As Sen. Jon Lundberg began Wednesday’s Senate Education Committee meeting, he joked the committee would not be getting to all 121 bills on the calendar.
That included the first thing on the body’s regular calendar: the new public school funding formula dubbed the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA).
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Twenty individuals are now listed as collecting qualifying petitions for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District race as of last Friday by the Tennessee Secretary of State’s office.
Fourteen people are collecting qualifying petitions for the GOP primary, three are gathering petitions for the Democrat primary, and three independents are also accumulating petitions.
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Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed potential candidate for Tennessee’s Fifth Congressional District, Omar Hamada in studio to answer quiz questions of Taking the 5th.
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Representative Mark Green (R-TN-07) has introduced a bill that would stop federal agencies from assisting Hollywood studios that co-produce films with a Chinese company that are subject to the Chinese Communist Party’s content restrictions. Green, in a statement, called his bill The Stopping Communist Regimes from Engaging in Edits Now Act (SCREEN Act).
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Eighteen individuals are now collecting petitions for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District race as of Friday, March 4.
Twelve people are collecting qualifying petitions for the GOP primary. Three are collecting petitions for the Democrat primary. Three Independents are also collecting petitions.
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Live Friday morning on NPR for the Midsouth’s WKNO-91.9 FM News, host Christopher Blank talks to Political Analyst Otis Sanford about the Republican push for a three-year residency requirement to run for Congress in Tennessee. Blank: Let’s take a look at another state law. Republicans are pushing for a three-year residency requirement for people running for Congress in Tennessee. Why shouldn’t somebody just be able to move here and run for the U.S. Senate? Sanford: (Chuckles) I would be definitely opposed to that, Chris. I mean, first of all, you’ve got to learn the community before you can try to lead the community. Blank: I think before we continue, why would you say, as one candidate has just done. Leave Florida, move to Tennessee and immediately run for a House of Representatives seat? Sanford: For the House of Representatives, yes. Blank: Which is happening in Nashville. Why would you do that? What is the point of leaving one state, moving to another state and then trying to win a national seat? Sanford: In this particular instance, it is a person who thinks that their political connections going all the way up to the former White House, will give them an…
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Members of the Tennessee House Government Operations Committee are scheduled to discuss and debate two bills this week that address legislative approval of school textbooks. Tennessee Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) sponsors one bill, HB 2666. If enacted into law, members of the State Textbook and Instructional Materials Quality Commission would have to provide a copy of the commission’s proposed textbook and instructional materials list to legislators.
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State Senator Brian Kelsey (R-Germantown) told his constituents on Friday that he will not run for reelection, and he intends to spend more time with his family. “It has been a true honor to serve you for 18 years and to work with you to pass more constitutional amendments than any other Tennessee legislator in history — including one to forever ban the income tax,” Kelsey wrote on his Facebook page.
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AJ Bahou, a self-described conservative, on Wednesday announced he is running as a Republican for Tennessee State Representative in House District 63. The 63rd District comprises eastern Williamson County.
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Eleven individuals are now collecting qualifying petitions for the Tennessee’s Fifth Congressional district Republican primary ballot. Including three Democrats and three Independents, a total of seventeen people are collecting petitions in order to qualify to run for office under Party and state rules.
The Tennessee Secretary of State’s office posts the names of individuals who are collecting qualifying petitions for various Tennessee elections every Friday. The latest individuals to begin collecting petitions to earn their spot on the Republican primary ballot for TN-5 ballot are former Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives Beth Harwell, businessman Baxter Lee, and Stewart Parks. All are listed as being from Nashville.
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A new bill would, if enacted into law, prohibit a Tennessee licensing board or disciplinary subcommittee from acting against a physician’s license based solely on the physician’s recommendations to a patient regarding treatment for COVID-19. The bill would also prohibit a pharmacy from blocking or attempting to block a patient’s access to COVID-19 treatments in certain circumstances.
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Members of the Tennessee Senate State and Local Government Committee are scheduled to discuss a bill this week that would require comptrollers to establish an Office of Election Integrity to perform and supervise election audits. Senator Janice Bowling (R-Tullahoma) is sponsoring the bill, SB 1939.
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During his presentations of a bill that would enter the state of Mississippi into an interstate compact with Arkansas and Tennessee, the Senate sponsor completely omitted that, if passed, the law would create an unelected quasi-governmental entity with very broad powers, including eminent domain. The bill went on to pass the state Senate unanimously on February 3.
SB2716, sponsored by Republican Senator David Parker (R-DeSoto), is a 17-page document that creates the RegionSmart Development District (District) and the RegionSmart Development Agency of the Greater Memphis Region (RegionSmart Development).
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Members of the Tennessee State House of Representatives on Thursday voted to approve Senate Bill 29, which would allow first responders to live where they choose. State Senator Brian Kelsey (R-Germantown) sponsored the legislation. The bill would ban residency requirements for police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical services workers.
