Former Tennessee State Senator Katrina Robinson was sentenced to time served and one year of supervised release after she was convicted of wire fraud charges.
Robinson’s legal woes have dragged on for more than a year, as she was charged with multiple offenses relating to the health care school that she operated.
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State Senator Brian Kelsey (R-Germantown) on Wednesday filed SB 29 which would allow first responders to live where they choose, the Tennessee Senate Republican Caucus said in a statement.
Kelsey posted on the caucus’ Facebook page, “This is a public safety bill. It will enable us to hire more police officers, which will help us fight our rising crime rates.”
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U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) joined officials in touring the Union Row development in Memphis Friday.
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The Tennessee Senate on Thursday approved legislation creating an independent state commission to approve public charter schools in Tennessee. Sen. Brian Kelsey (R-TN-31) is the sponsor of SB0796. The tracking information is here. The bill, which also passed the House of Representatives on Wednesday, is a key part of Governor Bill Lee’s education initiatives designed to improve education opportunities for Tennessee students. Lee worked with local school districts to incorporate changes to the legislation. “I am pleased that Governor Lee worked with local schools districts and charter schools to gain unanimous support for the bill,” Kelsey said. “The new commission will ensure that charter school denials will be reviewed by a commission with expertise on quality schools. This law will help ensure that our children will have quality charter schools to attend in Tennessee.” The legislation creates the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission, whose core mission will be authorizing high-quality charter schools, which is currently administered by the State Board of Education, according to a press release from the Tennessee Senate Republican Caucus. Commission members will be appointed by the governor and approved by the Legislature, WATE said. At least five members must come from school districts that have charter schools. Sen. Jeff…
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Offering illegal immigrants in-state tuition would encourage more illegal immigration into Tennessee, says state Sen. Joey Hensley. Hensley (R-Hohenwald) was one of only two senators on the Senate Education Committee to vote against the Tuition Opportunity Bill on March 22. In an interview with The Tennessee Star, Hensley said that if the bill passes, more illegal immigrant families would likely move to the state to establish residency to qualify for in-state tuition at state colleges and universities. “It encourages people to be here illegally when we let them obtain benefits,” Hensley said. “We have laws about legal immigration and people need to abide by those laws.” Hensley said many of his constituents in his rural district are strongly opposed to the bill. He also opposed the bill in 2015, when it passed in the Senate but failed in the House by only one vote. Currently, at least 18 states allow illegal immigrant students to receive in-state tuition, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). Three states—Arizona, Georgia and Indiana—specifically prohibit in-state tuition rates for illegal immigrants, and two states—Alabama and South Carolina— bar them from enrolling at any public post-secondary institution, the NCSL reports. In 1982, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in…
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