Bill To Better Protect Student Athletes Awaits Signature From Governor Haslam
A Republican-authored bill designed to protect student athletes who suffer concussions from risking further medical complications passed the full House floor this week with support from lawmakers on both sides of the isle. House Bill 867, as passed by both the House and Senate, will ensure guidelines are in place to help coaches, youth athletic […]
Pension Reform Plan Moves Forward In House
Legislation proposed earlier this month to reform the state’s pension plan, the Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System (TCRS), passed out of the House State Government Committee this week with full support from Republican lawmakers. The legislation represents a proactive approach by State Treasurer David H. Lillard and House Republicans to ensure the security of pension benefits […]
House Republicans Continue Push To Lower Sales Tax On Groceries
A bill which seeks to lower the sales tax on groceries from 5.25% to a flat 5.00% passed out of the House Finance, Ways and Means Subcommittee this week with unanimous support from Republican lawmakers. House Bill 193, which is part of Governor Bill Haslam’s legislative agenda for the year, will take effect beginning July […]
Faison’s Business Freedom Act Gains Approval
Representative Jeremy Faison (R-Cosby) sponsored House Bill 311, the Business Freedom Act. HB 311 pushes back against over-bearing government and is a huge step for small business owners. The bill would require state departments to give businesses notification and time to correct a problem before issuing fines. This provision would only apply to new rules […]
Tennessee’s State Pension Fund Rated Best in Nation for Investment Strategy
Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System (TCRS), the state’s retirement fund for state government, higher education and other public employees, is managing its investments better than any other large public pension plan in the country. So says Money Management Intelligence, a publication featuring news, trends and analysis about and for institutional investors. TCRS, which is part of […]
Tennessee Electronic Library Provides Help for High School Equivalency Test Takers
Requirements for earning a high school equivalency diploma are set to change next year, which may set off a scramble among people hoping to complete their course work under the existing rules. The format of the General Educational Development test, commonly known as the GED, will change January 1, 2014 – which means that people […]
Republican Lawmakers Continue Push To Improve Tennessee Education
A proposal presented by Governor Bill Haslam and Republican lawmakers to improve education in Tennessee easily cleared the full House Education Committee this week. House Bill 190, referred to as the ‘Tennessee Choice & Opportunity Scholarship Act’, would give low-income families with students stuck in the lowest performing schools the opportunity to seek educational options […]
Annexation Legislation Continues Building Statewide Support
A package of pro-property rights legislation related to the annexation of land in Tennessee continued building support this week as Tennessean’s from across the state joined in to back the effort. The trio of bills, which are currently making their way through the House committee system, seek to make the overall annexation process more fair […]
Statewide Partnership Addresses Human Trafficking in Tennessee
Republican lawmakers joined law enforcement officials from across the state this week to address the issue of human trafficking in Tennessee. In addition, the Women’s Fund of Greater Chattanooga, the Women’s Fund of Middle Tennessee, and the Women’s Fund of Greater Memphis officially launched a public campaign to increase awareness and offer resources to prevent […]
Workers’ Compensation Reform Scores Legislative Victory
The Workers’ Compensation Reform Act of 2013, an initiative that is part of Governor Bill Haslam’s legislative agenda for the year, easily passed the House Consumer and Human Resources Committee this week. Workers’ Compensation is an insurance program, adopted in Tennessee in 1919, that compensates employees for injuries they suffer on the job. Employers are […]
Secretary Hargett Issuing Warning about Real Estate Scam
Secretary of State Tre Hargett is warning buyers and sellers of homes in Tennessee about a possible scam involving real estate titles. Within the last couple of days, the Secretary of State’s Business Services Division has received copies of letters sent to at least eight real estate companies, suggesting that there are claims against titles […]
Amazon Champions Early Childhood Literacy in Tennessee with $25,000 Gift to Governor’s Books from Birth Foundation
At an event on March 11 hosted by the Fannie Battle Day Home for Children, Tennessee First Lady Crissy Haslam thanked Amazon – the world’s largest online retailer and a statewide partner of the Governor’s Books from Birth Foundation (GBBF) – for its recent $25,000 contribution to the GBBF and Tennessee’s statewide Imagination Library. The […]
Bush Beans Honored in House Resolution
Representative Jeremy Faison (R-Cosby) and Senator Steve Southerland (R-Morristown) sponsored House Joint Resolution 72 honoring Bush Brothers & Company. HJR 72 congratulates this East Tennessee economic treasure on their 105th anniversary of its founding. Other members of the East Tennessee delegation assisted in the resolution’s passage. “This family-owned business has served our community for years. […]
Curbing Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) Card Advances
On Tuesday, Republican lawmakers on the House Health Subcommittee gave approval to a bill designed to help curb abuse of purchases made using Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards. House Bill 119, if passed by the legislature, will prohibit use of a welfare recipient’s EBT card in liquor stores, adult cabarets, casinos, and other gambling facilities. […]
Lawmakers Move To Better Protect Student Athletes
Legislation designed to protect student athletes who suffer concussions from risking further medical complications passed the House Education Subcommittee this week with full support from Republican lawmakers. As introduced, House Bill 867 would ensure guidelines are in place to help coaches, youth athletic instructors, and parents recognize a concussion and its symptoms in order to […]
Anti-Income Tax Amendment Sails Through Committee
A constitutional amendment designed to clarify that Tennessee’s Constitution prohibits an income and payroll tax easily passed the House State Government committee this week. The amendment, Senate Joint Resolution 1, specifies that the legislature as well as Tennessee counties and cities shall be prohibited from passing either an income tax or payroll tax, which is a tax on […]
