Federal ‘Censorship Nerve Center’ Likely to Shutter, but State Would ‘Realign’ Staff for Same Work

Global Engagement Center website

The State Department is planning to change how it engages with the globe as it braces for unified Republican government that promises to gut the so-called censorship-industrial complex, the subject of a four-part Just the News series this fall.

But like the evolution of the broader global public-private partnership to label, throttle, remove and defund purported misinformation, disinformation and “true but inconvenient” malinformation (MDM) on tech platforms, State’s change may only be in name.

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House Judiciary Chair Jordan Says FBI, Others Are Weaponized to Spy on Americans’ Bank Accounts

ATM on the street

House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said Tuesday that the federal government has been weaponized to spy on Americans’ bank accounts and financial transactions.

“We know in 2023 [that] 14,000 different individuals in the government [about] three million times in one year……14,000 individuals did over three million searches of this database of information on Americans banking habits,” Jordan said on the “Just the News, No Noise” TV show.

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Commentary: DOGE’s Greatest Christmas Gift Is the Disassembly of the Government Mindset

Donald Trump DOGE Christmas

All I want for Christmas is a DOGE!

While this isn’t a typical holiday request – more likely people would prefer a furry, friendly kind of animal who greets them at the door to a static, cold, unfeeling stack of program cancellation papers – this year, in 2024, The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is all the rage simply because the new non-government advisory board will bring something new and novel to the Washington swamp, an entity focused on cleaning up the gargantuan fiscal mess in the nation’s capital rather than bent on creating new complications.

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Commentary: GOP Senate Needs to Show Up to Work and Block Biden Labor Board Chair Pick

Lauren McFerren, President Joe Biden

President Joe Biden is engaged in an end of presidency power play to keep Democrat control over the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) by pushing a renewal of current chair Lauren McFerran to another term. Senate Republicans should do everything in their power to stop this power play and allow newly elected President Donald Trump to name the next Chairperson. This means that they have to all show up to each lame duck Senate session to stop any funny business.

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Rasmussen: Ending Birthright Citizenship ‘Popular with Voters’

Illegal immigrant children, women processing

The results of a poll from early 2024 is receiving renewed attention after former President Trump considers ending birthright citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants.

“We’re going to have to get it changed. We’ll maybe have to go back to the people,” Trump said in a recent interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “But we have to end it.”

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Bombshell Memo from 2021 Warned Unprepared DHS About Surge of Unaccompanied Migrant Children

Migrant caravan

Long before Congress became alarmed over as many as 320,000 unaccompanied minor children from the border crisis, the Department of Homeland Security prepared a briefing memo in summer 2021 starkly warning Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas that federal authorities were ill-equipped to deal with a surge of young immigrants or reunite them with their parents, according to a copy of the memo reviewed by Just the News.

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Woke Ohio College President Says State Bathroom Ban ‘Hurts Us All’

The president of Antioch College criticized Governor Mike DeWine on Monday for signing Senate Bill 104 (SB 104), which prohibits students from using the school bathrooms that correspond with their gender identity.

“Policies like the one just signed into law harm all of us. When we allow discriminatory laws to take root, we all lose,” President Jane Fernandes said in letter to the editor of The Columbus Dispatch.

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Rays on Fourth Stadium Proposal in the Tampa Bay Area

Tampa Bay Rays

With the Tampa Bay Rays’ $1.3 billion stadium plan in limbo, it’s easy to forget that the team is now on the fourth iteration of a new home.

The proposed stadium is to anchor a $6.5 billion development in St. Petersburg’s historic Gas Plant District. The Pinellas County Commission could vote on its share of the bonds to finance the new stadium Dec. 17, while the St. Petersburg City Council will take up its share Jan. 9.

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Virginia Bill to Require Physicians Affirm Biological Gender of Athletes, Ban Male-to-Female Transgender Students from Girls’ Teams

Softball

Legislation proposed in the Virginia General Assembly on December 1 by Senator Tammy Brankley Mulchi (R-Clarksville) would require student athletes to provide a written statement by a physician that affirms they seek to participate in a sports team that corresponds to their biological gender, prevents biological males from playing on teams designated for girls, under the threat of civil litigation.

Blankley Mulchi’s SB 749 would require schools to clearly state whether sports teams are male, female, or coed, and mandates any team participating in the Virginia High School Sports League which “is expressly designated for ‘females,’ ‘women,’ or ‘girls,'” must “not be open to any student of the male sex.”

