Families Receive Service Dogs Trained By Offenders
Friday, nine service dogs graduated from the Retrieving Independence Program at the Turney Center Industrial Complex. This is an innovative program in which specially screened offenders train puppies to be service animals. The graduation marks the end of a nearly 18-month program where the dogs underwent an intensive training process, teaching them everything from seizure detection […]
Don’t Forget to Check Smoke Alarm Batteries When You ‘Fall Back’ This Weekend
The Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office (SFMO) reminds Tennesseans to check their smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors when setting their clocks back one hour Sunday, Nov. 4, 2018, at 2 a.m. (CDT) when daylight saving time ends. “Smoke alarms have proven to save lives in the event of a home fire—but only if they […]
Open Enrollment Begins Nov. 1 on the Federally Facilitated Marketplace
The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance (TDCI) reminds consumers that Open Enrollment for health insurance coverage on the Federally Facilitated Marketplace (FFM) begins Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. Tennesseans have until December 15, 2018, to apply for or re-enroll in coverage for the 2019 calendar year. For 2019, Bright Health is entering the Tennessee market […]
More Vulnerable Adults Becoming Victims of Financial Crimes
The Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS) is issuing a warning about the growing problem of financial exploitation of vulnerable adults. The department’s Adult Protective Services (APS) division received more than 4,000 complaints of financial exploitation in fiscal year 2017-2018. That’s more than the year prior and an increase of 33% from state fiscal year […]
UT Study: Tennessee’s Uninsured Rate Up Slightly Amid Affordability Concerns
Tennessee’s overall uninsured rate is now at 6.7 percent, an increase from 6.1 percent in 2017 but still well below levels before the Affordable Care Act went into effect in 2014, according to a new report released by the Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research in the University of Tennessee Knoxville’s Haslam College of Business. The […]
Record Number of Tennessee Students Take AP Exams, Eligible for College Credit
Education Commissioner Candice McQueen announced today that more than 32,000 Tennessee public school students took Advanced Placement (AP) exams in 2018 – breaking the previous year’s record high of 29,285 for Tennessee. In addition, the number of these students who scored a 3, 4, or 5, which makes students eligible for college credit at many […]
State Representative Jeremy Faison Meets With Republican Leadership For School Resource Officer Discussion
Recently, State Representative Jeremy Faison (R-Cosby) met with members of Republican leadership – including House Republican Caucus Chairman Ryan Williams (R-Cookeville) – to begin working on a proposal for the 2019 legislative session to place a school resource officer (SRO) in every Tennessee school. The meeting included legal staff, conservative leaders, as well as additional […]
Rep. Andrew Farmer Receives Endorsement From TEA
State Representative Andrew Farmer (R-Sevierville) today received an endorsement from the Tennessee Education Association (TEA) in the 17th District State House Race. According to its website, the TEA is the state’s largest professional organization, representing tens of thousands of elementary and secondary teachers, school administrators, education support professionals, higher education faculty, and students preparing to become teachers. […]
Attorney General Slatery Urges CFPB to Protect Military Servicemembers from Financial Exploitation
Attorney General Herbert Slatery III today joined a coalition of 33 attorneys general calling on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and Acting Director Mick Mulvaney to continue protecting military servicemembers against predatory lenders under the Military Lending Act (MLA). The attorneys general urge the CFPB to reconsider its reported decision to stop examining lenders […]
Haslam Announces Changes to TNReady Assessment Delivery
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Department of Education Commissioner Candice McQueen today announced changes in the delivery of the TNReady assessment for the current school year and additional changes that will take effect beginning in the 2019-20 school year. The changes are a direct response to a report from educators generated by the recent statewide listening tour […]
Unemployment Across Tennessee Holds Steady in September
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner Burns Phillips today released new labor statistics that showed unemployment across Tennessee continued at near-historic low levels in September. The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 3.6 percent in September mirrored the August 2018 rate and is just 0.3 of a percentage […]
Attorney General Slatery Calls on the FCC to Let Phone Companies Do More to Block Illegal Robocalls
Tennessee Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III, along with a bipartisan coalition of 34 attorneys general, is calling on the Federal Communications Commission to create new rules to allow telephone service providers to block more illegal robocalls being made to unsuspecting consumers in Tennessee and across the country. The formal comment to the FCC explains […]
State Forester Urges Citizens to Practice Safe Debris Burning
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry is observing National Fire Prevention Week (Oct. 7-13) by reminding citizens to follow simple safety practices to prevent wildfires. The official start of wildfire season in Tennessee is Oct. 15. “With the recent and forecasted rain, we expect favorable conditions for safe debris burning over the next […]
TDCI: Secure Your Information During Cyber Security Awareness Month
While technological advances have made everyday tasks easier, they’ve also increased the vulnerability of consumers’ most sensitive personal data. Electronic financial accounts, healthcare information, and social media profiles can be exposed in just a few clicks by enterprising scammers. In recognition of October as National Cyber Security Awareness Month, the Tennessee Department of Commerce and […]
Educators Submit Report to Gov. Haslam Providing Feedback, Recommendations, Immediate Action Steps To Improve TNReady Delivery
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today received a report from educators with feedback, recommendations and immediate action steps on how to improve the delivery of the state’s elementary and secondary assessments known as TNReady. The report was generated from a recent statewide roundtable listening tour with teachers, testing coordinators and school administrators, and from educators who submitted comments […]
Educators Submit Report to Gov. Haslam Providing Feedback, Recommendations, Immediate Action Steps To Improve TNReady Delivery
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today received a report from educators with feedback, recommendations and immediate action steps on how to improve the delivery of the state’s elementary and secondary assessments known as TNReady. The report was generated from a recent statewide roundtable listening tour with teachers, testing coordinators and school administrators, and from educators who submitted comments […]
