. The bill, which is called the Ohio Clean Air Program, left out wind and solar plants, which caused controversy among Democrats and environmental groups. The bailout also received criticism from residents testifying against the legislation in the committee hearing, and some complained that the name is misleading. FirstEnergy Solutions would receive the bulk of the aid for its two nuclear powerplants: the Perry Powerplant in North Perry and the Davis-Besse power plant in Ottowa County. The Perry Powerplant employees about 700 people and the Davis-Besse powerplant employes about 650 people. Ohio Valley Electric, a coal company, would also receive funding under the bill. If utilities sell electricity at a rate lower than production costs, they would be able to charge consumers the extra cost, but if they charge higher than the cost of production, the consumers…

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North Korea Won’t Talk to US Until Trump Reduces Disarmament Demands

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by Shelby Talcott   North Korea said on Friday that they will never resume nuclear talks with the United States unless President Donald Trump’s administration modifies what they consider to be unilateral demands for disarmament. An unknown North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson reportedly blamed the U.S. for February’s nuclear summit failure in Hanoi on the Korean Central News Agency. He said that the collapse of the summit was intentional because of the “arbitrary and dishonest position taken by the United States.” U.S. officials have stated that February’s meeting failed because North Korea had too many demands about sanctions relief and offered only partial disarmament steps. “We hereby make it clear once again that the United States would not be able to move us even an inch with the device it is now weighing in its mind, and the further its mistrust and hostile acts towards the DPRK grow, the fiercer our reaction will be,” the spokesperson said according to KCNA. This latest statement follows a press conference on Tuesday held by North Korea’s ambassador Kim Song at the United Nations in New York. Song warned the U.S. of repercussions due to its seizure of a North Korean cargo ship and…

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Supreme Court Blocks Order Requiring Republicans to Redraw District Lines in Ohio and Michigan

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by Kevin Daley   The Supreme Court temporarily blocked two decisions Friday requiring Republican-controlled legislatures in Michigan and Ohio to produce new legislative district lines ahead of the 2020 election. There were no noted dissents from the Friday orders. The decision was not surprising, as the justices are currently deciding whether federal courts should even hear partisan gerrymandering disputes. Three-judge panels in both cases said the current district lines are unconstitutionally rigged to the benefit of Republicans. The GOP has strong majorities in the congressional delegations of Michigan and Ohio, though Democrats and Republicans run competitively in both states. Each decision set fast-moving schedules for the state legislatures — the Michigan ruling gave the state until Aug. 1 to draw new lines, while the Ohio decision required a remedial plan by June 14. Friday’s order from the high court means that neither state will have to create new district maps in the short-term. The justices heard arguments in March over Republican gerrymanders in North Carolina and a Democratic one in Maryland. Both cases ask whether and how federal courts can resolve controversies over partisan redistricting. Since the Michigan and Ohio appeals will turn on the outcome of the Maryland and…

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Judge Raises Serious Questions About Democrats’ Border Wall Lawsuit

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by Jason Hopkins   A federal judge expressed deep skepticism over a lawsuit by House Democrats that seeks to cut funding for President Donald Trump’s border wall. U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden questioned, during a three-hour court hearing Thursday, the legitimacy of a lawsuit that challenges the White House’s funding of border wall construction without explicit permission from Congress, The Wall Street Journal reported. McFadden said the question of whether the House has legal standing in this case “is a significant issue.” Has the House “used all the tools at its disposal before rushing to court?” he said. “There are other tools in your arsenal here, right?” McFadden asked. The federal judge, a Trump appointee of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, said the judiciary should exercise prudence about wading into a fight between the two other branches of government. McFadden’s comments are the latest developments in a court case that began in April when the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives voted to sue over Trump’s emergency declaration. That declaration, made in February, allowed him to tap billions more in border wall funding after Congress gave him far less money than he wanted. Democrats have fiercely opposed funding…

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USDA Moves Staff Out of D.C., Ohio Tea Party Say It’s a Good Start

Anthony Gockowski

  The We the People Convention, an Ohio-based tea party organization, urged President Donald Trump to move more federal agencies out of Washington, D.C. after news broke that his administration was planning to move offices for the U.S. Department of Agriculture out of the swamp. “I have long believed that President Trump should make a campaign pledge for his 2020 re-election campaign that would really ‘Drain the Swamp.’ That pledge would be to move nearly all federal agencies out of D.C.,” said Tom Zawistowski, president of the We the People Convention. The comments came in response to Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue’s plan to move two department offices outside the beltway, which caused staffers to quit en masse. “Why are we taxpayers paying ridiculous Washington, D.C. inflated salaries to these bureaucrats most of whom we don’t even need? It’s because the D.C. swamp is all about growing and concentrating its power within our government not to serve us, but to rule over us,” Zawistowski said. He suggested that the only federal agencies that should remain in Washington are “the military and perhaps intelligence agencies.” “Every other agency, Education, FBI, Treasury, Labor, DOJ, HUD, etc., all need to be dispersed into…

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Hamilton County May Pay More Property Taxes for School Social Workers

Chris Butler

  Hamilton County residents may have to pay 17 percent more in property taxes so the local school system can have enough money to create 350 new positions. And Hamilton County School Board member Rhonda Thurman told The Tennessee Star many of those proposed positions are unneeded. School board members have already voted in favor of the plan. Thurman was one of two school board members who voted no. County commissioners must still give the OK. They will likely have a vote next month, Thurman said. That extra money, if county commissioners go along, should generate an extra $34 million for the school district, Thurman said. Proposed new positions include counselors. graduation coaches, a data warehouse programmer, a testing coordinator, a director of social and emotional learning, new assistant principals, and a college and career advisor, among other things. The money would also pay for 15 new truancy officers. “We already have 10 truancy officers. That (addition) will get us 25. They’re just going to drag kids back to school who don’t even want to be there who then misbehave when they get back,” Thurman said. Thurman said a quote from former Republican President Ronald Reagan best describes how the…

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