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New Defense Spending Bill Puts Slew of Left-Wing Initiatives on Chopping Block

Mike Rogers

Congress’ latest defense spending bill unveiled Saturday would deal a major blow to a slew of left-wing policy initiatives that have been pushed by the Biden Pentagon.

The National Defense Reauthorization Act of 2025 (NDAA) includes provisions that prohibit the use of Department of Defense (DoD) funds to promote Critical Race Theory, climate change, the procurement of sex change surgeries for children and further extends a freeze on hiring for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, according to the text of the bill. The bill is likely to pass a Republican-controlled House and Senate amid promises from President-elect Donald Trump to rein in the so-called “woke” military.

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New Missouri State Legislator Introduces Bill to Award $1,000 Bounty to Americans Who Report Illegal Aliens

David Gregory

A newly-elected state lawmaker in Missouri has introduced a bill that will award a bounty of $1,000 to any citizen who reports an illegal alien to the authorities.

As reported by Fox News, the bill introduced by State Senator-elect David Gregory (R-Mo.), SB 72, would see citizens receive their reward only after an illegal has been arrested. Such tips would be processed through “an information system for people to report violations of this act which shall include a toll-free telephone hotline, e-mail, and online reporting portal.” The system would be implemented and managed by the state’s Department of Public Safety.

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DOD Sends an Additional $988 Million Package to Ukraine

Biden and Ukraine

The U.S. Department of Defense announced a new round of nearly $1 billion in U.S. taxpayer money for Ukraine as the conflict with Russia continues. Total U.S. taxpayer funding for Ukraine now totals $62 billion since the war began.

The latest package will provide Ukraine with munitions for rocket systems, Unmanned Aerial Systems, and maintenance and repair programs to sustain and bolster its combat power.

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President-Elect Trump Vows to Work with Congress to Pass Reciprocal Trade Act

Donald Trump

President-elect Donald Trump vowed to work with Congress to pass a bill implementing reciprocal trade protections with other nations as part of his economic plan.

The bill called the Trump Reciprocal Trade Act would empower the president to impose reciprocal tariffs on goods from foreign countries if those countries’ tariffs on American-made goods are higher than the tariff imposed by the U.S.

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Tennessee U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn Thanks Elon Musk, X CEO for Help Updating Kids Online Safety Act

Sen Marsha Blackburn, Elon Musk

A new version of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), created by Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), was announced on Saturday by Linda Yaccarino, the CEO of X, who said she collaborated with the senators to create legislation that would prioritize youth safety while preserving the First Amendment.

Revealing the new legislation in a post to X, Yaccarino noted the company, which was formerly known as Twitter, vowed it would help Congress establish new laws to protect children during a January appearance in Congress alongside Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and TikTok CEO Shou Chew.

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Federal Judge Allows Enforcement of Tennessee Ban on ‘Restorative Justice’ Bail Policy, Prompts Celebration from State Senator

Gavel court judge order

State Senator Brent Taylor (R-Memphis) confirmed on Friday that enforcement of his legislation prohibiting Tennessee judges from considering a defendant’s ability to pay when setting their bail was allowed by a federal judge.

The judge made the decision despite determining the lawsuit brought by restorative justice organization Just City against Tennessee over the law will proceed.

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Arizona Supreme Court Declines to Restrict State Bar of Arizona from Using Members’ Dues for Political Purposes

Lawyers

The Arizona Supreme Court adopted an amended version of a rule on Tuesday to separate the State Bar of Arizona’s regulatory and non-regulatory functions.

The think tank sought to end the practice of the mandatory state bar using attorneys’ dues for political purposes. However, the state’s highest court also included an amendment that gutted the rule. The changes to R-24-0030 Rules 32(b) and (c), Rules of the state Supreme Court, will go into effect on January 1, 2025.

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Tennessee Republicans File Legislation to End Grocery Tax in 2025

Grocery Shopper

Republicans in the Tennessee General Assembly filed legislation this week that would abolish the sales tax on groceries in the state, and in a press release explain their legislation would maintain current funding for schools while avoiding tax increases for business owners. 

House Bill 21, submitted by State Representative Elaine Davis (R-Knoxville) on Thursday, would prohibit sales taxes from being levied on food and food ingredients in Tennessee, while simultaneously requiring the General Assembly to allocate “an amount substantially equal to the amount that would have been allocated” based on the 0.5 percent of revenue from taxing groceries that is earmarked for schools. Groceries are currently taxed at 4 percent in Tennessee.

