Tag: Tennessee General Assembly

Dark Money Carpetbagger PAC Spends $100,000 on Radio Supporting Morgan Ortagus in TN-5

Aaron Gulbransen

A new dark money super PAC spent $100,000 in radio ads on Wednesday in support of carpetbagger Morgan Ortagus in the race for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional district seat, according to Federal Election Commission records released on Friday.

The PAC’s name is Tennessee Conservatives PAC and the expenditure was made on April 6. Saturation-level radio ads – at least 20 spots per day – began running on Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC in Nashville and 99.7 WTN in Nashville beginning on Wednesday.

The PAC, which was organized on February 22, 2022 according to FEC records, has yet to release its funding sources. The group’s report for the period ending March 31 will not be made filed with the FEC until April 15. It is common practice for dark money PACs to hide their sources of funding until the latest possible date.

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Report: New Dark Money Group with Possible Connections to Morgan Ortagus Targeting Tennessee Residency Legislation

Aaron Gulbransen

Jake Sherman of Punchbowl News and MSNBC is reporting that a well-funded new super PAC named Tennessee Conservative PAC says they intend to file a lawsuit challenging the General Assembly-passed three-year residency requirement legislation for candidates in federal primaries.

The legislation has yet to be transmitted to Governor Lee for his signature.

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Tennessee Bill Would Excuse Teachers from Using Students’ Gender Pronouns

Peter D'Abrosca

A bill making its way through the Tennessee General Assembly would protect teachers who do not use specific gender pronouns preferred by their students. 

SB 2777 “specifies that a teacher or other employee of a public school or [Local Education Association] is not required to refer to a student using the student’s preferred pronoun if the pronoun does not align with the student’s biological sex” and “insulates a teacher or other employee of a public school or LEA from civil liability and adverse employment action for referring to a student using the pronoun aligned with the student’s biological sex instead of the student’s preferred pronoun.”

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General Assembly Three-Year Residency Requirement Legislation for Federal Candidates in Primaries on March 28 House Message Calendar

Aaron Gulbransen
Tennessee Senate Chamber

Tennessee legislation establishing three-year residency requirements for candidates in federal primaries is on the House message calendar for floor consideration on Monday, March 28.

According to Tennessee state House staff, the House message calendar is for bills that went over to the Senate, were non-concurred, and came back.

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Senate Noncurs with House on Residency Bill for Primary Eligibility

Aaron Gulbransen

The Tennessee Senate has non-concurred, essentially rejecting the House-passed version of the three-year residency requirement bill for federal candidates in primary.

The bill now goes back to the House, where they have the option to conform to the Senate version, or else the legislation goes to conference committee. The state House is expected to consider the legislation again this week.

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Democrat-Sponsored Legislation Creating Firearm Buyback Program Scheduled for Committee Hearings

Aaron Gulbransen

Democrat-sponsored legislation which contains creation of firearm buyback program and refers to gun violence as a public health issue is scheduled for Tennessee General Assembly Committee consideration over the coming days.

The legislation requires the Tennessee Department of Safety to develop a firearm buyback program “in
collaboration with local community groups.”

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Tennessee House Overwhelmingly Approves Legislation Creating Three-Year Residency Requirement for Federal Candidates in Primaries

Aaron Gulbransen
Tennessee Capitol building

The Tennessee House has approved legislation creating a three-year residency requirement for federal candidates in primaries. The final vote was 86 to 0 to approve HB2764, as 6 members voted “present” on the legislation.

The companion bill, SB2616, had already passed the Tennessee Senate. The bills were originally markedly different in terms of the effective date, but that conflict was resolved.

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Legislation Establishing Residency Requirements for Federal Candidates Scheduled for House Floor Vote

Aaron Gulbransen
Dave Wright

Tennessee House legislation establishing residency requirements for federal candidates is scheduled for a floor vote on Monday, March 14.

The companion bill, SB2616, has already passed the Tennessee Senate and is sitting on the House desk. The bills are currently markedly different in terms of effective date, but that conflict is expected to change when HB2764 comes to the floor.

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Tennessee State Rep. Wants to Criminalize COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates

Peter D'Abrosca
Bruce Griffey

A member of the Tennessee General Assembly Tuesday filed a bill that would criminalize COVID-19 mandates in the state, saying that he doesn’t think Tennessee has done enough to combat such mandates.

