Five Tennessee state representatives and three Tennessee state senators endorsed U.S. Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) for reelection to Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District.
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State Representative Scott Cepicky: Tennessee’s Public Education Has Opportunity to Be Improved Through Both Universal School Choice Program and Reform Measures
Tennessee State Representative Scott Cepicky (R-Culleoka) said the Tennessee House version of the universal school choice bill that failed to pass the General Assembly earlier this year is “eerily similar” to the Wisconsin school choice bill that passed the state’s legislature nearly 14 years ago.
Read the full storyAmericans for Prosperity Action Announces Endorsements in Tennessee State House and Senate Races
Americans for Prosperity Action (AFP Action) endorsed one Tennessee Senate candidate and six candidates for the Tennessee House of Representatives in the primary elections on August 1.
Read the full storyTennessee State Rep. Scott Cepicky Says Full Text of Governor Lee’s Universal School Choice Bill Expected to be Unveiled Next Week
Tennessee State Representative Scott Cepicky (R-Culleoka), who chairs the Education Instruction Subcommittee, said Governor Bill Lee’s universal school choice bill, known as the Education Freedom Scholarship Act, will likely be revealed next week.
Cepicky said there was a meeting on Wednesday for the committee chairs and caucus members to go over the bill’s language, making tweaks to ensure the bill will “function properly” and is “constitutional.”
Read the full storyState Rep. Scott Cepicky: I Do Not Believe Guns Are the Problem, It’s a Mental Health Issue That We’ve Self-Created
Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed State Representative Scott Cepicky to the newsmaker line to discuss Governor Bill Lee’s gun-grabbing special session and school choice legislation.
Read the full storyTennessee State Representative Scott Cepicky Talks Retention and Statewide Listening Tour
Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed (R-TN-64) Scott Cepicky to the newsmaker line to discuss third-grade retention and what he’s hearing during his statewide listening tour from educators.
Read the full storySpeaker Cameron Sexton Blasts Biden Administration and Stands with National Guard Members
Tennessee Speaker of the House of Representatives Cameron Sexton, in a statement issued to The Tennessee Star, expressed his support for the Tennessee National Guard members who are scheduled to lose their jobs on June 30 due to their refusal to comply with a COVID-19 vaccination mandate.
Sexton additionally had sharp criticism for the Biden administration’s handling of COVID-19 policies and mandates.
Read the full storyState Representative Scott Cepicky: ‘There’s So Much Intimidation Right Now on Our Teachers that They Can’t Do Their Job’
Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed State Representative Scott Cepicky to the newsmakers line to talk about improving Tennessee teachers’ ability to teach the fundamentals and putting Tennessee students back on track.
Read the full storyMaury County Mayor Andy Ogles: ‘There’s a Time in History Where You Stand up to Your Government and You Tell Them Enough Is Enough’
Friday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles to the newsmakers line to explain his pushback on the federal government’s mandate requiring Tennessee healthcare workers to be vaccinated by Janauary sixth of 2022.
Read the full storyMaury County Mayor Andy Ogles Declares State of Emergency in County to Protect Health Care Workers’ Rights
Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles — flanked by several state legislators — declared a state of emergency in the county at a press conference on Thursday.
Ogles said the U.S. Constitution entitles health care workers to religious exemptions and other rights of conscience to refuse the COVID-19 vaccine. He also said the U.S. Constitution protects those workers from harassment or even job loss.
The Biden administration now mandates that healthcare workers vaccinate themselves against COVID-19, and Ogles warned his constituents Thursday that more than 1,000 local health care employees in Maury County could lose their jobs.
Read the full storyLegislation Permitting Tennessee’s School Board Members to Run by Party Has Strengths and Weaknesses, Elected Official Says
Tennessee State Representative Scott Cepicky (R-Culleoka) has filed legislation that would, if enacted into law, permit school board candidates in the state to campaign as the nominee or representative of a political party. Cepicky filed the bill for the Tennessee General Assembly’s current special session. The Tennessee Star’s attempts to reach Cepicky on Thursday were unsuccessful.
Read the full storyTennessee Approves $884M in Funding, Creates Board for $6B Ford Project
The Tennessee Legislature finished its special session on Ford’s $5.6 billion electric truck project Wednesday by approving $884 million in spending and creating a Megasite Authority of West Tennessee board to oversee operations.
“This is the largest single economic investment in rural Tennessee’s history,” Gov. Bill Lee said. “… It is, most importantly, a win for western Tennessee’s workforce.”
Read the full storyState Representative Scott Cepicky Weighs in on Tennessee Department of Health Commissioners Monoclonal Antibody Guidelines
Wednesday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed Maury County Tennessee State Representative Scott Cepicky to the newsmakers line to discuss monoclonal antibody guidelines, calling a special session, and circumventing the federal government.
