Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti is among the bipartisan coalition of 44 state and territory attorneys general endorsing the Child Exploitation and Artificial Intelligence Expert Commission Act of 2024.
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State Senator Brent Taylor (R-Memphis) warned that Memphis will be ‘hollowed out’ if its crime problem is not addressed.
Taylor, who sponsored several crime-related bills in the recently-adjourned legislative session of the General Assembly, said the response he has received from the community in Memphis for his work to crackdown on crime has been positive.
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Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed bills Thursday that would have raised Virginia’s minimum wage to $13.50 per hour in 2025 and $15 in 2026.
The companion bills were among the first to be prefiled by General Assembly Democrats, indicating their status as high-priority legislation.
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House Bill 1105, called “The Georgia Criminal Alien Track and Report Act of 2024,” is proposed legislation that aims to bolster public safety and security for Georgia communities through increased communication and information sharing by state and local officials and federal immigration agencies.
State Representative Mike Cameron (R-Rossville) expressed his support for HB 1105 in a press release on Friday, stating he “was proud to cast a ‘yes’ vote to support this important legislation to address illegal immigration” and that it was the responsibility of state legislatures “to protect the citizens we serve and enforce the rule of law in communities across the state so that senseless tragedies, like the murder of Laken Riley, won’t happen again under our watch.”
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State Senator Jason Anavitarte (R–Dallas), chairman of the Senate Majority Caucus, and State Senator Brian Strickland (R–McDonough), chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, proposed two new legislative initiatives that seek to change criminal procedures for individuals who illegally immigrate to Georgia. The new legislation aims to set strict bail hearing conditions and modify parole rules for illegal immigrants.
The first proposal would amend the Georgia Constitution to allow the Georgia General Assembly to ban parole or set specific parole limitations for illegal immigrants. The second piece of legislation is a bill that would define bail hearing conditions for illegal immigrants and for those considered to be removable or dismissible aliens charged with a felony punishable by up to a year or more in prison.
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The Arizona State Legislature has approved SB 1231, known as the Arizona Border Invasion Act.
Senate Republicans celebrated the Legislature’s passage of the bill meant to “protect Arizona citizens and communities from the crime and security threats associated with the current border invasion caused by the Biden Administration’s refusal to enforce immigration laws.”
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Aaron Gulbransen, executive director of the Tennessee Faith and Freedom Coalition, said the current session of the Tennessee General Assembly is “pretty normal” despite state lawmakers still reeling from last year’s events by the “Tennessee Three” Democrats and the special session.
“It’s kind of normal, to be honest with you. Now, I will say, I think everybody has a little bit of PTSD after last year with all the shenanigans that Justin Jones, Justin Pearson, and Gloria Johnson pulled and then the contentiousness of the special session and the lead up to that and right after that. But it’s relatively normal,” Gulbransen explained on Tuesday’s episode of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy.
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A group of faith organizations led by the Faith and Freedom Coalition has sent a letter to congressional leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate urging a number of steps be taken to support Israel and fight antisemitism.
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Ohio U.S. Senator JD Vance (R-OH) introduced a bill this week focusing on protecting new parents from “being exposed to undue healthcare costs.”
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Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has joined a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general from 54 states and territories urging federal lawmakers to study and eventually propose legislation to protect children from being exploited through artificial intelligence (AI).
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One of Wisconsin’s larger health care systems has ended sex reassignment surgeries for adults and children following a directive from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Liberal lawmakers blasted the decision, first reported by Channel 3000 in Madison, as “misguided and dangerous,” while a conservative lawmakers who have championed bills prohibiting the “mutilation” of children called SSM’s change in protocol a “brave” decision.
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Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed 24 bills for improving behavioral health care access as part of the governor’s “historic” Right Help, Right Now plan.
The legislation is intended to improve insurance coverage for behavioral health in the commonwealth, while strengthening the behavioral health workforce and easing the strain on public safety.
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One week after the school shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville that left six dead, Governor Bill Lee proposed additional actions to strengthen safety at public and private schools across Tennessee, including amending the budget for fiscal year 2023-2034 as well as an existing bill making its way through the state legislature.
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The Arizona State Senate passed more legislation Tuesday aimed at strengthening Arizona’s elections, starting with House Concurrent Resolution (HCR) 2033, sponsored by State Representative Austin Smith (R-Suprise).
