TDCI Urges Consumers To Be Wary of Scammers Ahead of New Medicare Cards
With new Medicare cards slated to arrive in Tennessee sometime after June, the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance (TDCI) is warning Medicare beneficiaries to be wary of scammers who might use the cards’ pending arrival as an opportunity to fleece unsuspecting consumers. Federal laws enacted last year required the removal of Social Security numbers (SSNs) […]
Haslam Appoints David Rausch as Director of TBI
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today announced the appointment of David B. Rausch as director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI). Rausch, 55, has served as chief of police for the Knoxville Police Department (KPD) since 2011, overseeing an agency of more than 500 employees, including some 400 sworn police officers. Rausch joined the KPD […]
Tennessee Continues To Experience Historically Low Unemployment
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Department of Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner Burns Phillips announced today that Tennessee’s May 2018 statewide unemployment rate of 3.5 percent marked the eleventh consecutive month the figure has been 3.5 percent or lower. While the May unemployment rate represents a slight uptick of 0.1 of a percentage point compared […]
Education Department Announces TNReady Changes, Will Recompete Testing Contract
Education Commissioner Candice McQueen announced several new steps today to improve the state’s TNReady student assessment, including recompeting the state’s current testing vendor contract. These improvements are being made after ongoing conversations with teachers, parents, education leaders, and policy-makers over the past several weeks and are aimed at addressing a number of areas of concern. […]
Unemployment Rates Drop In Every County Across Tennessee
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Department of Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner Burns Phillips today announced county unemployment rates decreased in all 95 counties across Tennessee in April and all counties are at or below 5 percent. “Our investments in education and workforce development are showing results in all corners of the state and to […]
Op-Ed From Speaker Beth Harwell and Representative Jeremy Faison
Tennessee is open for business. With low taxes and sensible, yet limited regulations, that is the message state leaders in Tennessee have been sending to the rest of the country. But are we open to business for everyone? That’s a question we have been asking ourselves in the Tennessee House of Representatives. In the past, […]
Division of Consumer Affairs Offers Tips for a Scam-Free Summer Vacation
With Memorial Day (May 28) kicking off the unofficial start of summer vacation season, the Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance’s (TDCI) Division of Consumer Affairs urges consumers to be on the lookout for scammers and identity thieves who target summer travelers. “Summer travel is a great opportunity to make fun memories with family and […]
April 2018 State Revenues Higher than Expected, Show Increase from Previous Year
Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration Commissioner Larry Martin today announced that revenues for April exceeded the monthly revenues from the previous year. State revenues for April were $1.9 billion, which is a growth of 3.76 percent more than last year and $128.3 million more than the state budgeted. “Total revenues in April reflect significant […]
TDOE Awards Funding for High-Quality Early Learning Opportunities in More Than 900 Classrooms
Education Commissioner Candice McQueen announced today that 18,320 students in 916 classrooms across the state will benefit from the Voluntary Pre-K (VPK) program in the 2018-19 school year. Nearly 95 percent of districts in Tennessee will receive VPK funding designed to serve 4-year-olds who are at-risk and those in high-priority communities. In an effort to […]
Advocates Praise Passage Of Legislation Protecting Tennessee Children
Safety advocates this week praised passage of five bills that help protect Tennessee school children from educator sexual misconduct. The bills were filed after several weaknesses were revealed in a Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury report earlier this year. All five bills passed on the House floor with bipartisan support. They include: • House Bill […]
House Republicans Renew Commitment To Tennessee Teachers, Students, And Schools
Before completing business for the year, House Republicans renewed their commitment to Tennessee’s teachers, students, and schools in a successful effort to ensure they are held completely harmless in the wake of last week’s TNReady testing problems. Wednesday night, House members passed House Bill 75 and House Bill 2426 with unanimous support from lawmakers. The […]
Republicans Focus On Jobs, Education, Opioids; Adjourn In Timely Manner
In the final few days of this year’s legislative session, the House of Representatives passed Tennessee’s annual budget with a near unanimous vote. The bill’s passage and official adjournment was the culmination of months of tireless work crafting a fiscally responsible and balanced budget. The $37.5 billion budget builds on previous legislative priorities by making […]
Unemployment Situation Improves in Nearly all Tennessee Counties
The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD) today released the March 2018 unemployment rates for each county in Tennessee. The newest statistics highlighted improved rates during March for the majority of the state’s counties. Eighty-two of Tennessee’s 95 counties experienced lower unemployment rates when compared to February 2018. The rates in nine counties […]
Haslam Encourages Tennesseans To Partcipate in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today joined Metro Nashville Police Chief Steve Anderson to encourage Tennesseans to make an impact on the state’s opioid crisis by cleaning out their expired or unwanted medications on National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, Saturday, April 28 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The biannual event urges citizens to find […]
March 2018 Revenues Less than Expected, While Year-To-Date State Revenues Remain More than Budgeted
Department of Finance and Administration Commissioner Larry Martin today announced that Tennessee tax revenue fell short of budgeted estimates in March. Overall March revenues totaled $1.1 billion, which is $84.1 million more than the state collected in March of 2017, but $2 million less than the budgeted estimate for the month. “Sales tax revenues for […]
State Unemployment Rate Remains Near Historic Lows, Holds Steady From February
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Department of Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner Burns Phillips today announced the March 2018 statewide unemployment rate for Tennessee remained near historic lows and matched the revised rate from the previous month. The preliminary, seasonally adjusted rate for March was 3.4 percent, which mirrored the revised rate for February and […]