“I don’t feel that the legislature went far enough during October’s special legislative session on this issue. This is about protecting an individual’s freedom to make their own medical decisions and the freedom of parents to make healthcare decisions for their children,” State Rep. Bruce Griffey (R-Paris) in a press release. “Those individuals who want to get vaccinated should be able to do so.  However, those individuals, who have concerns about the vaccine, should not have to live in fear that they may lose their jobs or their children may not be able to attend school or they may not be able to enter a business to purchase groceries if they don’t get vaccinated.”

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Tennessee’s Redistricting Changes Illustrated in New Online Dashboard

Chris Butler

Tennessee residents can now go online to see how the 2021-2022 redistricting process impacts them.

Members of the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office have created a new online dashboard called Tennessee District Lookup that shows which addresses in the state are now assigned to which legislative district.

The new dashboard updates the public on legislative district information for county commissions, the U.S. Congress, and both houses of the Tennessee General Assembly.

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Tennessee State Rep Files Resolution That Says an AP Article That Accuses the U.S. Military of a ‘Culture of Racism’ Is False

Morgan Nicole Veysey
Bud Husley

A new resolution was introduced in the Tennessee General Assembly this week to claim an Associated Press (AP) article on racism in the U.S. Military as untrue. Representative Bud Hulsey (R-Kingsport) sponsored the resolution, which was explained as “Expresses sense of General Assembly that May 2021 Associated Press article alleging “deep-seated racism” and “culture of discrimination” in U.S. military is untrue.”

The resolution claimed the authors of the article did not use proper statistics in their study, and instead “of evidencing a culture of racism, this data, provided by the military, actually makes the opposite case that racism in the U.S. military is uncommon and not a largescale problem.”

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Commentary: Tennessee Republicans Will Work to Keep Communities and Schools Safe in 2022

Admin
School bus

Tennessee voters spoke loud and clear last November when they overwhelmingly elected Republicans to represent them at every level. I’m extremely proud that Republicans in the Tennessee General Assembly have delivered on the promise to uphold conservative values, increase economic opportunities, improve public safety and strengthen education. We still have much work to do and we will continue to work to address these priorities during this upcoming legislative session. 

Our state budget is probably the most significant component of public policy our governor and General Assembly tackle each year. Unlike the federal government, Tennessee’s constitution requires us to balance our budget. The federal government’s debt has amassed to almost $30 trillion, something we should all be concerned about for future generations to come.

Our primary goal each year is always the same: to pass a balanced budget. From top to bottom, Tennessee’s $42.6 billion zero-debt budget is a spending plan that addresses the priorities and needs of all Tennesseans. 

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Tennessee Legislature Session Opens with Focus on Congressional Maps, Proposed Voting Integrity Laws

The Center Square

The Tennessee General Assembly begins its legislative session Tuesday with two essential priorities: redistricting maps and a new K-12 public education funding model.

The assembly will also consider two bills that attempt to enhance voting integrity.

Proposed state Senate maps and Congressional maps are scheduled to be released Wednesday by the assembly’s Select Committee on Redistricting. The new education funding formula is expected to be announced in the next week as well.

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Tennessee Legislature Opens Session with Focus on Maps, School Funding

Admin

The Tennessee General Assembly begins its legislative session at noon Tuesday with two essential priorities: redistricting maps and a new K-12 public education funding model.

Proposed state Senate maps and Congressional maps are scheduled to be revealed by the Select Committee on Redistricting during its meeting at 10 a.m. Wednesday. The new education funding formula is expected to be announced in the next week as well.

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Americans for Prosperity-Backed Bill Could Make Tennessee Politicians Think Twice Before Raising Property Taxes

Chris Butler

A bill making its way through the Tennessee General Assembly would, if enacted into law, force local government officials to show homeowners exactly how much a property tax increase would take out of their bank accounts. Americans for Prosperity -Tennessee (AFP-TN) spokesman Grant Henry on Tuesday identified this legislation by two different names: Stop Surprise Taxes or Truth in Advertising.

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Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee Remains Silent on Forced COVID-19 National Guard Vaccinations, But Certain Legislators Are Speaking Out

Chris Butler

Staff for Tennessee Governor Bill Lee won’t comment on the matter, but State Senator Joey Hensley (R-Hohenwald) said Thursday that members of the Tennessee National Guard should decide on their own whether to vaccinate against COVID-19. Tennessee National Guard officials said in November that their troops must take the COVID-19 shot or face discharge. This, per a mandate from the U.S. Department of Defense and President Joe Biden.