“Thank you to the @AZSenateGOP for voting out HCR2033. A bigger thank you to all the grassroots activists who worked so hard to make this happen. Very grateful for you all,” Smith tweeted. “This constitutional referral to protect our party primaries and girding us against radical experimental election systems that disenfranchise voters such as ‘ranked choice voting.'”
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A bill currently before the state legislature, being referred to as “true constitutional carry,” is actively being opposed by representatives of Governor Bill Lee’s office, even though his constitutional carry legislation was supposedly passed into law in 2021.
In February 2020, Lee held a press conference in the old supreme court chambers in the state capitol, surrounded by more than 40 members of the Tennessee General Assembly, to announce that he would be introducing legislation supporting the God-given and constitutionally-protected Second Amendment rights of Tennesseans with a Constitutional Carry bill.
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HENDERSONVILLE, Tennessee – Riley Gaines, a 12-time All-American swimmer for the University of Kentucky turned women’s sports advocate, told a group in her native Sumner County that the issue is not just a matter of fairness in sports but one of freedom of speech and denying objective truths.
Gaines spoke at the monthly meeting of the Sumner County Constitutional Republicans (SCCR), which moved across the road to the Beech Cumberland Church from its usual meeting location at the Shackle Island Fire Rescue building, due to the crowd size numbering well over 100.
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A new bill from State Sen. Anthony Kern (R-Glendale) aims to bring harsher punishments on those who traffic fentanyl passed through the Senate floor Tuesday with bipartisan support.
“The numbers speak for itself. Trafficking fentanyl is a deadly issue in our state that is only growing and tearing families apart,” said Kern. “These lethal pills are infiltrating our schools and communities. As a result, young and innocent people are losing their lives.”
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Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ-03) announced an “America First Contract” last year, and has made substantial progress implementing it, which includes legislation he’d previously introduced. The 10-point plan consists of topics he is proposing legislation on, legislation by other members of Congress he supports, as well as other action items.
Biggs’ first item is reducing inflation and strengthening the economy. He introduced H.R. 7262, the Budget Process Enhancement Act, last spring. It would hold the salaries of members of Congress until a budget is agreed on.
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Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Director of Tennessee’s Faith and Freedom Coalition, Aaron Gulbransen in studio to talk about the group’s 2023 agenda.
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Sen. Anthony Kern (R-Glendale) is proposing three bills that ask Congress to call for a Convention of States as allowed for in Article V of the U.S. Constitution, so the states can vote on and adopt amendments to the Constitution. Once two-thirds of state legislatures demand a Convention of States, also known as an Article V Convention, the Constitution mandates it. The states then run the convention, passing and ratifying amendments with a three-quarters majority — without Congress, the president, or governors involved.
SCR 1014 would propose a “federal fiscal responsibility” amendment, and states that enough states met the threshold in 1979 but Congress failed to order a convention.
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Arizona State Senate President Warren Petersen (R-Mesa) aims to shorten the administrative approval process, which may speed up the rate of home building in the state.
“20 years ago, the homebuilding process from start to finish would take approximately six months. Today, that process can take up to four years,” said Petersen. “I believe this action will soon provide relief for our citizens that are hurting from sky high housing prices by quickly increasing supply. I’m thankful for the collaboration on this bill from the League of Arizona Cities and Towns to help ensure our communities will have the tools they need to increase the number of homes being built so that our hardworking citizens are able to secure affordable housing in a timely matter, while also protecting our groundwater.”
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The US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) recent Annual Homeless Assessment Report showed that Arizona had the largest increase in homeless youths in 2022, becoming the state with the fourth-highest percentage of minors living outside a home.
In response, Kim Quintero, the spokeswoman for the State Senate Republican Caucus, told The Arizona Sun Times that the caucus is considering legislation that would recognize unaccompanied homeless youths under 18 “need legal rights to access housing, shelters, and other basic services.”
“We currently have similar legislation on the books allowing any emancipated minor, any minor who has contracted a lawful marriage or any homeless minor to provide consent to the furnishing of hospital, medical and surgical care. We are looking at taking similar steps to provide critical protections, such as empowering minors experiencing homelessness to enter into contracts and to consent to shelter services,” Quintero said via email.
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With both the Arizona State Senate and House under Republican control, leadership from both branches announced Thursday that one of their priorities to kick off the new session is to create a continuation budget for 2023 and 2024.
“In order to continue state programs without fear of an irresponsible fiscal cliff, the Legislature seeks to provide certainty that at a minimum, we have a fiscal year 2023-2024 budget in place,” according to a joint statement from the State House Republican Leadership team. “We intend to build on last session’s successes and craft a budget that continues to champion fiscal responsibility, funding for key services, and relief for Arizonans.”
