Tag: Tennessee General Assembly

Tennessee Republicans File Legislation to End Grocery Tax in 2025

Tom Pappert
Grocery Shopper

Republicans in the Tennessee General Assembly filed legislation this week that would abolish the sales tax on groceries in the state, and in a press release explain their legislation would maintain current funding for schools while avoiding tax increases for business owners. 

House Bill 21, submitted by State Representative Elaine Davis (R-Knoxville) on Thursday, would prohibit sales taxes from being levied on food and food ingredients in Tennessee, while simultaneously requiring the General Assembly to allocate “an amount substantially equal to the amount that would have been allocated” based on the 0.5 percent of revenue from taxing groceries that is earmarked for schools. Groceries are currently taxed at 4 percent in Tennessee.

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Bonnie Brezina: Marsy’s Law on Track to be Presented to Voters in 2026

Kaitlin Housler
Bonnie Brezina

Bonnie Brezina, who serves as the state director of Marsy’s Law for Tennessee, said the proposed constitutional amendment that would expand the rights of crime victims is still on track to be presented to voters on the 2026 general election ballot.

Marsy’s Law, which passed the Tennessee House unanimously and the State Senate by a 27-3 vote earlier this year, must again pass both chambers by a two-thirds majority this upcoming legislative session in order to be presented to voters in 2026.

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Tennessee State Rep. Cepicky Files Bill to Ban Cell Phones from Classrooms

Tom Pappert
Students on Cell Phones

Tennessee State Representative Scott Cepicky (R-Culleoka) introduced legislation for the upcoming session of the General Assembly that would require all Tennessee school systems, including private institutions, to develop a policy to limit student cellphone use outside specific circumstances.

Filed with the General Assembly on November 19, a summary of Cepicky’s HB 13 reveals it would require schools, “adopt a policy to prohibit students from using wireless communication devices during instructional time except in certain circumstances.”

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Kroger to Pay $42.9 Million Settlement to Tennessee for Role in Opioid Crisis

Kaitlin Housler
Kroger Store

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti announced Monday that the state will receive approximately $42.9 million from a settlement with Kroger over the grocery chain’s opioid-related misconduct.

The Volunteer State’s settlement with Kroger is part of a combined $1.37 billion settlement agreement between the grocery chain and a bipartisan coalition of 30 state attorneys general.

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Skrmetti: Federal Government’s Responsibility to Enforce Immigration Laws

The Center Square
Jonathan Skrmetti

The Tennessee General Assembly has been “unequivocally clear ” that illegal immigration is a high priority for them, but there’s only so much a state can do, the state’s attorney general said.

Jonathan Skrmetti told The Center Square in a telephone interview when he goes out and talks to people across Tennessee, he can’t think of a time when he hasn’t gotten questions about the subject.

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State Rep. Gino Bulso Applauds Court Ruling Upholding Tennessee’s Age-Appropriate Materials Act

Kaitlin Housler
Gino Bulso

Tennessee State Representative Gino Bulso (R-Brentwood) said Sunday’s ruling in a case challenging the Williamson County Board of Education’s refusal to comply with a state law mandating that all public schools review the content accessible to students in school libraries is a “precedent setting decision” for cases challenging laws made by the Tennessee General Assembly moving forward.

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Proposed Tennessee Board of Education Rules to Limit Public Comment Faces Public Opposition from Sen. Brent Taylor

Tom Pappert
Brent Taylor

New rules proposed by the Tennessee State Board of Education to the General Assembly last Thursday met strong public opposition from Senator Brent Taylor (R-Memphis), who on Tuesday vowed to vote against a change that would limit public comment to 10 individuals per topic and require parents to provide 48-hours notice of their intention to speak.

The rules were proposed during a Thursday meeting of the joint Government Operations Committee in the General Assembly. Among other new restrictions, they would limit comment to 10 members of the public per issue and require parents to fill out a form 48 hours in advance in order to speak.

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Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police Gives Award to State Representative for ‘Excellent Legislative Service’

Kaitlin Housler
Clay Doggett

The Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police (TACP) recently awarded State Representative Clay Doggett (R-Pulaski) its 2024 Legislative Award at the organization’s 54th Annual Awards Banquet.

TACP’s Legislative Award recognizes state lawmakers who are “champions for public safety and the law enforcement profession.”

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Tennessee GOP Leaders Threaten to Withhold Sales Tax Revenue from Memphis Over Gun Control Ballot Initiatives that Override State Law

Kaitlin Housler
TN Senate Speaker Randy McNally and House Speaker Cameron Sexton

Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) and Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) are speaking out against three gun control measures set to be presented to Memphis voters on the November 5 general election ballot which the Republican leaders say is an attempt by city leaders to “circumvent state law.”

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Federal Judiciary Panel Tosses Lawsuit over Alleged Gerrymandering in Tennessee

Peter D'Abrosca
Gavel court judge order

A federal lawsuit filed by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and others against the state of Tennessee and Gov. Bill Lee (R) has been dismissed by a panel of federal judges. 

