TN Promise Application Opened on April 1 for the Class of 2027
The Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) today announced that the TN Promise application is now open for the Class of 2027. For the first time, high school juniors can apply beginning April 1, giving students earlier access than ever before to the state’s last-dollar scholarship. The earlier application timeline allows students and families to begin planning […]
Tennessee Starts Year With Lower Unemployment
After a year of steady unemployment, Tennessee began 2026 with a slight decline in its unemployment rate from the previous month, according to data from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD). The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for January was 3.5%, down one-tenth of a percentage point from December. The rate was […]
Tennessee’s Free Real Estate Licensing Program for Qualifying High School Seniors Begins Accepting Applications Starting April 1
Starting on Wednesday, April 1, the Tennessee High School Senior Real Estate Licensing Program will begin accepting applications for 2026. Launched in 2024 through the Tennessee Real Estate Commission, the program offers qualifying Tennessee high school seniors a free way to earn the base education required by the State necessary to sit for the pre-licensing exam and potentially become […]
TDH Reinforces Importance of Naloxone with Rise in Cychlorphine Fatalities
The Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) is providing statewide information following more than 30 fatal overdoses statewide, since October 2025, associated with a newly identified opioid known as cychlorphine. Cychlorphine is a synthetic opioid, 10 times more potent than fentanyl and associated with more than 1,633 fatal overdoses (TDH provisional data) in Tennessee in 2024. Opioid overdoses […]
Comptroller’s Office Updates Review of State Benefits and Services for Veterans
The Tennessee Comptroller’s Office has released an updated report detailing state-provided benefits and services available to veterans and their families. The report, prepared by the Office of Research and Education Accountability, identifies both benefits that can be quantified in state dollars and those that cannot. Quantified benefits include direct state spending as well as state […]
TDCI Returned Over $15.67M To Tennessee Insurance Consumers In 2025
The Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance (TDCI) announces that $15.67 million was returned to Tennesseans in 2025 through the Department’s mediation and restitution efforts. Since 2020, a total of over $80 million has been returned to Tennessee insurance consumers by TDCI’s Consumer Insurance Services team, which mediates complaints between consumers and insurance companies. In 2025, TDCI’s Consumer Insurance […]
Tennessee Revenues Exceed Estimates
Tennessee revenues exceeded budgeted estimates for the month of January. Department of Finance and Administration Commissioner Jim Bryson today reported that total January tax revenues were $2.1 billion, $27.2 million more than the budgeted estimate and $87.7 million more than January 2025. The total tax growth rate for the month was 4.45 percent. General fund […]
Tennessee needs at least $82.7 billion worth of public infrastructure improvements
Tennessee needs at least $82.7 billion worth of public infrastructure improvements during the five-year period of July 2024 to June 2029—a $5 billion (6.5%) increase from the year before—according to a new report by the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (TACIR). Transportation and Utilities infrastructure needs increased by $3.7 billion—74% of the overall increase […]
Gov. Lee Joins Trump Administration’s “A Home for Every Child” Initiative to Expand Foster Care Capacity and Strengthen Families
Governor Bill Lee announced the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services (DCS) will join the Trump Administration’s “A Home for Every Child” initiative, a national effort led by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families (ACF) to expand the number of foster families and improve outcomes for children. The Governor signed a joint proclamation demonstrating […]
Second-Year Momentum Surges for Tennessee’s Education Freedom Scholarship Program
Tennessee Department of Education released numbers demonstrating the strong and ongoing demand for the Education Freedom Scholarship (EFS) Program among families statewide. Following the closing of the application window on Friday, February 6, the department received more than 56,000 new and renewal applications, with nearly half of the new applicants applying for income-prioritized scholarships. More than 260 schools have officially registered for the 2026-27 school year. For the 2026-27 school year, the department received a total of 56,442 applications: 18,644 renewal applications received. 37,798 new […]
Harshbarger, Lee Re-Introduce Legislation to Cut Red Tape for Terminally Ill Americans
Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger (R-TN-01) and Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) re-introduced the Immediate Access for the Terminally Ill Act in the House and Senate respectively, which would remove the burdensome waiting period for terminally ill patients’ access to their Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program benefits. Americans who are unable to work due to a terminal illness qualify […]
Tennessee’s Unemployment Rate Decreases in November
Employers Add Thousands of New Jobs to the State’s Workforce Friday, January 09, 2026 | 01:30pm NASHVILLE – Tennessee began the busy 2025 holiday season in November with more people in the workforce than the previous year, according to newly released data from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD). The seasonally adjusted statewide unemployment rate […]
Tennessee Updating Legacy Commercial Driver License Records to Meet State Law and Executive Order
The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security is updating older Commercial Driver License records to comply with current federal and state requirements. Approximately 8,800 of Tennessee’s 150,000 CDL holders will receive a notice by mail requesting citizenship or lawful presence documentation that were not required when their licenses were originally issued. Federal rules require all CDL records to include proof of citizenship or lawful presence. Many long-standing CDL holders […]
Influenza Activity on the Rise in Tennessee
Influenza (flu) activity is currently increasing, and it’s important to consider getting a flu shot to protect yourself and those around you. Tennessee typically sees the highest number of seasonal flu cases in January and February each year. ‘’If you haven’t received your annual flu shot, consider doing so now as flu activity is rapidly increasing,’’ said Tennessee […]
Tennessee Attorney General’s Office Cracks Down on Illegal Online Sweepstake Casinos
Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti announced today that his office has successfully halted the operation of multiple illegal online sweepstakes casinos in Tennessee. This action is part of the Attorney General’s ongoing effort to protect Tennessee consumers from predatory and unregulated gambling operations. Online sweepstakes casinos typically allow participants to play traditional casino-style games like slot […]
Comptroller Report Finds Tennessee ESA Program Growing, Highlights Opportunities for Improvement
The Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury’s Office of Research and Education Accountability (OREA) has released its first evaluation of the state’s Education Savings Account (ESA) program, offering lawmakers and the public an in-depth look at participation, academic outcomes, program operations, and oversight following the program’s first three years of implementation. Created by the General Assembly […]