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Special Session Legislation Increases Safeguards Related to COVID-19, but Some Legislators Say Concessions for Big Business and the Federal Government Leave Tennesseans Unequally Protected

Laura Baigert

The legislation that emerged in Saturday’s early morning hours from the three days of the 112th Tennessee General Assembly’s Third Extraordinary Session provided a number of safeguards against COVID-19 mandates, but some legislators say concessions to accommodate big business and funding from the federal government also resulted in unequal protection for some Tennesseans against COVID mandates.

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New Bill Proposal Would Temporarily Replace District Attorney Who Refuses to Enforce Laws

Morgan Nicole Veysey

New legislation has been discussed in the Tennessee General Assembly focusing on District Attorneys that do not enforce laws. On Wednesday, Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville-25) proposed new legislation.

Sexton’s proposed bill states that:

District Attorneys – As introduced, allows the attorney general and reporter to petition the court for appointment of a district attorney general pro tem if a district attorney general peremptorily and categorically refuses to prosecute all instances of a criminal offense without regard to facts or circumstances; requires the court to appoint a district attorney general pro tem if the court finds the district attorney general has refused to attend and prosecute according to law.

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Tennessee State Representatives Grills and Zachary Propose Bill that Would Provide Unemployment Benefits to Workers Who Quit over Vaccine Mandates

Kaitlin Housler

Tennessee lawmakers in the General Assembly introduced a bill Friday that would ensure that Tennesseans who quit their jobs over vaccine mandates receive unemployment benefits. Representative Rusty Grills (R-Newbern) is sponsoring the bill while Representative Jason Zachary (R-Knoxville) signed on as a co-sponsor.

Currently, voluntarily quitting a job typically disqualifies someone from receiving unemployment. In some cases, the vaccine requirements, including from President Biden, include a weekly COVID-19 testing option.

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Sumner County School Board Passes Resolution to Ask State for Flexibility Concerning COVID-19

Kaitlin Housler

On Tuesday, the Sumner County School Board passed resolutions regarding COVID-19 in their district. The resolution will now go to state lawmakers asking them not to require a waiver to have 180 school days if they have to shut down over coronavirus cases and dip into snow days. The school board is also asking the state for more flexibility when it comes to remote and hybrid learning.

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Patriot Group Members Grill Lt. Governor Randy McNally over Governor’s Executive Orders and Call for Special Session

Laura Baigert

Lt. Gov. Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) was grilled at a Tuesday evening meeting by a large conservative grassroots group in his district that wants the state senate speaker to call a special session to deal with Governor Bill Lee’s executive orders.

McNally said that “a special session is one of the options on the table” and that he wouldn’t rule it out.

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Maury County Mayor Andrew Ogles Tells Legislators to Rein in Gov. Bill Lee’s ‘Abuses of Power’

Chris Butler

Maury County Mayor Andrew Ogles on Wednesday called upon members of the Tennessee General Assembly to convene a special session to address Gov. Bill Lee and what Ogles said was the governor’s “continued abuses of power.” Ogles, in this proclamation, said Lee’s “indecisiveness and half measures” have “subjugated parents and their children to out of control school boards and superintendents, liberal mayors and a complicit commissioner of education.”

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Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton Formally Asks Gov. Bill Lee for Special Legislative Session on COVID-19 Mask Mandates

Chris Butler

Tennessee Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) and more than 70 other Republican state representatives on Wednesday formally requested that Gov. Bill Lee call a special session of the General Assembly. Sexton said last week he and other legislators want to restrain public school officials who might mandate or have already mandated that students wear COVID-19 masks.

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Exclusive: Club for Growth Foundation Releases Tennessee General Assembly Missed Votes Scorecard

Laura Baigert

Club for Growth Foundation released exclusively to The Tennessee Star the Tennessee General Assembly Missed Votes Scorecard for the 2021 regular and special legislative sessions.

Club for Growth is the nation’s leading free-enterprise advocacy group focused on key economic policy and known for holding legislators accountable by publicizing their voting record.

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Bill Proposes Voter Poll on Legalization, Decriminalization of Medical or Recreational Marijuana in Tennessee

Corinne Murdock

Tennesseans may have the option to weigh in on the legalization or decriminalization of marijuana: medical, recreational, or both. State Representative Bruce Griffey (R-Paris) introduced bill HB 1634 on Wednesday to include a voter opinion poll on the subject within the November 2022 ballot.

The poll would ask voters if Tennessee should legalize medical marijuana, decriminalize possession of less than one ounce of marijuana, and legalize and regulate commercial sales of recreational marijuana.