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A list of new laws will take effect in Tennessee on January 1, 2023. The list of laws will go into effect in the new year, from relation to medical records, security-guard training, abortion-inducing drugs, and medication aide certification qualifications.
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Metro Nashville Government, along with Shelby County Government, has filed a notice of appeal on a court ruling dismissing their lawsuit over education savings accounts (ESA) legislation. This is the latest round in a series of legal actions brought forth in response to legislation passed in 2019. The filing of an appeal indicates that Nashville Government plans to continue its fight against legislation narrowly passed in 2019.
On November 23rd, of this year, a three-judge panel – made up of Chancellor Anne Martin, Judge Tammy Harrington, and Judge Valerie Smith – released a ruling in response to the initial lawsuit denying standing to the plaintiffs. In the court’s opinion, adjustments made by the state to offset potential losses in school funding for impacted districts, make any article arguments for lost funding purely hypothetical. That ruling cleared the plate of all legislation filed in opposition to the go signature legislation.
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Arizona State Rep. David Cook (R-Globe) recently led a bipartisan team of lawmakers on a trade mission to Brazil to advance Arizona’s position in the global economy and is now sharing legislative goals following the trip.
“I was honored to be joined by such a great group of public servants in a bipartisan trade delegation to Brazil to expand our state’s trade opportunities,” said Cook. “I’m looking forward to working with my colleagues and the great leaders we met to bolster Arizona’s economy.”
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Last week on 99.7 WTN, Tennessee House Representative Scott Cepicky R – Culleoka outlined to host Matt Murphy, legislation he intended to file to change the eligibility age for students entering first grade. Under Cepicky’s proposal, students would not be able to enter first grade until age 7, unless they could pass a local assessment showing that they could do grade-level work. The bill would allow younger students to take a “redshirt” year to adequately prepare for the increased academic demands of first grade.
Cepicky’s legislation is derived from a legislative brief on Kindergarten Readiness and Academic Performance, written by the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury’s Office of Research and Education Accountability (OREA). This brief shows that Tennessee students who were older at kindergarten enrollment performed better on 3rd-grade literacy tests than their peers. Forty-two percent of students aged 6 to 6.49 (older students) were on or above grade level in 3rd-grade literacy, compared to 33 percent of younger students aged 4.5 to 4.99 years old. The trend of older students outperforming their younger peers was also reflected on 6th-grade literacy tests.
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Tennessee’s Education Savings Account (ESA) plan, often portrayed as a voucher program, won another legal challenge filed by opponents of the controversial legislation that targets Memphis and Nashville schools. A three-judge panel appointed by the Tennessee Supreme Court and made up of Chancellor Anne Martin, Judge Tammy Harrington, and Judge Valerie Smith, has ruled that the parties challenging the legislation have no legal standing. As a result, all challenges are dismissed.
This action, at least temporarily, removes all legal hurdles facing the 2019 Education Savings Account law. The law provides money for families to offset private school tuition, should they choose to pursue that option due to inadequate traditional school options.
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Arizona State Sen. Nancy Barto (R-Phoenix) called for an overhaul in the Arizona State Hospital (ASH), a psychiatric care facility, to better protect nurses and patients and create stronger accountability.
“While the Arizona Department of Health Services [AZDHS] claims this incident was a rare occurrence, I’ve been contacted over the years by numerous courageous whistleblowers from within the system that have provided disturbing testimony on the many dangerous incidents, injuries, patient conditions and the lack of staffing that has led to what I see as a collapse of operations at the Arizona State Hospital,” said Barto.
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Following the announcement that Arizona Public Broadcasting Service (AZPBS) would be giving Democratic gubernatorial nominee Katie Hobbs her own on-air interview, which led to the postponement of Republican nominee Kari Lake’s scheduled Q&A on the channel, Arizona State Rep. John Kavanaugh (R-Maricopa) intends to introduce new legislation to cut AZPBS from state funding.
“The public interest is best served when candidates debate before the voters. The Arizona Clean Elections Commission wisely penalizes those candidates who refused to debate by giving their opponent a televised question and answer session and giving no time to the candidate who declines to debate. AZPBS has partnered with the Clean Election Commission [CEC] for this year’s debates and is now undermining the debate process by circumventing the commission’s rules,” said Kavanaugh in a statement emailed to the Arizona Sun Times.
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A new bill in the Ohio Senate, Senate Bill 360, aims to increase paid parental leave for state employees.
