Not Feasible: Co-Chair of Tennessee’s Federal Funding Task Force Says Rejecting All $1 Billion-Plus in Federal Education Money Isn’t Possible

As Tennessee lawmakers investigate the possibility of just saying no to federal education funds and the ties that come with them, the state’s Federal Funding Working Group co-chair told The Tennessee Star that completely letting go probably isn’t going to happen.

“No, I don’t think that’s feasible,” said State Senator Jon Lundberg (R-Bristol) in an interview this week with The Star.

Read the full story

Commentary: McNally Joins Democrats in Support of Red Flag Law, But He Shows No Support for Real Constitutional Carry

On March 30, 2023, reportedly hundreds to thousands (depending on the news source) of gun control zealots marched on the state capitol and interrupted House legislative proceedings to demand more gun control including passage of Red Flag laws.

Against that public onslaught there was no evidence form watching the proceedings on the House or Senate floors that these elected officials in Tennessee were prepared to advance pro-2nd Amendment Legislation in order to further enable Tennesseans – potential victims of violent crime and mass shootings – to be able to defend their lives, the lives of their families, children or even other innocent victims.

Read the full story

Lt. Governor Randy McNally ‘Grateful for the Support of My Caucus’ after Surviving State Senate Republican Caucus’ Vote of Confidence

Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally won a vote of confidence Monday from members of the Tennessee Senate Republican Caucus. In total, 19 members voted in support of McNally’s continued leadership as Lt. Governor while seven did not, according to a statement emailed to media following the private caucus vote.

“I have always been honored, humbled and grateful for the support of my caucus. I remain so today,” McNally said. “We have a lot of important work left to do as we complete the legislative session, including the budget. I look forward to getting to it.”

Read the full story

State Rep. Todd Warner Calls on Lt. Gov. Randy McNally to Resign Immediately

Following Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally’s bizarre social media postings on his official government Instagram account, State Representative Todd Warner (R-Chapel Hill) called on him to resign immediately, saying the 79-year-old lieutenant governor was a “predator.”

“Not only have Tennessee Republicans now become the laughingstock of the nation, the bottom line is this: Randy McNally is a predator,” Warner began in a statement released on Thursday.

Read the full story

Tennessee Star Editorial: Lt. Governor McNally Must Resign from Leadership Now

It is painfully obvious to anyone who has watched the confused public responses of 79-year-old Tennessee Lt. Governor Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) to the controversy surrounding his inexplicable social media postings that he has lost a step mentally.

McNally also faces health and physical challenges not unusual for a man of his age. In February he underwent a medical procedure to install a heart pacemaker.

Read the full story

Tennessee Agency Calls for $62 Billion in Infrastructure Spending, But Higher Taxes Unlikely

Members of the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (TACIR) on Monday published a report that called for nearly $62 billion in public infrastructure improvements throughout the state. This includes infrastructure for K-12 public school buildings, transportation and utilities, health, safety, and welfare, recreation and culture, general government, and economic development.

Read the full story

Angry Tennessee Residents, Burdened by COVID-19 Policies, Rally for Special Legislative Session, Without Delay

NASHVILLE — Hundreds of Tennesseans said their displeasure with COVID-19 mandates has intensified and it’s time for Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) to relent and allow a special legislative session so the state can fight back. Those angry residents, along with several state legislators, rallied at Beth Harwell Plaza, near the state capitol, on Thursday.

Read the full story

Tennessee Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally Believes Special Legislative Session Is Unnecessary

A spokesman for Tennessee Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) on Thursday shared McNally’s views on whether state legislators should still convene for a special session. “While Lt. Governor McNally is firmly against government vaccine passports, he is extremely reticent to place restrictions on private business,” said McNally spokesman Adam Kleinheider, via email.

Read the full story

Tennessee Legislators Must Convene Special Session to Address Urgent Issues, Williamson County-Based Group Says

Members of the Williamson County-based Tennessee Stands have said members of the Tennessee General Assembly should still hold a special session. Tennessee Stands Executive Director Gary Humble said in an emailed message to his supporters that Tennesseans and a majority of members of the Tennessee House of Representatives want a special session. This, Humble said, “to address a host of issues currently plaguing our state.”