Read the full storyTennessee Legislators Likely to Pass Bill Tackling Gender and Interscholastic Sports
A bill in the Tennessee General Assembly would require that middle school or high school students’ biological gender determine whether they may participate in interscholastic sports specifically tailored either for males or females. Supporters of the bill told The Tennessee Star Friday they believe the bill will pass both the state house and the state senate.
Read the full storyLawmakers, Superintendents Blindsided by Tennessee Department of Education Learning Loss Projections
Tennessee Department of Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn’s announcement of COVID-19-related learning loss projections for Tennessee students took state lawmakers and school superintendents by surprise.
In a joint news conference with Gov. Bill Lee last week, Schwinn announced Tennessee students are expected to face learning loss of 50% in English and 65% in math, stressing the importance of in-person learning. Projections were based on national research and early results of beginning-of-year student checkpoint assessments in Tennessee.
Read the full storyMichael Patrick Leahy Explains HIPAA and Questions the Legality of Governor Bill Lee’s Memorandum of Understanding Regarding Positive COVID-19 Patients
Tuesday morning on the Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – host Michael Patrick Leahy gave his commentary on Tennessee Governor Bill Lee’s recent order allowing COVID-19 test results of private citizens to be released to local law enforcement. He examined whether this was constitutional or a statutory violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996’s privacy rule.
Read the full storyKnoxville Opts Out of Controversial Practice of Sharing Personal Data of COVID-19 Patients with Police
The City of Knoxville said Tuesday it will opt-out of sharing the names and addresses of COVID-19 patients with law enforcement following a statewide controversy over the practice.
Mayor Indya Kincannon and Police Chief Eve Thomas said that the Knoxville Police Department will leave a state program that allows law-enforcement officers across Tennessee to access a database of persons who have tested positive for COVID-19.
Read the full storyContact Tracing Lists for COVID-19 Has ‘Adverse Effect,’ Tennessee State Rep. Warns Colleagues
State Rep. Scott Cepicky (R-Culleoka) on Monday asked Tennessee’s top elected officials to abolish the state’s contact tracing lists because he said they could do more harm than good.
Cepicky said this while addressing members of The Tennessee General Assembly in a letter he published on his Facebook page. Cepicky warned about an “infringement of personal privacy and liberty.”
Read the full storyTennessee House Subcommittee Kills Resolution that Would Have Helped Homeschoolers with the Classic Learning Test
This week members of the House Higher Education Subcommittee unanimously voted down a resolution that would have urged Tennessee officials to evaluate the popular Classic Learning Test for state-sponsored scholarships and admission to public universities.
Read the full storyState Rep. Scott Cepicky Is Still a ‘No’ on Education Savings Account Bill, But Is Waiting for Amendment from the Lee Administration
As of Monday morning, State Rep. Scott Cepicky (R-Culleoka) is still a no vote on Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee’s Education Savings Account (ESA) bill. As The Tennessee Star reported last week, however, that is subject to change, depending on how Lee tailors the bill to address Cepicky’s concerns. Cepicky told The Star Sunday night he was still waiting for Lee’s changes. “From what I understand, there is some kind of amendment coming out,” Cepicky said. “I am waiting to see what it is. I haven’t seen anything.” Other than that, Cepicky said he had no other updates. As reported, Lee is adding various amendments to address Cepicky’s concerns. Cepicky said those concerns include some of the language about income limitations. Another of Cepicky’s concerns — “the districts that are affected and students that are in that district as a whole, whether they went to a priority school or not and would have access to the ESA program.” Cepicky said the bill is complex. He also said Lee was open to hearing his and other state representatives’ concerns. As The Tennessee Star reported, Tennessee students in urban cities could start escaping failing schools in fall 2021 through Lee’s proposed plan. The governor briefly…
Read the full storyState Rep. Scott Cepicky a ‘No’ Vote on Gov. Bill Lee Education Savings Account – But That Could Change
Right now, State Representative Scott Cepicky, R-Culleoka, says he’s a ‘no’ vote on Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee’s Education Savings Account bill. But that is subject to change, Cepicky told The Tennessee Star Monday. “Right now the governor is working on the legislation. I voiced some concerns about it, and he will get with his staff and look at my concerns and it will be used to tighten up the bill a little bit. As of right now, I am a no vote,” Cepicky said. Lee is adding various amendments to address Cepicky’s concerns, the state representative said. “I had some concerns with some of the language about income limitations. I had some concerns about the districts that are affected and students that are in that district as a whole, whether they went to a priority school or not and would have access to the ESA program. I was trying to figure out where he was coming from on that,” Cepicky said. “It is a very complex bill, and we are trying to work through it because there are so many different parts to this bill. With the conversations I had with the governor today he was very informative. He was very…
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