Search Results for: the tennessee star

Tennessee U.S. Rep. Mark Green and Florida U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz Speak at 917 Society Constitution Celebration at Mar-a-Lago

Laura Baigert

PALM BEACH, Florida – U.S. Representatives Mark Green (R-TN-07) was the featured speaker and Matt Gaetz (R-FL-1) was the special guest speaker at the 917 Society’s constitution celebration held at the Mar-a-Lago Club on Saturday evening.

Both congressmen were greeted with enthusiastic standing ovations on their introductions to about 200 supporters of the 917 Society, about double the number of attendees in 2022, who gathered in the club’s grand ballroom for a gourmet dinner that followed a cocktail hour held poolside.

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Tennessee Attorney General Sends Letter to Congress Urging Solutions to Stop Cell Phones Being Smuggled to Prison Inmates

Kaitlin Housler

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti recently joined a group of attorneys general in sending a letter to Congress to pass legislation that would give states the authority to jam contraband cell phones in prisons.

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Tennessee Airports Continue Request for $125 Million in Annual State Funding

The Center Square

Tennessee’s airports came to a Senate committee Wednesday again asking to receive $125 million in annual state funding as the state continues to lower the fuel taxes that once funded those airports.

The state has put an individual company cap on annual fuel tax payments starting at $10.5 million in 2015 and dropping to a $5 million cap in 2023. That means that funding in the state Transportation Equity Fund dropped from $56.6 million in 2018 to $14 million in 2023.

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School Choice Expansion Continues to be a Priority for Tennessee Lawmakers

TC Weber

Governor Bill Lee took to social media on Wednesday to proclaim the week of January 22 – 28, 2023, School Choice Week in Tennessee.

He further tweeted that “Every parent should have the opportunity to pick the best school for their child.” The governor added, “[W]e continue to advocate for high-quality education that meets the needs of every individual student.”

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All-Star Panelists Roger Simon and Clint Brewer Speculate Biden Document Leaker and Optics of the U.S. House Speaker Election

Julie Carr

Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed all-star panelists Clint Brewer and Roger Simon in studio to discuss Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s news spine, optics of his election, and who leaked Biden classified docs to CBS.

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Tennessee Firearms Association Looking for Plaintiffs for Possible Lawsuit Against the State over Gun-Free Zones

Kaitlin Housler

The Tennessee Firearms Association (TFA) is looking for plaintiffs to take part in a possible lawsuit against the state of Tennessee pertaining to the state’s gun-free zones.

A lawsuit is being prepared for filing in state court against the State of Tennessee that will address gun-free zones and whether those zones violate the constitution, according to the TFA.

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Aaron Gulbransen and TC Weber Discuss Literacy Testing and the Tennessee General Assembly’s Big Issues

Julie Carr

Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed education reporter for The Tennessee Star, TC Weber and official guest host, Aaron Gulbransen in studio to define literacy testing and discuss the Tennessee General Assembly’s big issues.

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Local Tennessee School Districts Navigating Changes in State Funding Formula

TC Weber

Tennesse’s school districts have started preparing their individual budgets for the 2023-2024 school year. They are doing it while contending with a new state funding formula and with limited guidance from the Tennessee Department of Education(TDOE). The change in formula completely alters how district allocations from the state are calculated. In the past, the state has provided calculations for local districts. This year, that too will change.

In notes obtained by The Tennessee Star from a call between the TDOE and the Superintendent Study Council, local officials were informed that the department will soon be sending out Data Verification Packets to districts that will include district-specific data from 1st, 2nd, and 3rd 20-day reporting periods. Districts are required to report attendance counts at 20-day intervals throughout the year.

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Tennessee U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann Named Chairman of the House Appropriations Energy and Water Development Subcommittee

Kaitlin Housler

Tennessee U.S. Representative Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN-03) was recently named the Chairman of the House Appropriations Energy and Water Development Subcommittee for the 118th Congress.

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All-Star Panelist Gary Chapman Reflects on the Passing of Lisa Marie Presley, John Rich’s Legal Victory Against Wokeness

Julie Carr

Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed all-star panelist, Nashville singer-songwriter Gary Chapman in studio to comment upon the death of Lisa Marie Presley and country star John Rich’s legal victory against wokeness.