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Joan Carter Replaces Late Husband as State Representative

Cooper Moran
Joan Carter

Joan Carter was appointed by a unanimous vote on Wednesday to serve as the State Representative for the 29th District, replacing her late husband Rep. Mike Carter. 

While the business of the Tennessee General Assembly has concluded for the year, the appointment serves as an honor to the late representative and will allow Carter to carry on the legacy of her husband. She will serve as the state representative for the area on an interim basis, until the conclusion of the special election with the primary election being scheduled for July 27 and the general for September 14. 

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Tennessee to Hold Special Election for State Representative

Cooper Moran

Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett has set a date for a special election to fill the open State Representative position for District 29.

The primary election is scheduled for July 27 and the general for September 14. Candidates can pick up petitions immediately, and the qualifying deadline is noon on June 17 — Hargett said in a tweet on Wednesday. Hargett accepted the writ of election from Governor Bill Lee on Tuesday afternoon.

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Tennessee Legislature Committee to Probe Migrant Relocation

Cooper Moran

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. 

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Tennessee Government Operations Committee to Examine Diversity and Equity Program Wednesday, Sources Say

Chris Butler

Members of the Tennessee General Assembly are scheduled to hold a Joint Government Operations Committee meeting Wednesday, and sources say they will discuss the controversial Diversity and Equity program for state employees. State legislators have scheduled the meeting for 1 p.m. Central Wednesday at House Hearing Room I in the Cordell Hull Building in Nashville, according to the Tennessee General Assembly’s website. An agenda for the meeting was unavailable Tuesday night.

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Governor Lee Signs Bill into Law that Prohibits Outside Funding to Elections Without Legislative Speakers’ Consent

Corinne Murdock

A new Tennessee law makes outside funding to state and local election officials an exception to the rule. Governor Bill Lee signed the bill into law last week – it ensures that select elected officials review all outside funding, if any. It would also enable the public to access information on those outside funds through open records. 

This law will apply to both the state and county-level election commissions, the secretary of state, county administrators of elections, and the coordinator of elections. Only combined approval from the state House and Senate speakers would enable state election officials to accept funding from private individuals, corporations, organizations, or political parties. As for county election commissions and administrators of elections, outside funding must be approved by the secretary of state or one of their designees. 

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New Tennessee Law Allows College Athletes to Profit from Sponsorships, Endorsements

Corinne Murdock

Tennessee will allow its college athletes to be compensated for any use of their name, image, and likeness (NIL), beginning next January. Governor Bill Lee signed the bill into law on Tuesday.

Current NCAA rules don’t allow college athletes to receive NIL compensation from opportunities like sponsorships or endorsements. That’s because the NCAA requires college athletes to maintain “amateur athletic status.” In addition to prohibiting compensation based on NIL, college athletes are prohibited from receiving additional compensation for competition, training expense funds, or prize money from competing. The NCAA also doesn’t allow college athletes to be represented or marketed by agents or other professionals.

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Tennessee General Assembly Demands Answers from State Agency Over its Diversity and Equity Program

Chris Butler

Tennessee State Rep. John Ragan (R-Oak Ridge) has formally asked Tennessee Department of Human Resources (DOHR) Commissioner Juan Williams to explain the diversity and equity council program he wants state agencies to enforce. In his letter, Ragan requested that Williams justify his actions — in a timely manner — and explain how much it will cost taxpayers.

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Tennessee General Assembly Eliminates Sentence Reductions for Sex Trafficking, Rape, Molestation, Child Abuse and More

Corinne Murdock

The Tennessee General Assembly passed a bill eliminating sentence reductions for 31 sexually-related offenses. These offenses were largely related to rape, assault, sex trafficking, and a variety of crimes against children. The Senate hastened to pass the bill on Wednesday after the House passed it on Tuesday. The General Assembly voted unanimously in favor of the bill. 

As amended, the bill established that there would be no release eligibility for the following offenses: female genital mutilation, felony domestic assault, sex trafficking, advertising minor sexual abuse, rape, aggravated and non-aggravated sexual battery, aggravated statutory rape, felony indecent exposure, patronizing or promoting prostitution, public indecency, continuous child molestation, sexual battery by an authority figure, felony solicitation of a minor, sexual exploitation of a minor, statutory rape by an authority figure, promoting travel for prostitution, unlawful photography of a child under 13, observation without consent, incest, aggravated and non-aggravated child abuse or child neglect and endangerment, child pornography, sale and distribution of child-like sex dolls, and aggravated and especially aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor. It would also ensure no release eligibility for conspiracy, criminal attempt, or solicitation of any of the above offenses.

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