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Arizona Couple Began ‘Transitioning’ Their Child as 1-Year-Old Boy

Michelle Callahan-DuMont

After the Supreme Court heard oral arguments Wednesday in U.S. v Skrmetti, the case that will determine whether states may ban transgender medical procedures for kids, one mother told The Daily Signal that her child began to transition as a baby.

“She knew since birth,” Michelle Callahan-DuMont said of her 10-year-old, a biological male who says he identifies as a transgender female and goes by the name “Violet.”

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Trump Reveals His Picks to Lead Two Major Immigration Enforcement Agencies

Caleb Vitello, Rodney Scott

President-elect Donald Trump announced his nominations to lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), two agencies that will be at the forefront of his ambitious immigration agenda.

In a string of social media posts Thursday night, the president-elect announced the nominations of Caleb Vitello to lead ICE and Rodney Scott to lead CBP. Both men have worked for years in their respective agencies, with Vitello currently serving as the assistant director for the Office of Firearms and Tactical Programs with the agency, and Scott formerly serving as the Border Patrol chief in both the first Trump administration and Biden administration.

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Commentary: Confidence That Trump’s Economy Is Returning Fueled the Latest Strong Jobs Report

Food Workers

Job creation in November bounced back, with 227,000 jobs created, after coming to a standstill in October.

This solid jobs report is due to one factor: President Trump’s reelection. The Republican victory has renewed confidence among Main Street job creators. The tough economic times of the Biden-Harris administration are ending, and the strong Trump economy is returning.

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Analysis: Global Censorship Hub ‘National Endowment for Democracy’ Reached Agreement with State Department to Conceal Government Grants from the Public

National Endowment for Democracy

The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) has – since at least 2021 – failed to comply with transparency requirements regarding the more than $300 million of taxpayer funding it receives from the U.S. Department of State, potentially violating federal regulations under 22 CFR 67.4 and the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA).

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Arizona Republicans Target Trans Policies in Schools, Election Integrity After Senator Warns Gov. Hobbs Could ‘Regret’ Using Veto Power

Republicans in the Arizona State Senate on Wednesday had submitted three bills ahead of the upcoming legislative session that they acknowledge are tougher versions of legislation previously vetoed by Governor Katie Hobbs earlier this year in remarks published less than one month after Senate Pro Tem T.J. Shope (R-Coolidge) suggested lawmakers could allow voters the final say on anything she rejects.

The bills include SB 1001 by Senator J.D. Mesnard (R-Chandler), which would require voters using mail-in ballots to present their identification if submitting their ballots on the Friday before Election Day.

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Arizona School District Considers Closing Five Schools as COVID Aid Ends

by Madeline Armstrong   Roosevelt School District in South Phoenix is considering closing five schools amid a deficit that a school official blames on universal school choice and low enrollment. District data suggests a different story. Superintendent Dani Portillo has cited declining birth rates and the expansion of ESA vouchers as the reason for low revenue. The district is facing an almost $5 million deficit with the forecasted $77.9 million expense outpacing the $74.8 million anticipated revenue. There are 36 alternative non-district schools in the area that parents can use ESA funds to enroll their children in. Roosevelt, by comparison, has 18 schools. According to Portillo, there are approximately 900 students currently using ESA funding within the district’s boundaries to attend other schools. However, universal school choice wasn’t enacted until July 2022 and the district’s enrollment has increased by more than 300 students since then, breaking a 10-year decline. According to financial reporting from the district, the reliance on COVID-19 pandemic relief funds may be the bigger reason contributing to the budget deficit. The Roosevelt School District received more than $67 million in ESSER funds, which were awarded between March 2020-21, and have since been tapped dry. In a public…

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U.S. Senate Releases Legislative Calendar, Will Spend More Days in Session Than the House in 2025

Congress Building

The Senate is scheduled to spend more time on Capitol Hill than the House of Representatives next year, according to the new legislative calendar it released on Thursday.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise released the lower chamber’s legislative calendar for next year on Wednesday, which schedules lawmakers to be in the nation’s capital for 34 weeks. The regular work-week will last four days, primarily from Monday through Thursday. 

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Trump Reportedly Has Ace Up His Sleeve for Countries That Refuse to Take Back Their Illegal Migrants

Entry Line

The incoming Trump administration is reportedly devising a plan to remove illegal migrants from the United States, even if their home countries refuse to accept them.

