A bill that would allow qualified employees to concealed carry firearms in a school is scheduled to be discussed by the Tennessee House on Wednesday.
Senate Bill 1325 includes a list of requirements before an employee – which includes teachers, administrators and other staff – is approved for concealed carry.
Read the full story
The Tennessee House voted Thursday to allow the Tennessee Department of Tourism to keep contracts hidden for up to 10 years for events such as a Super Bowl.
House Bill 1692 expands the number of records that can be kept concealed and the length of time.
Read the full story
Tennessee Representatives who were part of a joint committee examining the state rejecting K-12 federal education funding submitted a report on their findings without the signature of one member.
The report said Tennessee schools will accept $1.3 billion in federal funding this fiscal year, 9.9% of the funding for those schools. The state contributes $6.9 billion and local governments spend $4.8 billion.
Read the full story
Tennessee State Representatives Justin Jones (D-Nashville) and Justin Pearson (D-Memphis) are looking to cash in on their expulsion battles — and their friends on the far-left are, too.
Jones and Pearson, who were expelled last week from the Republican-led House of Representatives, are back in their seats after each was reinstated this week — Jones on Monday, Pearson on Wednesday. They were removed from their positions after being accused of inciting a riot on the House floor amid a chaotic protest demanding gun control laws. State Representative Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville), who helped lead the protest, survived expulsion by one vote.
Read the full story
The Tennessee Senate approved a bill to give the state the majority of power appointing board members for the Metro Nashville Airport Authority on Thursday.
The airport authority currently has seven members, all appointed by Nashville’s mayor and approved by the Metro Nashville council. If signed into law, Senate Bill 1326 would make it an eight-member board with two appointees each for the mayor, governor, House speaker and Senate speaker.
Read the full story
The Tennessee House voted Monday night to approve a bill to cut the Metro Nashville council from 40 to 20 members. The bill caps all cities and metro governments at 20 voting members, a rule that only currently applies to Nashville.
A fiscal note on House Bill 48 says that it will save Nashville $510,000 annually if the bill goes into full effect.
Read the full story
A bill that would lower the age to carry a handgun in Tennessee from 21 to 18 passed the House on Thursday.
Bill sponsor Rep. Chris Todd, R-Madison County, said that House Bill 1735 is about protecting the constitutional rights of 18-year-olds who can vote and enlist in the military. The bill passed by a 64-28 vote.
Read the full story
Wednesday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed Tennessee House Majority Leader Senator Jack Johnson to the newsmakers line to explain the expected passing of a caption bill that would put the guardrails on the teaching of critical race theory in K12 public schools.
Read the full story
The House passed a Democratic legislator’s resolution to award special recognition for her African American sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA). The resolution sponsor, State Representative Barbara Cooper (D-Memphis), framed the resolution as a recognition honoring law enforcement prior to the House floor vote. However, the enacting clause doesn’t mention law enforcement at all. Instead, the enacting clause only recognizes a “virtual celebration” for AKA members.
“[W]e recognize Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Day at the Capitol, May 6, 2021, a virtual celebration for the AKA members from the South Eastern Region of Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee,” stated the resolution.
Read the full story
The Tennessee House passed a bill enacting stricter oversight on contraceptive information for school-aged children. As amended, the legislation would require that any contraceptive information is consistent with public policy, approved by the local board of education or charter school governing body, and available upon request to the parent.
The educational boards must verify that the contraceptive information is both medically accurate and age-appropriate, and that it aligns with present state law and academic standards. If parents find the material objectionable, they can opt their student out without any penalty.
Read the full story
On Thursday, the Tennessee House passed a bill increasing parole eligibility and reducing parole violation punishments for inmates. The “Reentry Success Act of 2021” creates a presumption that eligible inmates must be granted parole on their eligibility date.
Additionally, parole violations that aren’t felonies or Class A misdemeanors would result in 15 days’ imprisonment for the first violation, 30 days for the second, 90 days for the third, and either one year or the remainder of the prisoner’s sentence for the fourth – whichever is the shorter of the two. Other changes to present law under the Reentry Success Act of 2021 include clarification that victims may submit videos for their victim impact statements, and waiving certain application costs for restricted drivers licenses. Felonies or Class A misdemeanors committed as part of parole violation would require prisoners to serve out the maximum of their sentence.