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Tennessee Congressman Jim Cooper (D-TN-05) told CBS News this week that it’s in Democrats’ best interests to befriend rural voters.“There are other things we could do for rural voters, but primarily it is a values question, Senator [Daniel Patrick] Moynahan said ‘The central conservative truth is that culture trumps politics. The central liberal truth is that politics eventually can change culture,’” Cooper told the network.
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Tennessee Representative Bruce Griffey (R-Paris) has filed legislation that he said would, if enacted into law, repair a legal loophole with how the state treats unborn versus born babies who are exposed to drugs. Griffey said in a statement that this loophole in Tennessee law fails to protect unborn children from drug exposure in utero.
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Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Majority Whip Johnny Garrett to on the newsmaker line to comment upon Titans stadium funding and the Basic Education Program formula changes.
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Members of the Williamson County-based Tennessee Stands are warning the public that a new bill making its way through the Tennessee General Assembly that purports to protect religious liberty does the opposite. Legislators say that the bill, HB 1867, and its companion legislation, SB 1823, will secure religious exemptions for healthcare workers. The Tennessee General Assembly’s website lists Representative Jason Zachary (R-Knoxville) as the house sponsor. The website also lists Senator and Tennessee Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson (R-Franklin) as the senate sponsor.
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Anderson County officials have indicted a former school office assistant for allegedly stealing more than $20,000 from a fund set up to help needy students. This, according to a report that Tennessee Comptrollers published late last week.
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Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and Tennessee Department of Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn are scheduled to announce legislation for the new student-based funding formula, known as the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement formula (TISA) this week. According to an emailed statement, Lee and Schwinn are scheduled to present the legislation on Thursday, February 24.
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Live from Nashville, Tennessee, Friday morning on The Dan Mandis Show – weekdays on Supertalk 99.7 WTN – weekdays 5 a.m. to 9 a.m.– host Mandis welcomed Tennessee Governor Bill Lee to discuss how he will reformulate the Basic Education Program from the ground up and hold underperforming schools accountable. Mandis: Governor Bill Lee joining us. And always appreciate having you on the radio program, sir. There’s been a lot of discussions going on Capitol Hill over the last few weeks about how we’re going to fund the schools. Now, Governor, you have said that you want the funding to follow the kids no matter where they go. During your State of the State speech, you said this: (Bill Lee clip plays) I am proposing an innovative approach that sets aside dollars for each student based on their individual needs. And these dollars will be used in whatever public school they attend. This is not just hundreds of millions of dollars on the line. This is our kids and their lives. So, Governor, a lot of folks said hallelujah. And for the last many weeks, we have been waiting, including folks in the state legislature, eagerly awaiting your proposal.…
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Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed all-star panelist Clint Brewer in studio to comment upon recent Triton polling for the Mayoral race in Rutherford County, Tennessee.
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Tennessee State Senator Ken Yager (R-Kingston) has filed a bill in the Tennessee General Assembly that he said would, if enacted into law, help school districts across Tennessee address ongoing staffing challenges.
The bill, SB 2702, would allow retired members of the Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System (TCRS) to seek reemployment as a K-12 teacher, K-12 substitute teacher, or as a K-12 bus driver. This, without the loss or suspension of the retired member’s TCRS benefits, Yager said in an emailed statement.
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The national average price for a gallon of gas rose last week to $3.48, four cents more than a week before, as The Tennessee Star previously reported.
The price of $3.48 is 18 cents more than a month ago and 98 cents more than a year ago, according to a press release by the American Automobile Association (AAA). The national average remains the highest price for a gallon of gas since 2014.
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On Friday, Charles A. “Chuck” Jones, 51, a Kentucky businessman, pleaded guilty to a decade-long scheme and conspiracy to defraud the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) E-Rate Program.
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Liberal mothers plan to attend more public-school board meetings to attempt to defeat conservative groups like Moms for Liberty, and now members of that group’s Williamson County chapter in Tennessee have responded. The Washington Post profiled these left-of-center mothers in an article this week. The report also said those mothers are about to go on offense against anyone who attends public school board meetings to speak out against Critical Race Theory (CRT) and COVID-19 masks.
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The Washington Post published an article this week that focused on Tennessee and said liberal mothers will attend more public-school board meetings to speak out against and attempt to defeat conservative groups like Moms for Liberty. The newspaper said these ‘Blue suburban moms’ are mobilizing. The report also said those mothers are about to go on offense against anyone who attends public school board meetings to speak out against Critical Race Theory (CRT) and COVID-19 masks.
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State Senator Frank Niceley (R-Strawberry Plains) has introduced a bill that would, if enacted into law, restrict people who haven’t lived in Tennessee for a certain period from running for Congress.
Specifically, the bill prohibits someone from accepting a nomination as a candidate for U.S. senator or as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives unless he or she voted in the state’s three previous elections.
Niceley told The Tennessee Star on Thursday that he has an amendment that will rewrite the measure, SB 2616.
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Kip Capley announced on Wednesday that he’s running for state representative from Tennessee’s 71st District. Former U.S. Senate candidate Manny Sethi has already endorsed Capley’s candidacy, according to an emailed statement.
