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VITAL POLICY – Tennessee and Jefferson County’s Constitutional Dilemma with Food Truck Regulations

VITAL POLICY – Tennessee and Jefferson County’s Constitutional Dilemma with Food Truck Regulations

Local Regulations Two of Jefferson County’s five municipalities regulate the operation of food trucks, White Pine and Dandridge; Jefferson City, New Market, and Baneberry do not. The regulations and fees that Dandridge impose on food trucks are centered around health and safety; but the White Pine regulations exceed health and safety by regulating the number […]

VITAL POLICY – Governor Lee Signs Partisan School Board Elections into Law, Jefferson County Republican Party Calls Primary

VITAL POLICY – Governor Lee Signs Partisan School Board Elections into Law, Jefferson County Republican Party Calls Primary

Governor Bill Lee signed multiple bills into law late Friday that were enacted in the Third Extraordinary Session of the Tennessee General Assembly, among those House Bill 9072 authorizing partisan school board elections, supported by Representatives Jeremy Faison, Andrew Farmer, and co-sponsored by Senator Frank Niceley (SB9009). Jefferson County Republican Executive Committee, expecting Lee’s signature […]

VITAL POLICY – Tennessee Legislature Approves Partisan School Board Races

VITAL POLICY – Tennessee Legislature Approves Partisan School Board Races

With a myriad of legislative proposals floating in the third Extraordinary Session of the Tennessee General Assembly, bills aimed at making school board elections partisan were approved in fast succession by the house of representatives, and then by the senate on Friday October 29, 2021. House Bill 9072 was approved as amended in a floor […]

VITAL POLICY – STATE LAWMAKERS CONSIDER PARTISAN SCHOOL BOARD RACES IN SPECIAL SESSION

VITAL POLICY – STATE LAWMAKERS CONSIDER PARTISAN SCHOOL BOARD RACES IN SPECIAL SESSION

Representative Scott Cepicky (R-Culleoka) has introduced proposed legislation that will allow candidates for school board to run for office and be nominated by a political party on or after July 1, 2022. Senator Joey Hensley (R-Hohenwald) is the sponsor of a companion Senate Bill (9003). In light of Covid-19 issues and controversial decisions made by […]

VITAL POLICY – OPINION – Knoxville Tennessee’s Everlasting Threat to Your Property Rights

VITAL POLICY – OPINION – Knoxville Tennessee’s Everlasting Threat to Your Property Rights

Imagine getting a letter from the local government stating that it intends to take your property, and your neighbor’s property, for private development. MOTIVATION FOR ABUSE Your little residential community just doesn’t generate enough tax revenue; so, the city or county decides to take the whole neighborhood away from its rightful owners and turn it […]

VITAL POLICY – Arthur Bohanan Reflects on 911 Terror Attack, Advises Vigilance

VITAL POLICY – Arthur Bohanan Reflects on 911 Terror Attack, Advises Vigilance

“We are not dismissing school early today. Despite the events unfolding in Washington D.C., New York, and Pennsylvania, we are not canceling class. We are not changing our schedule or yielding to those who are doing evil”, words spoken to Jefferson County High School students and staff via intercom by Assistant Principal Louie Vesser at […]

VITAL POLICY – Tennesseans Will Vote on State Constitutional Amendment in November 2022

VITAL POLICY – Tennesseans Will Vote on State Constitutional Amendment in November 2022

Tennessee is one of the most financially responsible states in the nation, has a fully funded retirement system for teachers and other civil service employees, no income tax, low unemployment, very low debt, and a healthy economy that has weathered many financial storms. Tennessee ended its 2020-2021 fiscal year with a budget surplus of over […]

VITAL POLICY – Jefferson County Republicans Call Primary Elections for May 3, 2022, County Commission Offices Included

VITAL POLICY – Jefferson County Republicans Call Primary Elections for May 3, 2022, County Commission Offices Included

Jefferson County Republican Party has called primary elections for May 3, 2022, for the following offices. Circuit Court Judge 4th Judicial District, Part I           Circuit Court Judge 4th Judicial District, Part II Circuit Court Judge 4th Judicial District, Part III Circuit Court Judge 4th Judicial District, Part IV Chancellor 4th […]

VITAL POLICY – Citizens form Task Group in Strawberry Plains to Fight Expected Creation of Zoning for Slaughterhouse

