Leahy and Carmichael: The End of the McNally Era

Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed the original all-star panelist Crom Carmichael in studio to discuss reactions to Tennessee Lt. Governor Randy McNally’s recent social media snafu and his removal from office.

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Saturday Night Live Skewers Tennessee Lt. Governor Randy McNally

Saturday Night Live skewered Lt. Governor Randy McNally (R- Oak Ridge) in a devastating skit that featured his bizarre social media posts  on Saturday’s broadcast.

“Sorry I’m late, I’ve spent all day printing out Mapquest directions,” the SNL actor portraying Lt. Gov. McNally says at the beginning the skit.

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Lt. Governor Randy McNally: ‘Hopeful Our State Will Take Any and All Steps’ to Save Tennessee National Guardsmen Jobs

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – Lt. Governor Randy McNally issued a statement to The Tennessee Star in support of saving the jobs of the Tennessee National Guard members who are scheduled to lose their jobs on June 30 due to their refusal to comply with the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate.

“The mission of our National Guard is the defense of our state and our homeland, not political correctness. The Biden administration is once again putting left-wing woke politics ahead of our national interest. While COVID-19 is still with us, it has moved past the pandemic phase and become endemic,” he said.

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Tennessee Senate Expels Democrat Senator Convicted of Wire Fraud

The Tennessee State Senate voted on Wednesday to remove Democrat Senator Katrina Robinson. The vote was 27-5 to expel her from office.

Senator Robinson was convicted of wire fraud charges. The Tennessee Star previously reported that Robinson was convicted by jurors of four of five counts of wire fraud and that federal officials accused her of using federal grant money awarded to a health care school, The Healthcare Institute (THI), which Robinson operates. She was accused of using $600,000 from the school to pay for her wedding, a political campaign event, and other personal expenses.

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House Speaker Cameron Sexton Discusses the Upcoming Special Session

Wednesday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton to the newsmakers line to discuss the items that will be on the next special session call.

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Guest Hosts Grant Henry and Ben Cunningham Discuss the Need for Tennessee General Assembly Special Session

Grant Henry and Ben Cunningham

Friday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, guest hosts Grant Henry and Ben Cunningham talk in studio about the need for Tennessee’s General Assembly to have a special session and Lt. McNally’s hesitancy.

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Patriot Group Members Grill Lt. Governor Randy McNally over Governor’s Executive Orders and Call for Special Session

Lt. Gov. Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) was grilled at a Tuesday evening meeting by a large conservative grassroots group in his district that wants the state senate speaker to call a special session to deal with Governor Bill Lee’s executive orders.

McNally said that “a special session is one of the options on the table” and that he wouldn’t rule it out.

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Lt. Governor McNally Issues Revised Protocols for Accessing Tennessee’s Senate

Lt. Governor Randy McNally has decided that effective Monday new protocols will go into effect that will allow greater access to the Senate areas within the Cordell Hull Building.

The revised protocols are due to the increased availability of the vaccine and the overall decline in the spread of COVID-19, according to a late-day email Friday from McNally’s chief of staff addressed to Senate members and staff.

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Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles Calls for Tennessee to Dump Any State-Held Equity in Big Tech Companies Over Censorship

Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles is calling on the Tennessee General Assembly to dump any state-held equity and debt in the Big Tech companies over their “war on freedom of speech.”

Ogles made the announcement on his Facebook page Wednesday, available here. It is addressed to Governor Bill Lee, Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge), House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) and the other members of the Legislature.

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Tennessee Legislature Re-Elects Randy McNally, Cameron Sexton as Speakers of Senate, House

Tennessee Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) on Tuesday was re-elected for his third term as Speaker of the Senate, while State Representative Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) returned as House Speaker.

The Tennessee House Republican Caucus tweeted, “The 112th General Assembly convened today in Nashville! Congratulations to our re-elected Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton, newly elected Speaker Pro Tem Pat Marsh, and all our members as they were sworn into office. @CSexton25 @marsh4tn”.

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Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Scott Golden Denounces Violence in Washington

Scott Golden, chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party, condemned the violence in Washington, D.C., and said the GOP is the party of law and order, a sentiment expressed by several state leaders.

Golden made the statement Wednesday in an email as well as on Facebook, which is available here.

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Tennessee Republican Party Leaders Plan Road to Victory Bus Tour to Get Out the Vote

Tennessee legislative leaders, as well as Gov. Bill Lee, plan to stage a number of bus stops around the state for much of the rest of October to get out the vote.

The statewide Road to Victory bus tour is meant to encourage citizens to vote and to elect Republican candidates, according to a press release from the Tennessee Republican Party.