Illegal migrants that have been ordered deported by an immigration judge, but hail from a country that refuses to take them back, may be sent to Turks and Caicos, the Bahamas, Grenada, Panama or possibly elsewhere once President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House, according to NBC News. Such a plan, which has yet to be confirmed by the transition team, could prove to be a game-changer in the president-elect’s promised goal of conducting the largest deportation initiative in U.S. history.

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Donated Driving Simulators Headed to Springfield, Ohio to Train Illegal Immigrants and Refugees How to Drive

Gov. Mike DeWine

by J.D. Davidson   The state of Ohio plans to use donated driving simulators to teach people living in or entering the country illegally in Springfield safe driving skills in hopes of easing ongoing traffic issues throughout the community. Gov. Mike DeWine announced Thursday the Maria Tiberi Foundation and Virtual Driver Interactive donated 10 new simulators to the Ohio Department of Transportation for use in Springfield and Clark County. They’ve been put in places that serve the Haitian community, which has recently come to the area with little or no driver training. “One of the big issues we’ve seen with migrants in Clark County is that they are not used to driving here,” said Governor DeWine. “With the generous donations from the Maria Tiberi Foundation and Virtual Driver Interactive, this new program will help the Haitian population learn the rules of the road and allow them to practice defensive driving skills that can keep everyone on the roads safe.” It’s part of an ongoing state effort to deal with a growing legal Haitian refugee population, which has grown since 2020 to around 15,000 in the city of nearly 60,000 under the Temporary Protected Status program. The Temporary Protected Status program…

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Trump Tells DOD Nominee Pete Hegseth to ‘Keep Fighting’, But Readies Alternatives

Pete Hegseth

by Ben Whedon   President-elect Donald Trump has told Pete Hegseth, his nominee to lead the Pentagon, to continue pursuing support for his nomination, but is also reportedly planning other options should Hegseth fail to secure the votes to claim the job. “I spoke to the president elect this morning. He said, keep going, keep fighting,” Hegseth said, according to Politico. The former Fox News media figure has faced scrutiny amid his prospective confirmation over prior sexual misconduct allegations and his qualifications to lead the Department. Veteran groups have lined up behind Hegseth’s nomination, highlighting his record of support for that community. “The recent onslaught of attacks on his character are the last gasps of desperate and dying contrarians, hell bent on maintaining the pernicious status quo that is slowly choking out the warrior ethos in our military today,” wrote Vets for Freedom Co-Founder David Bellavia. But while Trump is rooting for Hegseth to secure the job, he is reportedly planning contingencies should it become apparent that he cannot win enough votes in the Senate. Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis, a one-time rival to Trump for the party nomination, has emerged as a backup option for the president, according to multiple reports.…

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Rep. Jim Jordan Demands Documents Related to DOJ Investigation of Jack Smith Amid Misconduct Allegations

Rep. Jim Jordan

by Misty Severi   House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan on Wednesday sent a letter to the Justice Department (DOJ) requesting information about the department’s alleged misconduct investigation into special counsel Jack Smith. Justice Department officials briefed lawmakers on the investigation last month, which was opened after an employee under Smith “self-reported” possible misconduct by his office, according to the Washington Examiner. Jordan told Jeffrey Ragsdale, the DOJ Office of Professional Responsibility official who conducted the briefing, that he was not satisfied with the investigation, and that the letter should serve as a “preservation notice” of his records of the inquiry. Ragsdale told lawmakers that the inquiry was opened in June 2023, but he was unable to investigate further because of Smith’s prosecutions of President-elect Donald Trump. The investigation would have allegedly interfered with the cases. Details about the nature of the alleged misconduct was not immediately clear. “While we appreciate you confirming an open investigation into Jack Smith’s prosecutors, we are concerned that your refusal to take prompt investigative steps will allow these attorneys to evade internal accountability by leaving the Department,” Jordan wrote. The chairman said the briefing did not alleviate the committee’s concerns and asked the office to produce all relevant…

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Conservatives Question Constitutionality of KOSA Legislation

