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 […]
State Library and Archives to Host “Chronicles of the Cumberland Settlements” Workshop
As the 1700s drew to a close, the Revolutionary War was over, but life was far from peaceful in places like Tennessee’s Cumberland Valley. Settlers in the region fought against various Native American tribes, haggled with North Carolina over territory and wrangled with the Spaniards over control of the area’s waterways. That period in Tennessee’s […]
Commissioner Hagerty Addresses East TN Megasite During TN State House Budget Hearings
The Jefferson County Budget Committee is heading into the Budgeting season for the 2013-2014 fiscal year. In addition to the usual requests that are presented to the Budget Committee, EDOC by way of the Industrial Development Board is expected to request nearly $2 million additional dollars to continue the certification process for the proposed Megasite. […]
House Republicans Seek Changes To Legislative Per Diem
A bill that seeks to change the way per diems are granted to lawmakers in the Tennessee General Assembly moved out of the House Finance, Ways and Means Subcommittee this week. House Bill 80 will eliminate the lodging reimbursement for members living within a 50-mile radius of the Capitol. Currently, all members of the General […]
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 House Education Subcommittee 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 outside […]
State Treasurer David Lillard Proposes Fiscally Responsible Pension Reform
State Treasurer David Lillard this week outlined his proposal to reform the state’s pension plan, the Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System (TCRS), to ensure future generations will receive the benefits promised to them during their time as state employees. The proposed changes, which would only affect new employees hired on or after July 1 of 2014, […]
Tennessee Roads & Bridges Rank High in 20 Year Report
A new study by the Reason Foundation examining 20 years of highway data finds Tennessee has improved in all seven key areas studied, one of only 11 states to do so. The report, “Are Highways Crumbling? State Performance Summaries”, looked at state highway data from 1989 through 2008. The report measures road performance in several […]
Treasurer Lillard Discusses Future of State Employee and K-12 Teachers Pension Plan
State Treasurer David H. Lillard, Jr. is recommending that the General Assembly adopt a number of reforms to the state’s retirement plan for public employees. The Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System (TCRS) is a well-funded pension plan. The proposed changes will only apply to state employees, higher education employees, and teachers hired on or after July […]
