AG Slatery Leads Nationwide Investigation into TikTok
Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III, along with a bipartisan group of attorneys general, is leading a nationwide investigation of the social media platform TikTok to determine whether the company violated state consumer protection laws that put the public, especially children and young adults, at risk. The investigation will look into physical and mental health […]
State Rep. Jeremy Faison’s Capitol Report
Transparency in Sentencing for Victims Act passes House chamber The House of Representatives on Thursday unanimously passed the Transparency in Sentencing for Victims Act. House Bill 2657 is designed to better inform crime victims and their families about how much time an offender will serve at the time of sentencing. House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, […]
TENNESSEE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AWARDED PROJECT TO BUILD ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE AWARENESS
The Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) announced it was awarded a two-year project to build capacity to promote Alzheimer’s disease awareness. This project will support provider engagement, strategic planning, and public awareness of risk reduction, early diagnosis, and treatment. TDH is one of 16 public health departments awarded this capacity-building opportunity under the Building Our […]
State Rep. Jeremy Faison’s Capitol Report
Members of the General Assembly this week got their first look at Gov. Bill Lee’s proposal to modernize how the state provides money for Tennessee’s K-12 public schools. Lee and Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn officially unveiled the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) on Thursday, Feb. 24 to replace the state’s current Basic Education Program (BEP) created […]
Gov. Lee, Commissioner Schwinn Unveil Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement Act
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and Tennessee Department of Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn released the details of the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) Act (SB2396/HB2143) that would transition Tennessee’s K-12 public schools to a student-based funding approach. Starting in the 2023-24 school year, the TISA would invest an estimated $9 billion in education funding for the […]
Campbell Confirmed As Tennessee Supreme Court Justice
Sarah Keeton Campbell is officially the newest justice on the Tennessee Supreme Court. Justice Campbell was confirmed today during a joint session of the Tennessee General Assembly, the final step in the appointment process, and took the oath of office. She was nominated by Governor Bill Lee on January 12 after being one of three […]
Judge John Campbell Confirmed To Court of Criminal Appeals
Judge John W. Campbell was confirmed by the General Assembly today as the newest member of the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals – Western Section. Judge Campbell was appointed by Governor Bill Lee on January 12 after being one of three candidates recommended by the Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments. He fills the vacancy left […]
Tennessee Needs at Least $61.9 Billion of Public Infrastructure Improvements
Tennessee needs at least $61.9 billion worth of public infrastructure improvements during the five-year period of July 2020 to June 2025—a $3.4 billion (5.7%) increase from the year before—according to a new report by the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (TACIR). Of the $3.4 billion increase in infrastructure needs reported in this year’s inventory, […]
Tennessee Pioneers Permanent Program to Become a Teacher for Free, First State to Sponsor Registered Teacher Occupation Apprenticeship
Paving the way for teaching and educator workforce development nationwide, the Tennessee Department of Education announced today it has pioneered a new way to develop teacher pipelines, and is the first state to be approved by the U.S. Department of Labor to establish a permanent Grow Your Own model, with Clarksville-Montgomery County School System and Austin Peay State University’s Teacher Residency program becoming the first registered apprenticeship program for teaching in the country. Tennessee is the first state in the country […]
State Rep. Jeremy Faison’s Capitol Report
House Committees begin work, bill filing deadline set for Feb. 2 The pace picked on Capitol Hill this week as House members worked to finalize their legislative proposals before the Feb. 2 bill filing deadline. House committees began to meet as bills are being introduced and referred to their respective committees. Omicron COVID-19 and TANF […]
TN Attorney General, Commerce & Insurance Join CFTC to Stop $68 Million Precious Metals Scheme
The Tennessee Attorney General’s Office and the Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance (TDCI) are participating in a consolidated enforcement action to stop a fraudulent precious metals scheme that resulted in solicitations exceeding $68 million from at least 450 investors nationwide. The Tennessee Attorney General’s Office- on behalf of the TDCI- joined the U.S. Commodity […]
Gov. Bill Lee Delivers 2022 State of the State Address
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee delivered his fourth State of the State address and presented budget and legislative priorities to a joint session of the General Assembly. Key highlights are noted below, and the full speech as prepared for delivery can be found on the Governor’s website. A budget overview can be found here. Due to Tennessee’s conservative […]
Unemployment Reaches Its Lowest Level Since January 2020
Unemployment in the state of Tennessee reached a two-year low in December, according to new data released by the Department of Labor and Workforce Development. The state ended 2021 with an unemployment rate of 3.8%, which was 0.2 of a percentage point lower than the rate it recorded in November. Over the past year, Tennessee’s […]
Secretary Hargett Launches 2022 Statewide Poll Worker Recruitment Campaign
On National Poll Worker Recruitment Day, Secretary of State Tre Hargett launched a new statewide campaign, Be an Election Hero. Become a Poll Worker., to encourage Tennesseans to serve their community as poll workers for the 2022 election cycle. “We cannot run elections in Tennessee without poll workers. They are the most fundamental piece of […]
Attorney General Slatery Announces $1.8 Billion Settlement with Student Loan Servicer Navient
Nashville-Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III announced today that Navient, one of the nation’s largest student loan servicers, will provide relief totaling $1.85 billion to resolve allegations of deceptive practices in originating predatory student loans. This settlement, joined by a coalition of 39 attorneys general, resolves claims that since 2009, Navient steered struggling students into […]
Tennesseans Invited to Respond to Draft Public School Funding Framework by Tuesday, January 18th at Noon CT
After months of strong engagement and conversations about public education funding in Tennessee and years of consistent feedback, today the Tennessee Department of Education released an initial draft overview of a potential student-based funding formula, informed by input of thousands of Tennesseans– parents, educators, superintendents, elected officials, business and community leaders, and citizens from across the state– and is encouraging all […]