Read the full story

Tennessee Lt. Gov. McNally Warns Davidson and Shelby Counties on Mask Opt-Outs: General Assembly ‘Will Not Allow Lawful Orders to be Defied’

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee’s executive order granting public school students the right to opt out of COVID-19 mask mandates has prompted Nashville and Memphis school administrators to announce they will not comply with Lee’s latest directive. That, in turn, prompted a response on Tuesday from Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge). On Facebook, McNally said Metro Nashville Public Schools’ (MNPS) and Shelby County Schools’ (SCS) officials’ apparent defiance against Lee left him “appalled and alarmed.”

Read the full story

Tennessee to Use Taxpayer Funds to Pay Out-of-State Tourists to Visit

In an attempt to continue the economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, the state of Tennessee will utilize an unprecedented marketing effort — paying out-of-state tourists to travel to the state.

The program, initiated by Governor Bill Lee and dubbed “Tennessee on Me,” will grant $250 airline vouchers to any individual who travels to Tennessee’s largest cities and stays at least two nights.

Read the full story

Tennessee Legislature Committee to Probe Migrant Relocation

Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally and House Speaker Cameron Sexton will create a Joint Study Committee on Refugee Issues within the Tennessee General Assembly that will investigate refugee resettlement and immigration in the state of Tennessee. 

The establishment of this new committee comes in response to numerous reports of the Biden administration flying unaccompanied immigrant minors through the Chattanooga airport in the early hours of the morning. Many state officials have spoken out against the move by the Biden administration. 

Read the full story

Governor Bill Lee Extends Stay-at-Home Order, Announces Plans to Reopen Tennessee’s Economy Soon

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee announced Monday he will extend the state’s stay-at-home order through April 30, but he also said government and private-sector officials are working to reopen the state’s economy in May.

Lee said this at a televised press conference, adding “we are not out of the woods yet, and it could be some time [before we are].”

“Until a vaccine or a therapy is widely available to Tennesseans, this virus will be a present reality to us to manage and consider whenever we are making decisions,” Lee said.

Read the full story

Governor Lee Issues Executive Order Requiring Residents to Stay Home

Gov. Bill Lee announced Thursday that he will sign an executive order requiring Tennesseans to stay home unless they are engaging in essential activities.

Lee issued an executive order Monday that urged, but didn’t require, residents to stay at home to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. Under his new order, staying at home isn’t “an option – it’s a requirement for the swift defeat of COVID-19,” said Lee.

The governor said data from the Tennessee Department of Transportation indicated that travel started trending upwards again on March 30 after traffic patterns showed a steep drop-off in vehicle movement between March 13 and 29.

Read the full story

Governor Bill Lee Orders Tennessee Residents to Stay Home, Except for Essential Business

To limit the spread of COVID-19, Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee on Monday issued an executive order telling state residents to stay home unless they are engaging in essential activities.

According to the order, businesses or organizations that do not perform essential services cannot remain open for public access. Lee’s order encourages those businesses to provide delivery, including curbside delivery, to the greatest extent possible. Lee also ordered that Tennesseans limit their essential activity to the greatest extent possible.

Read the full story

Tennessee State Lawmakers Eye Penalties for Shelby County Defiance of New Law on Illegal Aliens

Tennessee’s top political leaders are reportedly rebuking Memphis for not going along with a new law to detain illegal immigrants for federal officials. As The Tennessee Star reported, Shelby County officials say they won’t cooperate with a new Tennessee law that helps federal officials detain and deport illegal aliens. The state law took effect Jan. 1. Senate Speaker Randy McNally and House Speaker Glen Casada are unhappy, according to The Associated Press. “Shelby County needs to reevaluate their position,” McNally said in a statement. “As outlined in the law, continued refusal will result in the forfeit of state economic and community development grants which would negatively affect the local economy in Shelby County.” The law threatens local governments with the loss of future state economic and community development money if they have sanctuary policies. Federal immigration officials have the power to deport illegal aliens arrested on other charges. But some local laws have kept those local law enforcement officers from cooperating with the feds. The new law bans those local policies. That includes barring local policies that require federal officials to obtain a warrant or show probable cause beforehand. As The Tennessee Star reported last fall, county officials, specifically the folks at…

Read the full story