Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III and 45 Attorneys General Reach $120 Million Settlement Concerning Hip Implant devices
Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III and 45 Attorneys General reached a $120 million Consent Judgment with Johnson & Johnson and DePuy to resolve allegations DePuy unlawfully promoted its metal-on-metal hip implant devices, the ASR XL and the Pinnacle Ultamet. Under the settlement Tennessee shall receive $2,354,489.83. The Attorneys General allege DePuy engaged in unfair […]
Gov. Bill Lee Issues First Executive Order to Address Accelerated Transformation of Rural Areas
Today, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee issued his first executive order, requiring all state executive departments to issue a statement of rural impact and provide recommendations for better serving rural Tennessee. “My administration will place a high emphasis on the development and success of our rural areas,” said Lee. “Our first executive order sends a clear message […]
Jefferson County Woman Charged with TennCare Fraud
A Jefferson County woman is charged with TennCare fraud for falsely reporting her income in order to obtain healthcare insurance benefits through the state program. The Office of Inspector General (OIG) with the assistance of the Jefferson City Police Department today announced the arrest of Consuelo Morales, 44, of Jefferson City. A Jefferson County Grand Jury charged Morales […]
Tennessee Reconnect Continues Extraordinary Success
When Republican leaders created Tennessee Reconnect in 2017, an estimated 7,000 adults were expected to benefit from this groundbreaking education initiative. New numbers recently released by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) indicate that Reconnect has greatly exceeded those early expectations. Through Jan. 15, more than 38,000 Tennesseans have already applied for the Reconnect Grant, […]
111th General Assembly Honors Martin Luther King, Pledges To Fight Racism
House Republicans formally honored Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life with a resolution noting all he did to bring us together. The measure also pledges to fight racism of all types in Tennessee. Members of the House leadership team introduced the measure during Wednesday morning’s session in the House chamber. It was later passed unanimously […]
Sen. Niceley Appointed to Leadership of Two Key Senate Committees
State Senator Frank Niceley (R-Strawberry Plains) has been appointed to the leadership of two key committees in the Tennessee Senate. Niceley will serve as 1st Vice-Chairman of the Senate Energy, Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee and 2nd Vice-Chairman of the Transportation and Safety Committee. The appointments were made by Lt. Governor Randy McNally during the General Assembly’s 2019 […]
Speaker Casada Names Representative Farmer Chairman of House Criminal Justice Subcommittee
Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada (R-Thompson’s Station) has named State Representative Andrew Farmer (R-Sevierville)Chairman of the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee. The 7-member subcommittee will be responsible for all matters and legislation related to criminal law. “Chairman Farmer has a remarkable record of legislative excellence during his time serving his community as a member of our General Assembly,” […]
Number of Federal Unemployment Claims Doubles in Ten Days
The number of federal employees applying for Tennessee unemployment insurance benefits has more than doubled during the last 10 days as the partial shutdown of the United States government moves into its fourth week. The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development’s (TDLWD) Unemployment Security Division processed 400 claims for federal employees from the day […]
Over 50 Percent of Tennessee Public High School Seniors Raise Score on ACT Senior Retake
Interim Commissioner Dr. Lyle Ailshie announced today that 76.1 percent of the state’s public high school class of 2019—53,478 students—participated in the department’s third ACT Senior Retake opportunity in October 2018, the state’s highest participation rate on record. Of those seniors who retook the ACT in 2018, more than 50 percent increased their composite score […]
Tennessee Unemployment Holds Steady During December
New data released Thursday by Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam and Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner Burns Phillips showed Tennessee’s statewide unemployment rate held steady during the final month of 2018. The seasonally adjusted statewide unemployment rate for December 2018 was 3.6 percent, which mirrored the rate from the previous month. “Tennessee’s unemployment […]
AG Slatery Joins $1.5M Settlement with Neiman Marcus Over 2013 Data Breach
The Neiman Marcus Group LLC has agreed to pay $1.5 million and implement policies to resolve an investigation with 43 states and the District of Columbia into the 2013 breach of customer payment card data at 77 Neiman Marcus stores in the United States. In January 2014, Neiman Marcus disclosed that payment card data collected […]
SFMO Offers Do’s and Don’ts for Using Wood-Burning Heating Alternatives
Colder temperatures are in the forecast for many Tennesseans as we approach the weekend, and the Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office (SFMO) is reminding Volunteer State residents to keep safety in mind when choosing to use alternative heating options as a way to stay warm. Wood-burning heat sources, like wood stoves and fireplaces, are common […]
Federal Employees May Be Eligible for Unemployment
The partial shutdown of the United States government currently impacts more than 25,000 Tennesseans. Many furloughed federal workers are not on the job, while others continue to work without pay. The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD) manages the federally funded unemployment insurance program. The state received its appropriation for the program before […]
Emma is Back as Tennessee’s Top Baby Girl Name in 2018; William Still Biggest for Boys
Emma has unseated Ava as the number one name for baby girls born in Tennessee, rising to the top of the list of the most popular names for babies born in 2018. William maintains the number one spot as the most popular name chosen for baby boys in Tennessee for the 12th straight year. The […]
New Audit Examines TNReady Testing Failures
The Tennessee Comptroller’s Office has released a performance audit of the Tennessee Department of Education detailing many of the problems that led up to the difficulties in executing the spring 2018 TNReady tests. The online student assessment tests were plagued with numerous issues including login delays, slow servers, and software bugs. The first signs of […]
Tennessee Receives Funding to Collect Data to Help Prevent Violent Deaths
The Tennessee Department of Health Office of the State Chief Medical Examiner has received $1.4 million in funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to gather critical data on homicide, suicide and other violent deaths. Tennessee is one of ten states to receive new funding to use the National Violent Death Reporting System, […]