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The Australian-based Tritium DCFC, which manufactures fast chargers for electric vehicles, has announced plans to open a new manufacturing facility in Lebanon, Tennessee. “The location is expected to house up to six production lines for Tritium’s DC fast chargers, including the company’s award-winning RTM and all-new PKM150 models,” according to a statement on the company’s website.
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Members of the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (TACIR) on Monday published a report that called for nearly $62 billion in public infrastructure improvements throughout the state. This includes infrastructure for K-12 public school buildings, transportation and utilities, health, safety, and welfare, recreation and culture, general government, and economic development.
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The Williamson County-based Tennessee Stands this week published its top four priorities for the 2022 session of the Tennessee General Assembly. Tennessee Stands, according to its website, calls on state and local officials “to restore our constitutional republic.”
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Sixteen states again are challenging a federal COVID-19 vaccination mandate for health care workers who work at facilities that receive Medicare and Medicaid funding.
Friday’s filing in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana comes after the issuance of final guidance on the mandate from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS), arguing the guidance is an action that is reviewable.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled by 5-4 vote Jan. 13 against the original Louisiana challenge to the mandate and a similar Missouri filing.
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Tennessee State Senator Brian Kelsey and State Representative John Gillespie on Wednesday filed legislation that they said would, if enacted into law, protect police officers’ bests interests. Specifically, Kelsey and Gillespie said the bill would protect police officers from liability for injuries to a third party caused during a police pursuit. This is provided that the police officers’ conduct is not grossly negligent.
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Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Mayor Andy Ogles in studio to comment on the State of the State Address and what impact the $52 billion budget will ahve on Maury County.
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Wednesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed State Representative Jerry Sexton from Bean Station in studio to talk about his district changes and State of the State Address.
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Tennessee Deputy Attorney General Janet Kleinfelter argued in court last week that reports that a government-hired consultant filed regarding COVID-19 should remain exempt from the public. This, according to a new column that The Tennessee Coalition for Open Government (TCOG) recently published. The TCOG, according to its website, promotes open government and citizen access to public information.
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Public school students throughout Tennessee last week celebrated School Board Appreciation Week, where students were encouraged to praise their local school board members. Staff, students, and parents at public schools were asked to adopt a board member. They sent cards and artwork to board members. They were also asked to create school board appreciation posters or ask students to draw posters of them.
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Members of the Tennessee State Senate this week unanimously passed legislation that ends the practice of surprise or unexpected medical billing in Tennessee, also called balanced billing. Surprise Medical Billing happens when a patient receives out-of-network care without his or her knowledge – either in an emergency or during a visit to an in-network facility. Weeks later, insurance companies send bills demanding patients pay money for services they assumed insurance would cover.
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Friday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed newly appointed Tennessee State Director for the American Federation for Children, John Patton on the newsmakers line to discuss his experience, background, and legislative goals.
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The Joint Study Committee on Refugee Issues this week approved a report that recommends a variety of proposals related to Tennessee’s refugee issues, but one state legislator said they don’t go far enough. The recommendations could influence future legislation.
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Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Mayor Andy Ogles in studio to convey the symbiotic relationship between the county government and its school system.
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The political future of Senator Katrina Robinson (D-Memphis) is up in the air. This, after federal jurors in October convicted Robinson of four of five counts of wire fraud. Court officials are scheduled to sentence her next month, according to the Memphis-based Action News 5.
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Officials with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee have sentenced a Knoxville man to life plus 10 years in prison. Judge Thomas A. Varlan sentenced that man, Alim J. Turner, 23 last week.
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Friday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed JC Bowman, CEO of Professional Educators of Tennessee in studio to dicuss who they are and the the failed concept of Achievement School Districts.
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Between July 2020 and June of last year, more than 650 people tipped of Tennessee Comptrollers to various and alleged instances of waste, fraud, and abuse in local, state, and federal government agencies. And Comptrollers said they acted on those tips and learned several contained substantive allegations.
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Weston Wamp, son of former Tennessee Republican Congressman Zach Wamp, is running for mayor of Hamilton County, and his past tweets reveal an intense dislike and even a resistance to former President Donald Trump. In more than one tweet, Weston Wamp denied that Trump is a conservative. In another post, Wamp warned that Trump, as president, would likely derail the national economy and spark a recession. In another post, Wamp predicted that the former president would demolish the Republican Party.
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Tennessee state officials took charge of four Memphis schools a decade ago that struggled academically, and those same state officials hoped to perform better than the local school systems had. But that did not happen.
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Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed the Mayor of Maury County, Tennessee, Andy Ogles in studio to talk about his recent email to the Biden administration regarding his stance on non-compliance of OSHA vaccine mandates.
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Republicans in the Tennessee General Assembly will reportedly create multiple congressional districts to represent Nashville, and this move will likely benefit the GOP. This, as state legislators redraw new Congressional maps to comply with required redistricting.
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