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Legality of move to cut Metro Nashville Council called into question
A Davidson County senator is challenging the validity of legislation designed to cut the Metro Nashville Council in half, arguing that the Legislature doesn’t have the authority to encroach on the local government. “Davidson County is a county government. It’s a metropolitan county government, which is expressly authorized in the Constitution, and what the Constitution […]
Gov. Bill Lee breaks little new ground in State of the State
Gov. Bill Lee broke little new ground nor dropped any policy changes in his fifth State of the State address Monday, choosing to highlight issues he has discussed for months and in some cases, years — including a transportation plan that would include “toll” roads for motorists who want to bypass congestion, a boost to […]
Governor proposes $55.6 billion budget plan
Gov. Bill Lee is making a $55.6 billion budget proposal for fiscal 2023-24 that adds $3.3 billion for roads statewide and $125 million for teacher pay while offering $412 million in tax breaks. The proposal, which the Lee Administration is calling a “no-growth” plan, is about a half-billion less than the current budget, mainly because […]
Stockard on the Stump: Criminal Court judge balks at state’s supervision plan
A Sumner County Criminal Court judge is refusing to follow the Department of Correction’s new supervision levels for felons, arguing they’re too weak to help people stay out of trouble. Judge Dee David Gay issued an order in early January requiring the Sumner County Community Corrections Office to maintain the same standards of supervision that […]
GOP senators sent message to interim correction commissioner on Community Corrections
Republican senators upset about the phasing out of Tennessee’s Community Corrections program met last fall with the state’s interim correction prisoner and other officials to make a last-ditch effort at salvaging the intensive effort to keep felons out of prison. The handful of senators didn’t raise the roof but sent a strong message. They were […]
Health commissioner declines to answer reporters’ questions on HIV funds
Health Commissioner Ralph Alvarado got a hall pass in his first appearance before the Senate health committee, then dodged reporters Wednesday inquiring about the state’s new policy to end federal funding to nonprofits for HIV services. Alvarado, who came to Tennessee in December after serving in the Kentucky legislature and running for lieutenant governor there, […]
Lawmakers look for motive in HIV funding shift
Two Memphis lawmakers are raising concerns about the state’s decision to cut federal HIV funding from nonprofit agencies and direct it through metro health departments, saying such a move could endanger lives. State Rep. Antonio Parkinson is asking the Tennessee Department of Health why it is cutting HIV funds received through multi-million dollar grants from […]
Governor broaches paid family medical leave – again
Three years after shelving a family medical leave plan, Gov. Bill Lee appears ready to dust off the proposal in an effort to recruit and keep state employees. A day before his second inauguration, the Republican governor told reporters he is interested in looking at methods to improve the state’s “attractiveness” as an employer. “We […]
Stockard on the Stump: Pending bill could invoke death penalty for fentanyl homicide
Tennessee might be struggling with its execution protocol, but state Rep. Mike Sparks is ready to put more heads on the chopping block. The Smyrna Republican is preparing to sponsor legislation that could make fentanyl a “weapon of mass destruction” and lead to the death penalty for dealers who cause someone’s death. “What I really […]
Supreme Court suspends Kelsey’s law license after conviction
Barely two weeks after former state Sen. Brian Kelsey pleaded guilty to violating federal campaign finance law, the Tennessee Supreme Court suspended his law license. The court took action Dec. 8, 2022 after receiving a notice from the Board of Professional Responsibility about Kelsey’s Nov. 22 plea in U.S. District Court to two of five […]
Tennessee attorney general opposes federal abortion services for veterans
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has joined a coalition of chief law officers in opposing an interim rule allowing taxpayer-funded abortions and abortion counseling for veterans and beneficiaries. Skrmetti and 17 other attorneys general filed their amicus brief in the Western District of Texas in the case of Carter v. McDonough in support of the […]
Legislation aims at averting excessive jailing of juveniles
Still stinging from a $6 million settlement against Rutherford County over child arrests, state Rep. Mike Sparks is pushing legislation he believes would have stopped the aggressive lockup of children. Sparks, a Smyrna Republican, is preparing legislation prohibiting interviews or interrogations of children without the presence of legal counsel, parent, guardian or custodian. In addition, […]