Special legislative session on gun safety scheduled for August
The announcement comes more than two weeks after lawmakers concluded their annual session without passing significant gun-safety legislation.
Ian Round
Ian Round is The Daily Memphian’s state government reporter based in Nashville. He came to Tennessee from Maryland, where he reported on local politics for Baltimore Brew. He earned a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Maryland in December 2019.
There are 432 articles by Ian Round :
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May 2023
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State Government‘Important first steps’: Department of Children’s Services begins to rebuild with higher pay, new housing
DCS Commissioner Margie Quin reported that no more children were sleeping in offices and the department has had success hiring since a state government-wide salary overhaul.
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State Government Judge rejects Brian Kelsey’s request to withdraw guilty plea
Former state Sen. Brian Kelsey’s criminal campaign fraud case will not proceed to trial after a Middle Tennessee judge Tuesday rejected his request to withdraw his two guilty pleas.
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State Government Gov. Lee signs executive order creating nuclear energy advisory council
But opponents of nuclear energy say harm to the environment and public health — including from mining and nuclear waste — outweigh the benefits of it being a low-carbon energy source.
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State Government TennCare to resume cuts in June after end of COVID public health emergency
Tennessee’s Medicaid agency expects to cut hundreds of thousands of people over the next year. Find out how to renew your coverage.
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June 2023
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State Government Laws make adoption easier and faster but raise questions
Tennessee leaders anticipate the end of legal abortion will lead to more children in foster care and say a package of adoption bills will speed the placement of kids in permanent, stable family situations.
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Shelby County Child abuse costs Tennessee billions each year, report estimates
Shelby County has among the lowest rates of confirmed first-time victims of abuse, while Stewart and Cocke counties log the highest.
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State Government ‘Tennessee Three’ expulsions violated First Amendment, report argues
Not since 1920, when the New York State Assembly ousted five representatives for being socialists during the post-World War I Red Scare, had a legislature expelled a member for their views.
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Public SafetyTBI: Local police, courts slow to submit criminal information for background checks
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says staffing, grants and tech upgrades would help it enter backlogged criminal information into the background-check system.
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State Government Gov. Lee asks schools, law enforcement to apply for school safety grants
Gov. Bill Lee announced Wednesday the rollout of $194 million in grants to fund armed guards in every public school and security upgrades at all schools.
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State Government Trans Tennesseans may lose option to alter gender on state IDs
A law that defines “sex” as a person’s gender assigned at birth could cause some residents to lose access to basic services if they can’t update their IDs, according to advocates for trans rights.
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State Government Tennessee’s ongoing trans rights lawsuits, explained
Three lawsuits in Tennessee are testing the extent to which courts will protect transgender rights against a state legislature and executive branch that have aggressively sought to roll those rights back.
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Public Safety Large majority of local residents support gun reform, poll shows
Poll results show wide support for gun-safety legislation in Tennessee’s most populous county — which supplies more Republican votes than any other county — as Gov. Bill Lee attempts to convince state lawmakers of the need to pass gun-safety legislation during a special session.
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State Government Federal judge blocks Tennessee law banning youth gender-affirming care
Tennessee’s law banning gender-affirming care for minors was mostly blocked Thursday, June 28, the latest in a string of decisions against anti-trans laws in at least four states.
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State Government State Attorney General begins appeal process in trans youth health care lawsuit
The Tennessee Attorney General filed an emergency motion asking a federal judge in Nashville to reverse the preliminary injunction, and notified the court that it would appeal the decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
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State Government State Attorney General appeals drag ban ruling
Jonathan Skrmetti’s appeal comes nearly a month after a federal judge in Memphis ruled in favor of an LGBTQ+ theater company, which argued the law restricted its performers’ free speech rights.
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July 2023
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State Government July 1, beginning of state’s fiscal year, brings avalanche of new laws
A huge number of new state laws take effect July 1, with the start of the 2024 fiscal year. But lawsuits and inaction by lawmakers make the absence of some laws as notable as the presence of others.
Related stories:
Mississippi’s new laws cover Medicaid for moms, voting, pecan theft, online porn and more
Judges block state law banning teacher group from automatically deducting member dues
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State Government Judge refuses to reverse ruling on trans youth health care law on AG’s request
The injunction will be in place until the lawsuit runs its course. Supporters of the law say they’re prepared to appeal all the way to the Supreme Court.
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City of MemphisNonprofit ministry expanding to Shelby County offers ‘relief valve’ to DCS
Rapidly growing Isaiah 117 House is one of more than two dozen faith-based organizations helping the Department of Children’s Services by providing space for children awaiting placement so they don’t have to sleep on office floors.
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State GovernmentSixth Circuit upholds anti-trans law, but ‘chilling effect’ decreased access months earlier
This weekend’s ruling, allowing SB1 to take effect, isn’t what made gender-affirming care inaccessible for many people. That care had become less accessible in Tennessee — even for trans adults — since the bill was introduced in the General Assembly in November, before the legislative session even began.
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State Government Report: TDOT should seek federal funds for passenger rail
A passenger rail route connecting Nashville, Chattanooga and Atlanta should be Tennessee’s top priority, followed by a Memphis-to-Nashville line, according to a report from an independent state commission.
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State Government Memphis’ state technical college gets $89 million for new campus
Tennessee officials approved just under $718 million to rebuild the state’s technical colleges on Thursday.
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State Government Wilder Youth Center getting upgrades, but won’t be replaced yet
Tennessee Department of Children’s Services says the Fayette County facility is needed despite reports by Disability Rights Tennessee and the Youth Law Center of abuse and unsafe conditions at the facility.
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State GovernmentJustin J. Pearson, Justin Jones report massive fundraising after expulsions
State Reps. Justin J. Pearson and Justin Jones both now have more campaign money than any of the Republican lawmakers who expelled them in April.
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State GovernmentCalls for gun reform have reached a fever pitch in Memphis. Will state lawmakers listen?
Gun violence has become a major theme in the Memphis mayoral race. And the Memphis City Council voted to put a referendum on local gun laws before voters next year, setting up a possible clash with the state.
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