Read the full story
The Tennessee House passed a resolution Thursday congratulating acclaimed conservative pundit, author, Daily Wire talk show host, BLEXIT founder, and new mother Candace Owens for her move to Tennessee.
Owens announced her move to Nashville last October, when she also revealed that she would be joining conservative media outlet, The Daily Wire. Last month she debuted her show, “Candace,” with the outlet.
Read the full story
The Tennessee House passed a bill cancelling the excise tax on certain COVID-19 payments given to businesses. The legislation would cover all payments from March 1 to December 31 of last year.
If passed, the bill would apply to payments from the Tennessee Business Relief Program, the Tennessee Supplemental Employer Recovery Grant Program, the Coronavirus Agricultural and Forestry Business Fund, the Hospital Staffing Assistance Program, the Emergency Medical Services Ambulance Assistance Program, the Tennessee Small and Rural Hospital Readiness Grants Program, or the federal Child Care and Development Block Grant.
Read the full story
Tennessee’s elections were called for Republicans across the board not long after the polls closed on Tuesday night. The red state remained red, for the most part. One state-level seat flipped in Davidson County: a blue dot surrounded by red.
On the national scale, President Donald Trump won with an approximate 23 point lead over Democratic candidate Joe Biden. That lead is 3 points shy of his 2016 victory against Hillary Clinton. A total of just over 3 million votes were reported. Absentee votes favored Biden by just under one percent.
Read the full story
Tennessee is now one step closer to becoming a Second Amendment sanctuary after the state House of Representatives passed a resolution Monday strengthening legal protections of gun ownership.
Resolution HJR074, drafted in March, requires the state to “[extend] a safe harbor to Virginians and other United States citizens whose constitutional rights are being violated by elected officials.” It also affirms that citizens have a right to maintain arms equivalent “to those of their government’s basic infantry unit.”
Read the full story
Tennessee House Democratic Caucus Chair Mike Stewart (D-Nashville) called on Gov. Bill Lee to create a “statewide system to trace the steps of those testing positive for COVID-19.”
“I call on Gov. Lee to use state resources to create a statewide contact tracing system including testing where necessary,” Stewart said in an interview with WKRN.
Read the full story
Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada is holding discussions with Republican lawmakers on when he will resign, now that he has returned from a vacation in Europe, WKRN reported. The station quoted Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Scott Golden as saying Monday that Casada would “meet with the leadership team and those discussions are going to start today.” However, some Republicans are voicing frustration that his talks are going through the end of this week and he has refused to set an actual date to step down, NewsChannel 5 said. State Rep. Casada (R-Franklin) said in late May he would resign as speaker after House Republicans voted “no confidence” by a margin of 45-24, The Tennessee Star reported. Another question looming before the House is who will fill Casada’s shoes. Steve Gill, Political Editor of The Star, said, “Once speaker Casada announces the timetable for his departure, the fight to replace him will begin in earnest. So far, there has been some positioning and preparation but it will be full on Game of Thrones soon.” “Some potential candidates may ultimately decide to wait for another shot, not because they don’t want to be Speaker but because they make the calculation that…
Read the full story
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee promised to call a special session to remove House Speaker Glen Casada if he does not resign, following a no-confidence vote by House Republicans. Lee on Monday night tweeted, “Today House Republicans sent a clear message, and I’m prepared to call a special session if the Speaker doesn’t resign.” Today House Republicans sent a clear message, and I’m prepared to call a special session if the Speaker doesn’t resign. — Gov. Bill Lee (@GovBillLee) May 21, 2019 After the vote of no confidence, Casada said he was “disappointed” but would “work the next few months to regain the confidence of my colleagues so we can continue to build on the historic conservative accomplishments of this legislative session,” according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press. According to a story by WSMV: Lee issued the statement after the 45-24 vote of no confidence taken against Casada after a lengthy meeting of the House Republican Caucus. House Majority Leader William Lamberth also called for Casada to resign and asked Lee to call a special session. House Republican leaders called for Casada’s resignation and supported the governor’s declaration, according to a story by The Tennessee Journal: On the Hill.…