Tennessee State Conference of the NAACP, et.al. v. William B. Lee was filed by a “coalition of civil rights organizations and Tennessee voters filed a federal lawsuit against Tennessee’s Governor, Secretary of State, Coordinator of Elections, and the State Election Commission and its members challenging the state’s enacted congressional and state Senate districts as unconstitutional racial gerrymanders and as intentionally racially discriminatory,” according to a case summary.

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Ogles Challenger Accused Nashville Families of ‘White Flight’ During COVID-19

Peter D'Abrosca
Maryam Abolfazli

The Democratic Party challenger to Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) in the November election wrote a column accusing white families of “white flight” when Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“White flight, a phenomenon where white people leave significantly high-minority areas, is happening in our public schools,” wrote Maryam Abolfazli in a guest column in The Tennessean. “Reacting in frustration to the decision of Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools to halt in-person teaching, white parents who can afford to are transferring their children to private schools.”

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Planned Parenthood Says It Has a Plan to Break Tennessee General Assembly Supermajority

Peter D'Abrosca

The leaders of Tennessee Advocates for Planned Parenthood (TAPP), Planned Parenthood’s electioneering arm, held a press conference at the Tennessee Capitol saying that it has a plan to break the Republican supermajority in the state’s general assembly, thus making it easier to accomplish its pro-abortion work. 

“Stopping the supermajority in Tennessee is not going to be easy,” TAPP CEO Ashley Coffield said during the press conference. “We have a plan this year to flip four seats and three after that so we break the supermajority before redistricting in 2030.”

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Tennessee State Legislature Candidates Reveal Positions on Second Amendment

Matthew Giffin
Gun Range

Tennessee State Legislature candidates revealed their positions on possible Second Amendment-related legislation in a survey of the candidates conducted by the Tennessee Firearms Association (TFA).

The TFA’s candidate survey consisted of 24 “yes” or “no” questions, asking candidates up for election whether they would vote for hypothetical legislation. Most of the hypothetical bills in question dealt with repealing restrictions on Tennesseans to own and carry firearms. The TFA posted the results on Monday.

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TN-18 State Senate GOP Primary Challenger Chris Spencer Refuses to Answer If He’d Vote for Governor’s School Choice Bill If Elected

Kaitlin Housler
Chris Spencer

Chris Spencer, a Republican candidate challenging incumbent Tennessee State Senator Ferrell Haile (R-Gallatin) in the August 1 TN-18 GOP primary, refused to answer whether he’d vote for or against Governor Bill Lee’s universal school choice bill during the next legislative session of the General Assembly if elected.

The governor’s school choice bill, called the Education Freedom Scholarship Act, failed to pass the General Assembly during the most recently convened session of the General Assembly.

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Tennessee Celebrates Small Business Appreciation Week

Peter D'Abrosca

Gov. Bill Lee (R) has officially proclaimed April 28 to May 4 as Small Business Appreciation Week in Tennessee. 

Noting that small businesses are “the backbone of Tennessee’s economy, comprising a significant portion of the State’s employment including nearly half of private-sector workforce,” and that “supporting small business owners in Tennessee strengthens the State’s resilience against economic downturns and promotes sustainable economic development,” Lee released the official proclamation on the state’s website. 

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Vice President Kamala Harris Condemns Tennessee State Lawmakers for Passing Bill to Arm Trained Teachers

Kaitlin Housler
Kamala Harris

Vice President Kamala Harris called lawmakers in the Tennessee General Assembly “extremists” for voting to pass a bill that would arm teachers who are licensed, receive annual training, and are approved by police and school officials.

“Arming teachers is not the solution,” Harris said in an X post on Wednesday. “We know what actually works: universal background checks, red flag laws, safe storage, and an assault weapons ban.”

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TBI Teams Up with Knox County Forensic Center to Identify John Doe Killed in Decades Old Hit-and-Run Case

Peter D'Abrosca
TBI Building

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) in conjunction with the Knox County Forensic Center, have identified a man who was killed in a hit-and-run crash more than three decades ago. 

“On May 24, 1993, the Knox County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a pedestrian being struck by a vehicle along Cedar Bluff Road in Knoxville,” TBI said in a press release. “The adult male, who had no identification on him, was pronounced deceased at the scene, and his body was sent for an autopsy.”

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Tennessee Faith and Freedom Coalition Announces 2024 Senate and House Conservative Champions

Kaitlin Housler
Representative Jake McCalmon Dawn White

The Tennessee Faith and Freedom Coalition (TNFFC) announced Friday that two members of the Tennessee General Assembly have been honored as the Senate and House Conservative Champions this legislative session.

According to the organization, TNFFC’s Conservative Champion awards are given to legislators in the General Assembly who “most ardently defend the Constitution, rights and freedoms” of the Volunteer State citizens.

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TBI Honors Legendary Special Agent Who Was ‘Addicted to Danger’ After He Passed Away Last Week

Peter D'Abrosca
TBI Special Agent Maxey Gilleland

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) Monday honored a special agent who was once described as being “addicted to danger,” after he passed away last week.