State Senator Theresa Gavarone (R-Bowling Green) introduced the bill which would extend paid parental leave for state employees from six weeks to twelve weeks for parents of newborn or adopted children. This bill would also eliminate the waiting period of two- weeks which is required prior to accessing paid parental leave.
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Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed author William Doyle to the newsmaker line to give details about his new book, Titan of the Senate: Orrin Hatch and the Once and Future Golden Age of Bipartisanship where he highlights legislative accomplishments and how political parties can work together.
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In response to 8 Ohio schools going into lock down on Friday, due to an internet hoax that sent false reports about active shooters on their campuses, additional support has been gathered for Senator Andrew Brenner’s (R-Delaware) bill (SB292) to stop ‘swatting’ and making fake emergency calls a felony in the state.
According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, ‘swatting’ is: to make a false report of an ongoing serious crime in order to elicit a response from law enforcement (such as the dispatch of a SWAT unit)
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On Friday, Governor Glenn Youngkin participated in a ribbon cutting ceremony, signed new legislation, and participated in a roundtable discussion all based around supporting and improving education for the state of Virginia.
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The Tennessee Firearms Association (TFA) responded Friday to a set of gun control bills that passed in the House of Representatives this week. The group also criticized Tennessee lawmakers for “putting Tennesseans’ lives at risk” with current state legislation in place.
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Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee didn’t waste time signing a new public school funding formula bill just four days after it was passed on the floor of the Tennessee Legislature.
But the process for other bills passed in the waning days of session has taken longer. Several key late-session bills have not been sent to Lee yet for his signature.
After bills are passed by the Legislature, they are enrolled and then signed by the speakers of the House and Senate before heading to the governor’s desk. Lee can then sign the bill, allow it to pass without signing or veto the bill. He also can reduce or veto an appropriation in a bill, but vetoes can be overridden by a majority vote in the Legislature.
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For nearly 70 years, families have traveled to Disney for vacation, not indoctrination.
Sadly, America’s preeminent entertainment company has joined a growing list of corporations bent on pushing woke ideologies.
For decades, Congress has unthinkingly supported these companies. Conservatives need to reassess whether Disney’s bottom line is worth protecting.
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Georgia Senate President Pro Tempore ‘Butch’ Miller told John Fredericks on The John Fredericks Show that Governor Kemp told him that he did not oppose SB 89, the election integrity bill killed by Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan.
Miller is also a candidate for Lt. Governor in the Republican primary which is slated to occur on May 24. His main opponent is fellow Georgia Senator Burt Jones.
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Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan (R), allegedly on the behalf of Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, blocked state Senate legislation that addressed ballot chain of custody and would have placed a ban on private donations directly to counties.
Senator Brandon Beach (R-21) told The Georgia Star News, “I don’t understand why the governor didn’t want us to address that outside money, whether it was Zuckerberg or Soros or whoever.”
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Both sides are declaring victory after the Arizona Supreme Court released a mixed opinion that ultimately allows Attorney General Mark Brnovich to go after a deal between hotelier Omni Hotels and the Board of Regents.
The state’s high court overturned two of four charges denied in an appellate ruling in State et al. v. Arizona Board of Regents et al.
Brnovich filed the lawsuit against the governing body of the state’s three public universities in January 2019 over a 60-year lease it struck with the hotel chain to build a new location on public land near Arizona State University’s Tempe campus. The deal entails benefits for the university at the hotel and allows the company to purchase the land at the end of the lease. In the meantime, the hotel would pay no property taxes.
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Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan (R), the chair of the state Senate, refused to bring up an election integrity bill for a vote on Monday because Republican Gov. Brian Kemp wanted it scrapped, Senate GOP leadership said, according to state Sen. Brandon Beach.
Senate Bill 89 would have dealt with chain of custody for ballots and prohibited private, “Zuckerbucks”-like donations from going directly to counties by routing them first through the State Election Board for distribution.
However, a vote on the bill was blocked by Duncan on Monday, the last day of the 2022 legislative session.
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Georgia lawmakers passed legislation that will gradually drop the state income tax rate over the next few years, a move that proponents say will make the state more competitive.
The state House voted 167-2, and the state Senate voted 41-13 in favor of an amended House Bill 1437. The bill sets the state’s tax level at 4.99% by 2029, starting with a 5.49% flat tax for the tax year beginning Jan. 1, 2024.
The measure, which received broad bipartisan support in both chambers of the Legislature, now heads to Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, for his signature. Kemp is expected to sign the bill into law.