Student with Cell Phone

Federal legislation designed to curb harmful online content exposure for minors is facing mounting criticism from conservatives for empowering government bureaucrats to infringe on free speech. The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), introduced in 2022, aims to impose sweeping responsibilities on digital platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and X when it comes to content minor children can consume. The bill, which passed the U.S. Senate in July, has faced significant opposition in the House, where Republicans have expressed concerns over its constitutionality regarding free speech, and its potential to expand the power of the federal government. Supporters of KOSA argue that the bill is crucial for protecting children from online dangers such as explicit content and harmful influences. However, critics such as House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Speaker Mike Johnson, argue that the bill’s vague language could lead to significant overreach by the federal government, infringing on Americans’ First Amendment rights and personal control over their children’s online access. One of the primary criticisms of KOSA is that it imposes broad restrictions on speech. While intended to protect minors, the bill’s vague language could lead to censorship of a wide range of online content. The bill’s provisions require platforms…

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‘Affirm And Support LGBTQIA+ Identities’: Biden Admin Dishing Out Millions to Treat Eating Disorders with Gay Pride

Aaron Blashill and Tiffany Brown

The Biden-Harris administration has granted millions of dollars in funding for a virtual treatment that aims to help cure eating disorders by “affirming” LGBTQIA+ patients’ sexual orientation and gender claims.

The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded Auburn University Assistant Professor of Psychological Sciences Tiffany Brown and San Diego State University Professor of Psychology Aaron Blashill up to $5 million in grants to “develop and provide” the Promoting Resilience to Improve Disordered Eating (PRIDE) treatment — a virtual “identity-affirming eating disorder treatment for LGBTQIA+ patients,” the Auburn University College of Liberal Arts website states. The PRIDE initiative is undergirded by the idea that “identity-related stress” is an “underlying motivator of disordered eating,” and thus that “affirm[ing] and support[ing]” patients’ beliefs that they are LGBTQIA+ can help cure eating disorders.

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‘Cutting Waste Is Not a Partisan Idea’: Trump’s DOGE Secures Support from Dem Lawmakers

Elon Musk and Donald Trump

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy’s plans to cut waste, fraud and abuse within the federal government’s nearly $7 trillion budget through President-elect Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is beginning to attract support from a notable group: Democratic lawmakers.

Democratic Florida Rep. Jared Moskowitz is the first Democratic lawmaker to join the House’s DOGE Caucus helmed by Republican Reps. Aaron Bean of Florida and Pete Sessions of Texas, according to a Tuesday press release.

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Commentary: Trump Should Make an Example of General Milley

Gen Mark Milley and President Donald Trump

In dealing with his enemies in the Deep State, President Trump could follow one of two paths. One would be the path of peace, reconciliation, and forgiveness. This would certainly be easier in the short term and also garner approval from insiders and the media. Alternatively, he could seek to clean house and punish the worst and most insubordinate offenders from his first term.

Which path Trump should take all depends on whether one believes the last eight years were normal partisan squabbles or if one believes that something monumental happened: the obstruction of democratic self-government by a technocratic Deep State.

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Virginia Republican Seeks to Ban Institutional Investors from Buying Single-Family Houses

Home for Sale

Virginia State Senator Glen Sturtevant (R-Midlothian) revealed on Saturday he intends to file legislation that would prohibit institutional buyers, like hedge funds and private equity groups, from purchasing single-family homes in the commonwealth.

In posts to the social media platform X, Sturtevant noted that Redfin found in August that one in six homes in the United States are purchased from such institutional buyers, and revealed that the figure increased to 11 percent of home purchases in Virginia Beach and 9 percent in Washington, D.C.

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Commentary: San Jose State University Trans Volleyball Player’s Career Ends and So Should Men’s Participation in Women’s Sports

SJSU Volleyball

Transgender athlete Blaire Fleming on San Jose State University’s women’s volleyball team likely played the last game of his career after losing to Colorado State University on Saturday.

Fleming was San Jose State’s top performer in the Mountain West Tournament match, leading the team with 17 kills. However, he also made nine errors and struggled with his hitting in the first two sets, Fox News reported.

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Tennessee Lawmaker Files Legislation to Block State from Destroying, Relocating Historic Buildings and Monuments

Sam Davis Statue, Tennessee Capitol

Tennessee State Senator Adam Lowe (R-Calhoun) introduced a bill for the upcoming legislative session that would block the Tennessee Historical Commission (THC) from recommending the removal or destruction of any property deemed to be of historical, architectural, or cultural significance to Tennesseans.

Senate Bill 7 (SB 7) would limit the authority of the THC to the approval or recommendation of “certain renovations or alterations” to property deemed significant, according to its summary. It would also prohibit the commission “from taking adverse action,” such as fines, against properties boasting statues or monuments the THC wants removed.

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