Special Agent Maxey Gilleland served the agency and the people of Tennessee for 31 years, until he retired in 2004. At age 19, before joining TBI, he entered the Marine Corps and was sent to fight in the Vietnam War. There, according to TBI, he earned several Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star and the Navy Cross.

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Tennessee General Assembly Passes Landmark Bill Against De-Banking

Peter D'Abrosca
Bank Teller

The Tennesse General Assembly passed a bill prohibiting banks from de-banking and closing consumer accounts based on “social credit score” systems.

SB 2148 “prohibits financial institutions and insurers from denying or canceling services to a person, or otherwise discriminating against a person, based upon the use of a social credit score or other factors,” according to the bill’s summary.

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WTN’s Matt Murphy Calls Out State Rep. Todd Warner for Claim He Did Not Record or Know Who Recorded Phone Conversation with AFP’s Tori Venable Broadcast in NewsChannel5 Report by Phil Williams

Michael Patrick Leahy
Mark Warner and Tori Venable

Tuesday afternoon on the Matt Murphy Show, broadcast weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. on SuperTalk 99.7 WTN, host Murphy interviewed Tori Venable, executive director of Americans for Prosperity-Tennessee, about AFP’s support for Governor Bill Lee’s universal school choice bill currently under consideration in The Tennessee General Assembly. During the interview, Venable criticized the reporting of Phil Williams in Monday evening’s broadcast on NewsChannel 5, which featured an interview with State Representative Todd Warner (R-Chapel Hill), as well as a recording of a phone call between Williams and Venable that was obtained without Venable’s consent.

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Democrat State Rep. Justin Jones Admitted He Walked ‘Across the Border’ with an Illegal Alien

Kaitlin Housler
Justin Jones

State Representative Justin Jones (D-Nashville) admitted on the floor of the Tennessee House of Representatives on Thursday that he walked “across the border” with an illegal alien named Javier after visiting a migrant caravan camp in Mexico last week.

Jones made the admission while speaking in opposition to a bill, HB 2124, on the floor of the House of Representatives on Thursday.

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Tennessee State Senator Joey Hensley Explains ‘Present’ Vote on School Choice Bill

Kaitlin Housler
Joey Hensley

Tennessee State Senator Joey Hensley (R-Hohenwald) said he voted present on the State Senate’s version of Governor Bill Lee’s universal school choice bill this week in the education committee because he said he believed there needed to be “more discussion” on the bill before it advanced out of committee.

“I was present, not voting, because I felt like we needed more discussion in the education committee,” Hensley said on Thursday’s episode of The Michael Patrick Leahy Show.

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Tennessee State Senator Brent Taylor Sponsors Several Crime-Related Bills in Effort to ‘Make Memphis Matter’

Kaitlin Housler
State Senator Brent Taylor

Tennessee State Senator Brent Taylor (R-Memphis) announced he is sponsoring several crime-related bills this legislative session in an effort to fight crime and “Make Memphis Matter.”

In a letter to his colleagues in the Tennessee State Senate, Taylor detailed 13 pieces of legislation he is sponsoring and asked his colleagues to consider sponsoring the bills as well.

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Co-Founder of AbleChild Sheila Matthews Details Work on Tennessee Bill to Help Determine Link Between Psychotropic Drugs and Mass Shooters

Kaitlin Housler
Sheila Matthews

Sheila Matthews, co-founder of the national non-profit parent organization AbleChild, detailed her work on crafting an “outstanding” bill recently filed in the Tennessee General Assembly that is focused on reforming the process medical examiner’s offices must follow in terms of testing for psychotropic drugs when performing autopsies on the bodies of mass shooters.

HB 2933, if enacted, would require a medical examiner’s office or regional forensic center to determine and document current both psychotropic and prescription drug use from the past 10 years by a deceased individual who died under “suspicious, unusual, or unnatural circumstances.”

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Aaron Gulbransen Analyzes the Tennessee General Assembly’s Current Session

Kaitlin Housler
Aaron Gulbransen

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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Tennessee State Rep. Susan Lynn Awaits Final Version of Universal School Choice Bill, Notes Funding of Budget Is Issue This Year

Kaitlin Housler

Tennessee State Representative Susan Lynn (R-Mount Juliet) joined Monday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy to discuss the General Assembly’s legislative session this year, specifically concerning its approach to Governor Bill Lee’s Education Freedom Scholarship Act.

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State Senator Mark Pody Shares Insights on Franchise Excise Tax Issue and Legislative Timelines

Tennessee Star Staff
Mark Pody

State Senator Mark Pody (R-Lebanon) told listeners on Tuesday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy that legislative timelines could be impacted after lawmakers were sent home for the week due to severe winter weather. Pody added that the new bill filing deadline could be extended, but it currently stands on February 1.

The Wilson County-area state senator also offered an update on his newly introduced school safety measure and noted that its funding would be included in the current budget.

Pody also confirmed that the possible constitutional issue concerning out-of-state companies threatening legal action over the franchise excise tax is being studied and added that the fiscal fallout may cause some programs to be delayed by a year.

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