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Tennessee U.S. Reps. Burchett, Cohen Reintroduce the Tennessee Valley Authority Transparency Act

Kaitlin Housler

Tennessee U.S. Representatives Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) and Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) reintroduced a bipartisan bill in the House of Representatives that would require the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to work to ensure its decision-making process is publicly available.

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Tennessee Senate Education Chair Files Bill That Gives Local Districts Flexibility on Class Size

TC Weber

State Senator Jon Lundberg (R-Bristol), who serves as chair of the Senate Education Committee, filed legislation that would lift classroom size limits for k-12 schools.

SB0197, if made law, would repeal the existing maximum class sizes, maximum class size averages, student-teacher ratios, and the prohibition against split-grade classes established by law. It would authorize each local education agency (LEA) and public charter school with authority to establish the maximum class sizes for schools under its control and jurisdiction. Transferring power from the Tennessee Department of Education(TDOE) back to local school boards while still requiring the department to set recommendations.

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Tennessee U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett to Serve on Three House Committees in the 118th Congress

Kaitlin Housler

Tennessee Representative Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) announced that he was selected to serve on three House committees in the 118th Congress.

Burchett will be returning to serve on both the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee and House Foreign Affairs Committee. Burchett was also chosen to serve as a new member on the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability.

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Susan B. Anthony List Applauds 22 Pro-Life Attorneys General, Including Tennessee’s Skrmetti, in Urging the FDA to Reverse New Policy on Abortion Drug

Kaitlin Housler

Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America recently thanked a coalition of 22 attorneys general, including Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, for sending a letter to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on the agency’s “illegal and dangerous” policy on mifepristone, a chemical abortion drug.

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Tennessee Congressman David Kustoff Reacts to 15 Ballot U.S. House Speaker Election Process and Double Standard Justice

Julie Carr

Friday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Tennessee Congressman (R-TN-08) David Kustoff to the newsmaker line to give his reaction to 15 ballots needed to elect a new Speaker of the U.S. House and the current double standard justice system.

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All-Star Panelist Roger Simon Comments on World Economic Forum’s Hypocrisy

Julie Carr

Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed all-star panelist Roger Simon in studio to weigh in on the World Economic Forum taking place in Davos, Switzerland, and the blatant hypocrisy.

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McNally and Sexton Announce Appointments for Tennessee’s 113th General Assembly Education Committees

TC Weber

Lt Governor Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) and Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) have announced the list of member appointments to the education committees for the 113th General Assembly. It’s a list populated by both old stalwarts and new blood.

In the Senate, there is one education committee that will continue to be filled with familiar faces. McNally appointed only two new members – Senator Mark Pody (R-Lebanon) and Senator Todd Gardenhire (R-Chattanooga) – for the upcoming session. Senator John Lundberg (R-Bristol) remains chair, with Sen. Raumesh Akbari (D-Memphis) as the 2nd Vice-Chair.  Sen. Senator Bill Powers (R-Clarksville) assumes the role of 1st Vice-Chair.

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All Star Panelist Aaron Gulbransen on RINOs, Republican Leadership, and What We Can Expect from This Legislative Session

Julie Carr

Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed the director of Tennessee’s Faith and Freedom Coalition Aaron Gulbransen in studio to discuss last week’s organization meeting of the Tennessee General Assembly and what to expect from the 2023 session.

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California Refugee Craig Huey Describes His Return from Oppressed California to the Freedom and Liberty of Middle Tennessee

Julie Carr
Craig Huey

Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed marketing guru, Craig Huey of The Huey Report in studio to describe his recent trip to California where he witnessed the overwhelming homeless condition and vibes of oppression.

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Tennessee House Education Administration Committee Chairman Mark White on Third Grade Retention Bill, Early Literacy

Julie Carr

Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Chairman of the Education Administration Committee in the Tennessee House of Representatives (R-TN-83) Mark White to the newsmaker line to address the core of the third-grade retention bill and confronting issues in earlier education.