Read the full story
Nearly two weeks after the Tennessee State Capitol was roiled with reports of misconduct by House Speaker Glen Casada and his then-Chief of Staff Cade Cothren, Casada’s office has issued his most detailed response to the allegations to date. The Statement, first made available to Members of the House Republican Caucus, attempts to distinguish between claims that Casada says are true and those that are false. Cothren himself answered many of the same allegations earlier this week in an exclusive interview with The Tennessee Star. The Star has also detailed the misreporting of various “facts” by certain media outlets over the past week. In the statement, Casada points out: “In recent days, we have seen numerous false and misleading allegations and reports in the media and online related to actions taken by Speaker Glen Casada and this office. We think the public deserves to know the facts. As part of our action plan to bring greater clarity and transparency to the coverage of these issues, we have prepared this summary of some of the most outrageous and unsubstantiated charges and allegations.” Casada acknowledges that “there were a small number of inappropriate text threads privately shared between then Tennessee House…
Read the full story
NASHVILLE, Tennessee – Following the resignation of his Chief of Staff, Tennessee House Democrats are split on what Speaker Glen Casada should do next. In a press conference held at the Cordell Hull Building Tuesday morning, Chairman of the Tennessee Black Caucus Representative G. A. Hardaway (D-Memphis) reading from a prepared statement, called for the TBI (Tennessee Bureau of Investigation) to investigate Speaker Casada’s former Chief of Staff Cade Cothren. Cothren has been at the center of controversy since late last week when reports of alleged email tampering associated with activist Justin Jones came out, followed by the uncovering of racially derogatory and sexually explicit texts. Cothren resigned from his Chief of Staff position on Monday. Representative Hardaway was joined for the press conference by Senator Brenda Gilmore (D-Nashville), Representative Vincent Dixie (D-Nashville) as well as Chair of the Tennessee Democratic Party Mary Mancini. In the prepared statement, Representative Hardaway called Justin Jones a civil rights activist and said that media reports say Cothren falsified evidence in a judicial proceeding to obtain the incarceration of Jones. Justin Jones was a frequent protester at the State Capitol, until he was banned after allegedly throwing a cup of liquid at Speaker…
Read the full story
Tennessee’s efforts to provide school choice have captured President Donald Trump’s attention. The president on Wednesday tweeted, “The Great State of Tennessee is so close to passing School Choice. All of our Nation’s children, regardless of background, deserve a shot at achieving the American Dream! Time to get this done, so important!” The Great State of Tennessee is so close to passing School Choice. All of our Nation’s children, regardless of background, deserve a shot at achieving the American Dream! Time to get this done, so important! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 24, 2019 The Tennessee Star reported on Tuesday’s dramatic vote by the State House to approve Gov. Bill Lee’s Education Savings Account (ESA) bill. Rep. Jason Zachary (R-Knoxville) changed his vote from No to Aye to break the tie after Knox County Schools were exempted from the ESA program. Zachary tweeted, “Update on my ESA vote…. Knox County is out, held fiscally harmless and our teachers get their raises!” Update on my ESA vote….Knox County is out, held fiscally harmless and our teachers get their raises! pic.twitter.com/K583kzdE5u — Rep. Jason Zachary (@JasonZacharyTN) April 23, 2019 The ESA bill is expected to get a Senate floor vote…
Read the full story