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A St. Paul City Council committee will soon be holding community meetings on the establishment of a “permanent standing commission” that aims to create “generational wealth” for descendants of slaves and increase “economic mobility and opportunity” for blacks.
The council’s Legislative Advisory Committee on Reparations, established last June after the idea was approved last January, says it will produce a report on this permanent commission by Friday, June 10, and lay out its recommendations on creating wealth and boosting black economic opportunity the following Wednesday, June 15.
But first, it will hold four community meetings — two virtual, two in person. The virtual meetings will take place on Thursday, April 7, from 5 to 6 p.m. and Friday, April 29, from noon to 1 p.m.
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Add one of Wisconsin’s largest hunting groups to the list of people upset at Gov. Tony Evers’ latest vetoes.
Hunter Nation on Friday said the governor turned his back on hunters in the state by vetoing three proposed laws that would have given people more opportunity to get into the field or out on the water.
“Gov. Evers has sent a clear message that he simply doesn’t care about Wisconsin’s outdoor traditions and would rather partner with anti-hunting groups to trample our long-held traditions,” Hunter Nation CEO Luke Hilgemann said.
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Minnesota House DFL committee chairs on Monday pitched a $1.15 billion increase in education funding for fiscal year 2023 and $2.12 billion in fiscal years 2024 and 2025.
The Minnesota House Education Finance, Policy and Early Childhood committees proposed using the state’s historic budget surplus for the increases.
Center of the American Experiment Policy Fellow and Educated Teachers MN Director Catrin Wigfall told The Center Square in an emailed statement Monday that the House plan won’t help.
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The Democrat-led House on Friday passed legislation to legalize marijuana nationwide, eliminating the longstanding criminal penalties for those who distribute and possess it.
The bill passed primarily along party lines (220-204), with all but three Republicans voting ‘no,’ and all but two Democrats voting ‘yes.’
The legislation will now head to the Senate where it will likely face an uphill battle toward passage, but has a powerful ally in Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who is working with several of his colleagues to introduce a twin bill sometime this spring.
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Georgia voters soon could decide whether to allow sports wagering and casino gambling.
The House Economic Development and Tourism Committee signed off this week on versions of Senate Resolution 135 and Senate Bill 142. If approved, voters could decide on the measures as soon as November.
Legalizing sports wagering and casino gambling in The Peach State has been an on-again-off-again proposition for years. The passage of the most-recent legislation could face long odds as the state Legislature is in its final days.
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White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki will reportedly depart her official administration job this spring and join MSNBC, according to a report from Axios.
Psaki has been rumored to be in discussions with corporate media outlets for months. Her White House departure is also no surprise; the mother of two always expressed a desire to stick with her current role for about a year before pursuing other options.
Axios reports that Psaki has been in close contact with the White House counsel’s office about her imminent departure and has not signed any contracts that would put her in messy ethics territory. Though, sources say that Psaki has shared her plans to join MSNBC with some senior White House officials – the deal is reportedly close to being finalized.
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The Iowa House voted 60-30 in favor of passing a bill that would require Iowa public and charter schools to post their curriculum and books online for parents to review.
Some educators have argued that the bill (HF2577) will limit their ability to “adapt and meet the individualized needs of their students.”
The bill will give parents the ability to review instructional materials and request that their children opt out of certain reading materials. If the schools materials do end up changing, teachers will be required to update the information online by week’s end or be subject to a fine between $500-$5,000.
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed into law a measure that incentivizes law enforcement officers to move to or stay in the state through monetary awards.
“While other parts of the country are mistreating, marginalizing and defunding law enforcement, in Florida we continue to prioritize and appreciate our law enforcement officers,” DeSantis said during a Friday news conference while accompanied by Attorney General Ashley Moody and House Speaker Chris Sprowls. “This legislation encourages Floridians to pursue careers in law enforcement and attracts high quality law enforcement officers from other states who are sick and tired of the mistreatment they experience to bring their skills to Florida. From $1,000 scholarships to $5,000 bonuses to $25,000 adoption incentives, we are putting our money where our mouth is, and we are backing the blue.”
HB 3 includes a wide range of law enforcement initiatives, including incentives to encourage both out-of-state residents and Floridians to join state and local law enforcement agencies. It includes signing bonuses for every new recruit, costs covered for training programs and relocation expenses, pay raises and $1,000 bonuses. The bill also created a Law Enforcement Academy Scholarship Program for children of law enforcement officers, and adoption benefits for officers.
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