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Tennessee State Senator Introduces Bill Aimed at Prohibiting School District from Mandating Implied Bias Training

TC Weber

State Senator Todd Gardenhire (R-Chattanooga) introduced legislation that would prohibit Tennessee public schools and universities from mandating “implicit bias” training. If passed, SB102 would also extend to state agencies, including the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) and The State Board of Education (SBE). Neither of these agencies currently requires employees to participate in training as a condition of employment.

The National Institutes of Health defines implicit bias as a form of bias that occurs automatically and unintentionally, but nevertheless affects judgments, decisions, and behaviors. Research has shown implicit bias can pose a barrier to schools creating a diverse workforce and negatively impact student learning.  In an effort to mitigate the negative effects, schools and businesses have implemented mandatory training for employees, Gardenhire’s law would work to end these mandates.

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Tennessee’s December Revenues $217 Million More than Budgeted

Laura Baigert

Tennessee revenues for December were $217.2 million more than budgeted and represented growth of nearly five percent over December 2021, according to Friday’s announcement by the state’s Commissioner of Finance and Administration Jim Bryson.

December is the fifth month, on an accrual basis, of the 2022-2023 fiscal year, and the year-to-date revenues are $959.9 billion in excess of what was budgeted and $655 million over the same time last fiscal year.

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Entire Tennessee Congressional Delegation Votes in Favor of Creating a Select Committee to Investigate China

Kaitlin Housler

The entire Tennessee Congressional Delegation voted in favor of House Resolution 11 this week, which establishes a select committee on the strategic competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party. The resolution passed the House by a 365-65 vote.

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All-Star Panelists Brewer and Simon Question Intelligence Agency Indifference Towards Biden’s Top Secret Documents Being Discovered

Julie Carr

Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed all-star panelists Clint Brewer and Roger Simon in studio to speculate on why the American intelligence agencies are looking to the other way in Biden top secret doc leak.

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Tennessee State Board of Education Considers Rule Change That Would Result in Change to Value of Education Savings Accounts

TC Weber

On January 30th the Tennessee State Board of Education will hold a rulemaking hearing on BEP to TISA transition rules. Included is a provision that could serve to increase the value of state Education Saving Accounts (ESA), potentially even doubling that value. This could ultimately lead to increased investment by state lawmakers. 

Item number 7 under proposed rule 0520-01-16 governing ESAs reads as follows:

“The maximum annual amount to which a participating student is entitled under the Program shall be equal to the amount representing the per-pupil state and local funds generated and required through the state’s K-12 education funding formula Basic Education Program (“BEP”) for the LEA in which the participating student resides, or the statewide per pupil average of required state and local funds as determined through the state’s K-12 education funding formulaBEP funds, whichever amount is less.”

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‘Chiefs for Change’ Names Newest Member Cohort, Includes Two Candidates from Tennessee

TC Weber

A national education policy advocacy group founded by former Florida Governor Jeb Bush has named its newest cohort of future members. Among them are Tennesseans, Eve Carney of the Tennessee Department of Education and Hamilton County’s Deputy Superintendent, Sonia Stewart. The two are part of the Chiefs for Change seventh cohort of its Future Chiefs ​leadership development program.

Eve Carney, per the Tennessee Department of Education’s organizational chart, serves as the Chief of Districts and Schools, despite the Chiefs for Change press release identifying her as Deputy Commissioner. Carney, a graduate of the University of Tennessee, has served with the TDOE since 2014. 

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Tennessee Lawmakers Consider Adding ‘Health of the Mother’ Exception to Abortion Limit Law

Susan Berry, PhD

Tennessee lawmakers will reportedly consider whether to add “exceptions” to the state’s abortion ban, including the “health of the mother,” a phrase that pro-life leaders say has been used by abortionists and their supporters for decades to prop up the entire abortion industry.

Tennessee’s “trigger” law that bans abortion, titled the Human Life Protection Act, took effect August 25, two months after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

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Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton Announces New Tool for Public Use to Track State Legislation in Real Time

Kaitlin Housler

Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) unveiled a new tool the public can use to track floor calendars, legislation, amendments, and video of all House legislative initiatives in real time.

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Tennessee Congressman John Rose Talks New House Rules and Bills He’ll Be Proposing

Julie Carr

Wednesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed (R-TN-06) Congressman John Rose to the newsmaker line to discuss the new House rules in Congress and bills he’ll be proposing.

