Tom Pappert, lead reporter at The Tennessee Star, said a resolution in the Tennessee General Assembly that would amend the state’s constitution to allow judges the discretion to refuse bail to defendants facing certain charges would not lead to overcrowding in jails across the state.
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The Tennessee State Senate on Tuesday will consider a resolution that would begin the process of amending the Tennessee Constitution to allow judges the discretion to refuse bail to defendants facing a greater variety of charges, potentially resulting in thousands of additional criminals kept off the street while awaiting trial.
Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 25 would modify Article 1, Section 15 of the Constitution of Tennessee to allow judges to refuse bail to defendants accused of capital offenses, acts of terrorism, second degree murder, aggravated rape of a child, aggravated, rape, and grave torture, as well as those who face charges for which the defendant, “could not be released prior to the expiration of at least eighty-five percent of the entire sentence imposed.”
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A Tennessee State Senate resolution took its next step toward changing the Tennessee Constitution, as on Wednesday, SJR 25 was placed on the calendar for the Senate Judiciary Committee to consider next week.
Filed by Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson (R-Franklin) last month, a description of the resolution explains that it would modify Article 1, Section 15 of the Constitution of Tennessee to make those likely to be convicted of certain offenses ineligible for bail or other forms of pretrial release.
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Two state lawmakers in the Tennessee General Assembly introduced a bill to mirror the Trump administration’s “One Flag Policy” which prohibits the flying of all but the American flag at all U.S. facilities, both domestic and abroad.
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State Senator Brent Taylor (R-Memphis) invited Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy to answer the disqualification charges levied against him in the Tennessee General Assembly after the Board of Professional Responsibility cleared the controversial prosecutor in a complaint filed by the senator.
Mulroy wrote in a post to Faceboook on February 6 that the complaint was dismissed, claiming that the complaint required him to correct “false statements regarding and employee and former employee of our office,” and stated that the lawmaker’s “criticism is misleading and dismissive of prosecutors.”
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Aaron Gulbransen with the Tennessee Conservatives Coalition said a bill filed in the Tennessee General Assembly is “designed” to serve as a challenge to the 1982 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Plyler v. Doe.
The bill filed by Tennessee House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland) and State Senator Bo Watson (R-Hixson), HB 0793/SB 0836, would authorize public schools and public charter schools to refuse to enroll students who are unlawfully present in the United States.
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Tennessee Governor Bill Lee delivered his seventh State of the State Address on Monday in the House Chamber of the Tennessee State Capitol where he laid out his $59.5 billion budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2025-2026.
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Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) introduced a bill on Thursday to withhold state funding from local governments that defy state law or the state’s constitution.
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A statement released by the Tennessee Catholic Conference on Monday praised the Education Freedom Act, the school choice plan presented by Governor Bill Lee, endorsed by President Donald Trump, and passed by the General Assembly last month, creating 20,000 scholarships to help families choose alternative schools for their children.
The conference, the policy arm of the Catholic Diocese of Nashville, Memphis, and Knoxville, said it was celebrating the passing of the school choice plan, calling it “a significant step forward for advancing opportunities for all students across our state,” and “landmark legislation” that reflects the Tennessee’s commitment to giving children better education opportunities.
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Recovering journalist and Nashville-area public policy expert Clint Brewer said the Tennessee General Assembly’s passage of the Education Freedom Act of 2025 will go down as Governor Bill Lee’s “legacy issue” throughout his two terms of leading the Volunteer State.
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Tennessee Governor Bill Lee is traveling to Washington D.C. on Friday to meet with President Donald Trump and other school choice advocates at the White House for a roundtable discussion on school choice.
Friday’s roundtable discussion will close out the 15th annual National School Choice Week.
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The Tennessee State House of Representatives and the State Senate on Thursday passed the Education Freedom Act, the plan by Governor Bill Lee and Republican legislative leaders to create 20,000 scholarships, each worth about $7,000, to help Tennessee families who choose send their children to private schools.
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Disruptive members of the public were reportedly removed from the Tennessee State House gallery on Wednesday shortly after Representative Justin Jones (D-Nashville) delivered a speech urging Republicans not to vote for legislation that would empower citizens to recall local politicians who vote to make their communities a sanctuary city.
Lawmakers are currently convened in Nashville for a special legislative session to consider the Education Freedom Act, a universal school choice proposal that would create 20,000 scholarships to empower families, as well as a package of relief legislation for those affected by Hurricane Helene and immigration legislation to support the federal government under President Donald Trump.
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President Donald Trump weighed in on the Education Freedom Act of 2025 filed in the Tennessee General Assembly on Tuesday, voicing support for the legislators who are working to pass the school choice bill.