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Gov. Lee Considers Calling Special Session of Legislature to Pass Bill Giving Businesses Protection From COVID-19 Lawsuits

Gov. Bill Lee is thinking about calling the Legislature in for a special session to pass a bill to provide retroactive COVID-19 legal protection for businesses, the Chattanooga Times Free Press said.

The General Assembly ended their session on Friday without the House passing the Tennessee Recovery and Safe Harbor Act. It received 46 of 50 votes needed. House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland) questioned whether the measure was legal under Tennessee’s Constitution regarding the impairment of contracts. (The Senate had approved the bill.)

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State Lawmakers Will Have to Reconcile the House Budget Proposal That Gives Tax Dollars Back to Citizens and Makes Deeper Cuts Than the Senate Version

As the second session of the 111th Tennessee General Assembly winds down, the House and Senate will need to reconcile their two different budget proposals to close out the current fiscal year and for the upcoming fiscal year 2021.

The Senate version passed with a vote of 27 Ayes, 1 No and 2 Present and Not Voting during the June 11 floor session.

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Tennessee Lt. Governor Suggests Annual Sales Tax Holiday May Be Off the Table This Year

Lt. Governor Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) suggested that the annual sales tax holiday is one of the things that would not be done this summer to help compensate for the state’s revenue shortfalls.

The revelation by the lieutenant governor was included in a WBIR 10News report in conjunction with adjustments the Tennessee General Assembly expects to make to the fiscal year 2021 budget.

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Governor Bill Lee’s Second State of the State Continues His Priorities in a $40.8 Billion Budget

Bill Lee on the State House floor

  NASHVILLE, Tennessee – At his second annual State of the State Address, Governor Bill Lee continued to prioritize education, criminal justice reform, care for the most vulnerable, and rural Tennessee in his $40.8 billion budget for the upcoming 2020-2021 fiscal year. The next fiscal year’s budget reflects a 3.7…

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First Day: New House Speaker Sexton Sets Agenda for Second Legislative Session

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – Tuesday, January 14 marked the first day of the second session of the 111th Tennessee General Assembly and included a House Republican caucus meeting, a new Speaker at the House dais, the swearing in of the newest member to the House of Representatives and the passage of a religious freedom bill by the Senate.

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EXCLUSIVE: Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton on Upcoming Legislative Session and Hot Topics

Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton

As the 111th Tennessee General Assembly is set to enter its second session, newly elected Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton gave an exclusive interview to The Tennessee Star to discuss legislative priorities and current issues.

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Groups Call for Christians to Come to the Capitol and Pray During the Heartbeat Bill Summer Study

As the Summer Study for Tennessee’s Heartbeat Bill approaches, groups are calling for Christians to join in a Prayer March being held on August 12, the first day of the proceedings.

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Fetal Heartbeat Bill Summer Study Schedule Set

  The schedule for the Senate Judiciary Committee summer study of the Heartbeat Bill was announced Thursday via email to committee members and staff. The scheduled dates just announced – Monday and Tuesday, August 12 and 13 – are changed from the original dates set during the Senate Judiciary Committee…

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State Rep. Matthew Hill Seeks House Speaker Position

  State Rep. Matthew Hill (R-TN-07) said he will seek the Republican nomination for Speaker of the Tennessee House. The Jonesborough Republican, who is the Deputy House Speaker, made the announcement Wednesday at a legislative breakfast hosted by the Johnson City Chamber of Commerce, WJHL said. State Rep. Mike Carter…

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House Speaker Casada’s Former Chief of Staff Accused of Bugging Legislative Committee Rooms, The Tennessean Says

  A newspaper claims that House Speaker Glen Casada’s former chief of staff once bragged to a reporter that he had bugged legislative committee meeting rooms and now a Democratic leader is calling for an investigation. Joel Ebert of The Tennessean reported last week that the ex-chief of staff, Cade…

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Tennessee House And Senate Committees Undergo Major Shakeups

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – On the third day of the 111th Tennessee General Assembly, leadership announced committee assignments in the House and Senate, upsetting the status quo before recessing from their organizational sessions until January 18. During the House Republican caucus elections in November, Glen Casada (R-Franklin) made a commitment that,…

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Jack Johnson Elected State Senate Majority Leader by GOP Caucus

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – At the State Senate Republican Caucus meeting held Monday afternoon in an eighth floor conference room of the Cordell Hull Building, there was no obvious drama in the selection of its six leaders for the upcoming 111th General Assembly. The elections held off until Governor-Elect Bill Lee,…

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