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Tennessee Rep. John Rose Votes to Confirm House Rules Package and Bill Repealing Funds for 87,000 New IRS Agents

Kaitlin Housler

On Monday evening, Tennessee Congressman John Rose (R-TN-06) voted in favor of House Resolution 5, which adopts the rules governing the U.S. House of Representatives. The rules package passed the House by a 220-213 vote.

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In-N-Out Burger Announces Plan to Build Restaurants, Corporate Office in Tennessee by 2026

Kaitlin Housler

In-N-Out Burger, the popular west coast fast food chain, has announced expansion plans to build restaurants and a corporate office in Tennessee by 2026.

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Arizona AG Election Integrity Unit Attorney Starts Process for Libel Lawsuit over Media Claims She Was Fired

Rachel Alexander

Jennifer Wright, the Election Integrity Unit (EIU) civil attorney for Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich until his second term ended earlier this month, resigned before newly elected Democrat Kris Mayes took office, but there are reports in the media spreading that she was fired. Wright gave The Arizona Republic “notice and demand for a correction prior to filing legal action pursuant to A.R.S. 12-653.2.”

Wright believes the false statements were made in order to discredit the work she did investigating voter fraud.

Wright tangled with the Maricopa County Supervisors and Maricopa County Stephen Richer many times, pointing out problems with the elections and demanding evidence and documentation. She asked the county four times to turn over information related to the Arizona Senate’s independent ballot audit of the 2020 election, but all four letters were ignored. 

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Music Spotlight: Wendy Starland

Bethany Bowman

I met Wendy Starland at a party in Nashville celebrating an upcoming original music competition TV show that will air on MTV later this year. When we arrived, everyone was clamoring to get a picture with her. She was so beautiful that I was taken aback. However, I wondered why she was there.

It turns out that Starland is a musical maven. One of the show’s producers told me that she was a brilliant songwriter and that I needed to meet her. After we met, I asked if she wanted to be featured in my Music Spotlight column, and she gave me her phone number.

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Tennessee State Representative Chris Todd Proposes Resolution to Hold Article Five Convention for Congressional Term Limits

Julie Carr

Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Tennessee State Representative Chris Todd of Jackson to the newsmaker line to discuss his proposed resolution to call an Article Five convention to set Congressional term limits. 

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Tennessee Faith and Freedom Coalition Director Aaron Gulbransen Describes Agenda as ‘The Year of Defending the Child’

Julie Carr

Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed the director of Tennessee’s Faith and Freedom Coalition Aaron Gulbransen in studio to discuss the coalition’s top priorities for 2023.

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Conservative Group Pushes for More Transparency in Tennessee’s Upcoming Legislative Session

The Center Square

Americans For Prosperity is pushing for more transparency as Tennessee’s legislative session is set to begin.

That transparency request applies to everything from House committee votes on bills to posting bill amendments to government contracts to the process of school of choice statewide.

Tennessee State Director Tori Venable said Monday improvements in transparency can start with the rules for the session.

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Two Bills Would Begin Court Fines, Fees Reform in Tennessee

Admin

The Tennessee court fines and fees system that has been questioned more in recent years is facing a few reforms already in the state’s upcoming legislative session.

Two bills have already been filed to change the rules, including a 180-day moratorium on fines and fee collections after an individual is released following imprisonment for a felony offense.

Companion bills House Bill 26 and Senate Bill 13 would not apply to restitution for a crime but would prevent the court from assessing fines, fees, taxes or costs related to a criminal proceeding during those 180 days.

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Tennessee U.S. Rep. Mark Green Elected Chair of Homeland Security Committee

Kaitlin Housler

Tennessee Congressman Mark Green (R-TN-07) was elected on Monday to be the chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security. Green defeated Texas Congressman Dan Crenshaw (R-TX-02) to secure the position.

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Original All-Star Panelist Crom Carmichael Reviews Article on U.S. Supreme Court the Regulatory State

Julie Carr

Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed the original all-star panelist Crom Carmichael in studio to discuss Professor Phillip Hamburger’s recent article at The Wall Street Journal referencing US Supreme Court and regulatory power. 

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