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America First Policy Institute (AFPI) declared support for Tennessee Governor Bill Lee’s universal school choice bill filed in the Tennessee General Assembly, arguing that the bill embodies the organization’s “America First, Always” motto.
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Tennessee Governor Bill Lee unveiled his administration’s agenda on illegal immigration for state lawmakers to debate during next week’s special legislative session.
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The Clarksville-Montgomery County School Board voted to pass a resolution on Tuesday establishing a neutral stance on school choice vouchers being debated by state lawmakers in the Tennessee General Assembly.
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Americans for Prosperity – Tennessee (AFP-TN) released its 2025 Legislative Agenda, calling on state lawmakers in the Tennessee General Assembly to pass legislation focused on three topics during this legislative session.
AFP-TN’s The Volunteer Way 2025 Legislative Agenda urges state lawmakers to pass the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act as well as legislation concerning universal school choice and state-wide property taxes.
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The Tennessee General Assembly will convene for a special legislative session on Monday, January 27 to focus on passing the Education Freedom Act, a disaster relief package, and other measures related to immigration, Governor Bill Lee announced on Wednesday.
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State Senator Brent Taylor (R-Memphis) on Thursday listed nine reasons he argues the Tennessee General Assembly should remove Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy in a press conference that lasted over an hour.
Taylor began by noting the process for the General Assembly to remove a District Attorney has been used twice in the last two decades, both times resulting in the resignation of the public official, before confirming he will provide his nine reasons for removal to lawmakers in the upcoming legislative session.
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The Nashville-based Beacon Center of Tennessee published results of a poll it conducted on Monday revealing how registered Tennessee voters feel about a number of legislative issues at both the state and federal levels.
The right-of-center think tank polled 1,200 registered voters in Tennessee from December 16, 2024, to December 27, 2024.
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Tennessee State Representative Elaine Davis (R-Knoxville) introduced a bill that would require all local educational agencies and public charter schools to provide free feminine hygiene products at each public senior high school for female student use.
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Tennessee State Representative Jake McCalmon (R-Franklin) introduced a bill last week that would increase the criminal penalty for abusing a child aged 9-17.
McCalmon’s bill, filed as HB 0045, would “increase the penalty from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class E felony for a person who commits child abuse by knowingly treating a child between the ages of nine and 17 in such a manner as to inflict injury.”
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Tennessee House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland) said the new universal school choice bill filed last month in the Tennessee General Assembly is a “win-win” for “everybody” on the issue, specifically for those in favor of a school choice program and those in favor of allocating more funding for public schools.
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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, 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 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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State lawmakers will continue pushing to amend the Tennessee Constitution to ban statewide property taxes during the next legislative session.
Senate Joint Resolution 0001, filed by State Senator Ferrell Haile (R-Gallatin), would prohibit the Tennessee General Assembly from levying, authorizing, or otherwise permitting a state tax on property.
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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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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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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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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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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 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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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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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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Tennessee State Senator Mark Pody (R-Lebanon) said he is working on drafting legislation to file during the next legislative session of the Tennessee General Assembly that would unbound the State of Tennessee from any policies created or pushed by the World Health Organization (WHO).
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Tennessee State Senator Brent Taylor (R-Memphis) is pushing back against the Memphis-based online publication MLK50: Justice Through Journalism after the outlet published an attack-style piece against the state senator’s effort to remove Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy from office.
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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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Thursday’s unofficial election results in the Republican primary races for the Tennessee General Assembly produced a mix of expected victories and unexpected losses in multiple districts across the Volunteer State.
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Tennessee State Representative Jake McCalmon (R-Franklin) said the Volunteer State is “fighting an uphill battle” against the Biden administration on “multiple” fronts due to the administration’s “failed policies.”
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A political action committee supporting challenger Bobby Harshbarger’s campaign has made disprovable claims about incumbent State Senator John Lundberg’s (R-Bristol) voting history on the issue of allowing in-state tuition for illegal immigrants.
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Tennessee State Senator Brent Taylor (R-Memphis) is defending his intent to file a Senate Joint Resolution requiring the removal of Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy during next year’s legislative session of the Tennessee General Assembly despite critics calling the move “an attempt to overturn an election.”
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Ten bills passed during the most recent legislative session of the Tennessee General Assembly and signed by Governor Bill Lee concerning school safety will take effect on Monday, July 1.
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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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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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State Senator Ferrell Haile (R-Gallatin) reflected on his work in the Tennessee General Assembly during this year’s recent-adjourned legislative session, specifically when it comes to passing legislation protecting children and addressing the effects of illegal immigration at the state level.
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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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Tennessee State Representative Chris Todd (R-Madison County) reflected back on this year’s session of the Tennessee General Assembly, calling it “productive” in terms of lawmakers passing a “balanced budget” and “protecting the liberties and freedoms” of Tennesseans.
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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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