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Stockard on the Stump: Tennessee joins fight against John Lewis Voting Rights Act
Tennessee Attorney General Herb Slatery is formally opposing passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, signing on to a letter with Republican AGs saying it would allow the feds to “usurp” states’ authority over elections. “If these provisions are enacted, rest assured that the undersigned will aggressively defend our citizens’ rights to participate […]
Lieutenant governor continues to oppose COVID-issue special session
Lt. Gov. Randy McNally is staving off requests for a special session by conservative senators who believe the Legislature should react to what they consider government “overreach.” In response to letters by at least four senators, a McNally spokesman issued a statement Wednesday saying the lieutenant governor’s position hasn’t changed and that he doesn’t see […]
Legislators put bail bond industry under the microscope
West Tennessee bail bond agent Shelly Alexander wept Tuesday as she told lawmakers how she once refused to bail her daughter out of jail for a meth arrest. Alexander knew her daughter had a “habit” and would go right back to debilitating drugs if she bailed her out. In fact, she told other bail agents […]
East Tennessee rep wants lawsuit to block Biden vaccine mandate
Kingston Republican Rep. Bud Hulsey is ready for Tennessee to go to court in an effort to stop President Joe Biden’s vaccination order from taking effect here. Just days after the president introduced an executive mandate requiring employers with at least 100 workers to make sure they’re vaccinated or show a weekly negative COVID-19 test, […]
Republicans call Biden vaccine plan “tyranny”
Gov. Bill Lee is criticizing President Joe Biden’s vaccine plan for employers, which could affect 80 million workers, and House Republicans are taking it a step further, calling it “tyranny.” Lee, a Williamson County Republican, said Thursday he thinks the Democratic president’s plan to increase vaccines nationwide is “a terrible idea.” The governor said he […]
Stockard on the Stump: Textbook commission sends ‘hands off’ message to Schwinn
Tennessee Textbook Commission Chairman Linda Cash sent a message to the state Department of Education Thursday, declaring the group’s independence and letting officials know that no vendors should get an advantage in the coming math book selection process. Under state law, “there are no pilots of anything to be pushed out during the 18 months […]
Congressman pushes to keep Davidson County whole in redistricting
Democratic Congressman Jim Cooper urged a House redistricting committee Wednesday to keep Davidson County together rather than split it up to create a potential Republican seat. “We’re one community here. We’re one of the best communities in the world. To break that up would be tragic,” Cooper said. With a state population of 6.9 million, […]
Fiscus files lawsuit against Health Department officials, denies mailing muzzle
Fired state immunization director Dr. Michelle Fiscus has filed a federal lawsuit against top Department of Health officials and in her filing claims, under penalty of perjury, she did not send a muzzle to herself. “The complaint and declaration speak for themselves. I look forward to my name being cleared despite the Tennessee Department of […]
Stockard on the Stump: Governor won’t take the blame for lawsuits or school closings
Under a federal civil rights investigation, facing two lawsuits out of Shelby County over his mask opt-out order and now seeing school districts closing, Gov. Bill Lee refuses to let the buck stop with him. “My responsibility is to work together to make the best decisions in our state that we believe will benefit Tennesseans […]
Republican lawmaker questions effectiveness of governor’s mask opt-out order
As Shelby County tries to overturn Gov. Bill Lee’s order allowing parents to opt children out of a school mask mandate, state Rep. Tom Leatherwood contends the governor’s directive is limited already because of health department rules. Leatherwood, an Arlington Republican, said Wednesday he supports parents’ rights to send their children to school without masks. […]
Memphis lawmakers worry about losing district seat amid plummeting population
House Speaker Cameron Sexton appointed a bipartisan panel to handle redistricting in Tennessee, but even with Democrats on the panel Memphis legislators remain fearful of losing a seat as their urban population falls. “It’s a big concern,” says state Rep. Antonio Parkinson, chairman of the Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators. “I just want to […]
Davidson County rep feels ire of motorists over emissions testing
State Rep. Darren Jernigan is getting an earful from constituents wondering why they have to keep testing car emissions while neighbors in surrounding counties won’t when 2022 rolls around. The Old Hickory Democrat who represents a chunk of eastern Davidson County is questioning whether the program designed to cut pollution in Middle Tennessee has run […]