VITAL POLICY – Citizens form Task Group in Strawberry Plains to Fight Expected Creation of Zoning for Slaughterhouse

“Our government is just not responding to us”, an observation made by one resident of Strawberry Plains speaking to a group of about 30 concerned citizens that oppose the building of a slaughterhouse near their homes. The task group led by Beth and David Nelson and other families explored options for convincing planning boards to […]

VITAL POLICY – Your Civic Duty and Sacred Right to Participate in Government, A Forerunner to Constitution Day

VITAL POLICY – Your Civic Duty and Sacred Right to Participate in Government, A Forerunner to Constitution Day

Thomas Jefferson held the Tennessee Constitution in extremely high esteem, calling it the “least imperfect and most republican” among other state constitutions, a high complement from the man who authored the Declaration of Independence and drafted the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom. The framers of the Tennessee Constitution expressed the importance of civic participation in […]

VITAL POLICY – Maine Repeals Civil Asset Forfeiture, Tennessee Struggles to Protect Property Rights

VITAL POLICY – Maine Repeals Civil Asset Forfeiture, Tennessee Struggles to Protect Property Rights

After decades of attempts, the Tennessee General Assembly continues to work around the margins to reform civil asset forfeiture. By comparison, the state of Maine is now the fourth state to abolish civil forfeiture and replace it with the constitutional model of criminal asset forfeiture. Civil asset forfeiture is the process by which government can […]

VITAL POLICY – OPINION Jefferson County’s “Tourist Punishment Tax” – a Double-Edged Sword that Must be Wielded Wisely

VITAL POLICY – OPINION Jefferson County’s “Tourist Punishment Tax” – a Double-Edged Sword that Must be Wielded Wisely

On any given day, the Jefferson County Tourism Office does a great job of attracting tourism business to Jefferson County, as well as the tax revenue that comes with it. Restaurants, markets, grocery stores, caterers, event venues, photographers, and many other businesses derive benefit. Tourists by the thousands sail in, spend their money, and sail […]

VITAL POLICY – OPINION Elected School Directors Back in the Legislative Meat Grinder for 2022, Local Impact Examined, Questions Raised

VITAL POLICY – OPINION  Elected School Directors Back in the Legislative Meat Grinder for 2022, Local Impact Examined, Questions Raised

Until 1992 the voting citizens of Tennessee had the power to elect school directors. The time to return that constitutional power to the citizens is long overdue. Prior to the “Education Improvement Act of 1992”, potential school directors had to campaign, one-on-one with voters, and get acquainted with the citizens whose tax money they were […]

Vital Policy – Tennessee Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguments in School Voucher (ESA) Case

Vital Policy – Tennessee Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguments in School Voucher (ESA) Case

When the Tennessee legislature enacted a school voucher pilot program in 2019, a lawsuit was immediately filed by Shelby County, the Nashville Metropolitan Government of Davidson County, and Metropolitan Nashville Board of Public Education asking the Chancery Court of Davidson County to declare ESAs unconstitutional, essentially an effort to stop the voucher program. The trial […]

VITAL POLICY – U.S. Supreme Court Rejects “Community Caretaking” Doctrine in Fourth Amendment Case, Tennessee Court to Address Warrantless Surveillance by TWRA

VITAL POLICY – U.S. Supreme Court Rejects “Community Caretaking” Doctrine in Fourth Amendment Case, Tennessee Court to Address Warrantless Surveillance by TWRA

Two cases involving unreasonable search by government authorities have caught the attention of constitutional activists on a national scale. The first, decided unanimously in the U.S. Supreme Court, involves the entry into a private residence and the subsequent confiscation of firearms by law enforcement under the “community caretaking” doctrine. The second involves warrantless video surveillance […]

Vital Policy – Jefferson County Republicans Hold Town Hall, Event Draws Speakers from Across State, School Board and County Commission Races Discussed

Vital Policy – Jefferson County Republicans Hold Town Hall, Event Draws Speakers from Across State, School Board and County Commission Races Discussed

Nearly one hundred Jefferson County Republicans held a town hall meeting recently to discuss issues of interest. High on the list of priorities were topics related to fiscal responsibility, teaching constitutional principles in public schools, the importance of electing conservative officials that are willing to protect the founding principles of the nation and exercise fiscal […]

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