State Rep. Rick Staples (D-TN-15) resigned from a leadership position in the House following allegations of sexual harassment, multiple media outlets have reported. Staples, of Knox County, on Thursday resigned as assistant House minority leader but will continue to represent Knoxville, WATE said. “I have already publicly apologized for any distress I unintentionally caused. I have decided to step down from my leadership position of Assistant House Minority Leader so I can end the unwarranted suffering on my family, continue to serve my constituents unimpeded and end any distractions this may bring to the Tennessee House,” Staples said in a released statement. “I look forward to following the recommendations of the Ethics Committee and pledge to remain the best servant to my constituency of District 15. I’ll have no further comment going forward on this matter.” Tennessee legislative sources say a woman filed a sexual harassment complaint against Rep. Staples with the House Ethics Committee. Staples is also a member of that committee. House Republican Caucus Chair Cameron Sexton implied last week that Democratic leaders did not immediately take action on the complaint against Staples, and added that could be a violation, WKRN reported. House Democrat Caucus Chair Mike Stewart denied…
Read the full story
Newly elected State Rep. Bruce Griffey (R-TN-75) has called on the Tennessee House of Representatives as its first action of the 2019 legislative session to pass a resolution supporting President’s Donald Trump’s efforts to end “birth right” citizenship. Griffey urges Tennessee to lead the way in amending the U.S. Constitution, he said in a press release. His district covers Benton, Henry and Stewart counties. On Oct. 30, President Trump announced his intention to issue an executive order to clarify that simply because a child happens to be born on U.S. soil does not necessarily mean that the child is a U.S. citizen solely by virtue of that location of birth. An entire cottage industry has sprung up to cater to foreigners who seek American citizenship for their soon-to-be-born offspring. Griffey proposed that the resolution provide, in part, that: “Tennessee fully supports President Trump’s effort to end ‘birth right’ citizenship and stands ready to be the first state to ratify Constitutional amendment ending the practice if his executive order is not fully implemented and enforced.” Griffey has been a staunch supporter of Trump, having campaigned for him during the 2016 primary, his press release said. His wife Rebecca served as part of…
Read the full story
Republicans in the Tennessee House of Representatives will select their next leader on Tuesday, Nov. 27. One political observer has thrown out the name he believes will be picked. The upcoming Republican decision means replacing the spot that has been held by retiring Speaker State Rep. Beth Harwell (R-TN-56), who retired to run for governor, WKRN reports. She came in fourth against Gov.-elect Bill Lee in the primary. Republicans hold nearly three-quarters of the House seats, so their nominee for speaker will easily win the position when both parties vote in January as lawmakers convene their next session. “At this point, it’s probably Glen Casada’s to lose,” said longtime political analyst Steve Gill, Political Editor of The Tennessee Star. Casada (R-TN-63) is from Thompson Station. His Williamson County counterpart, State Sen. Jack Johnson (R-TN-23), is considered a front-runner for Senate Majority Leader. The Tennessee Senate Republican Caucus will choose its leaders on Monday, Dec. 3. That story is here. House Majority Leader Casada, the main sponsor of last session’s opioid bill, State Rep. David Hawk(R-TN-05) and current Speaker Pro-Tem State Rep. Curtis Johnson (R-TN-68) are on the ballot to replace Harwell. “Curtis Johnson is a more moderate candidate for speaker,”…
Read the full story
The Republican Leadership of the Tennessee House of Representatives recently provided the Tennessee House Republican Caucus with a detailed and mandatory “Due Schedule,” specifically stating that “the contribution amounts are required by each member” of the caucus, along with a warning of potential reprisals for not following the “pay-to-play” directive, a source with direct knowledge tells The Tennessee Star. The Star is in receipt of the “Due Schedule” document that came out of a late August Sunday morning Republican House Member Caucus meeting, the timing of which coincided with Sunday worship and summer vacation for many. The “Due Schedule” cites that every Republican House Member must pay dues of $1,000 each. With Republicans holding the super majority 74 of 99 seats, the baseline Member dues results in an initial fund raising total of $74,000 for the Caucus. The top leadership positions are held by Beth Harwell (R-Nashville), Speaker of the House and gubernatorial candidate; Steve McDaniel, Deputy Speaker; Curtis Johnson, Speaker Pro Tempore; Glen Casada (R-Franklin), Republican Leader; and Ryan Williams, Caucus Chairman. Dues for each of the twelve “Leadership” positions, to be paid in addition to the Member dues, are itemized as follows: Leadership Speaker of the House – $9,000 Deputy…
Read the full story