Memphis Local, Sports, Business & Food News | Daily Memphian | Ian Round

These gun-safety bills have failed or stalled in the Tennessee Legislature

iround@dailymemphian.com (Ian Round) — Sat, 13 Apr 2024 04:00:02 -0500

The 2024 session is nearing its end, and most of those post-Covenant gun-safety bills still have not been debated.

Pride flag ban bill moves ahead

iround@dailymemphian.com (Ian Round) — Mon, 25 Mar 2024 12:39:26 -0500

“We kind of have a volume problem,” OUTMemphis executive director Molly Quinn said of the at least 18 anti-LGBTQ bills introduced in the Tennessee General Assembly this year.

Shelby County would lose two judgeships under state bill

iround@dailymemphian.com (Ian Round) — Fri, 15 Mar 2024 16:00:33 -0500

The bill comes amid heightened scrutiny of Shelby County’s criminal justice system by Republican lawmakers and the Board of Judicial Conduct.

State calls for Memphis judge's removal

iround@dailymemphian.com (Ian Round) — Fri, 15 Mar 2024 06:35:50 -0500

The vote comes as Boyd, who was elected in August 2022, faces felony charges of coercion and harassment, in addition to professional discipline for an ethical lapse and addiction to drugs and alcohol.

New Shelby County judicial district won't be coming anytime soon

iround@dailymemphian.com (Ian Round) — Mon, 11 Mar 2024 05:49:18 -0500

No one at the state level has endorsed the concept of separating the court system in Memphis from the suburbs and unincorporated areas. It would be complicated, with issues both political and constitutional.

Statewide private school voucher program debate begins

iround@dailymemphian.com (Ian Round) — Mon, 4 Mar 2024 04:00:04 -0600

The haggling over Gov. Bill Lee’s Education Freedom Scholarship Act has begun, with three different — and expensive — versions of the bill.

Committee appointed to consider removing Judge Melissa Boyd

iround@dailymemphian.com (Ian Round) — Wed, 28 Feb 2024 18:30:17 -0600

The committee could meet as soon as Thursday, March 7. The process for her removal is not the same as a formal impeachment, which would stop her from running for office again.

Nonprofits working with DAs will disclose donors if TN bill becomes law

iround@dailymemphian.com (Ian Round) — Wed, 28 Feb 2024 16:14:51 -0600

The bill seeks transparency from progressive criminal-justice reform groups like the Vera Institute of Justice, Justice Innovation Lab and Memphis-based Just City, which local Republican lawmakers blame in part for crime in Memphis.

Charters could buy schools below-market under proposed bill

iround@dailymemphian.com (Ian Round) — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 18:36:36 -0600

The bill doesn’t force districts to sell buildings when they don’t want to. But when they do want to sell, it would force them to sell for less then the property is worth.

Legislative roundup: Bills on bail, police reform advance in Nashville

iround@dailymemphian.com (Ian Round) — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 04:00:08 -0600

Bills advancing through the Tennessee General Assembly this week included one aimed at reversing police reforms passed in the wake of Tyre Nichols’ 2023 death in Memphis.

Tennessee bill would stop counties from reappointing expelled lawmakers

iround@dailymemphian.com (Ian Round) — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 18:00:28 -0600

The bill is sponsored by state Rep. Johnny Garrett, one of the central figures who led the expulsion proceedings against state Reps. Justin Pearson, Justin Jones and Gloria Johnson last April.

Law aimed at protesters would increase penalty for blocking traffic to felony

iround@dailymemphian.com (Ian Round) — Tue, 20 Feb 2024 19:20:11 -0600

A bill moving through the Tennessee General Assembly would make it a felony to block a roadway, a penalty enhancement intended to prevent another protest like the one that blocked the Hernando DeSoto bridge for hours earlier this month.

Will gun-reform donations flip legislative seats in Tennessee?

iround@dailymemphian.com (Ian Round) — Tue, 20 Feb 2024 14:22:30 -0600

The gun-reform movement in Tennessee has something it’s never had before: money.

Bill creating 'abortion trafficking of a minor' felony advances

iround@dailymemphian.com (Ian Round) — Wed, 14 Feb 2024 15:11:22 -0600

The bill would prevent adults who are not a child’s parent or guardian — including siblings and grandparents – from helping them access abortions.

Lawmakers advance legislation limiting defendants’ right to bail

iround@dailymemphian.com (Ian Round) — Tue, 13 Feb 2024 18:24:19 -0600

State lawmakers advanced two bills limiting criminal defendants’ right to bail on Tuesday, Feb. 13, amid objections that the legislation would cause more people to be detained before trial because of their inability to pay.

Top Tennessee lawmakers want to end Achievement School District

iround@dailymemphian.com (Ian Round) — Mon, 12 Feb 2024 04:00:11 -0600

A 2023 study found the turnaround district’s effectiveness to be “indistinguishable from zero.” It could be closed as part of the legislation establishing a universal private school voucher program — but what would replace it is still unclear.

House act requires 'safety of the community' first in setting bail

iround@dailymemphian.com (Ian Round) — Thu, 8 Feb 2024 21:31:24 -0600

Some Democrats said it was unnecessary because public safety is already part of the bail determination; they also said it would chip away at defendants’ liberty by expanding pretrial detention.

Gov. Lee proposes 2025 budget in sixth State of the State address

iround@dailymemphian.com (Ian Round) — Tue, 6 Feb 2024 08:20:46 -0600

“The state of our state is strong, resilient and ready for the future,” Gov. Bill Lee told the audience of state lawmakers and other officials within the House chamber at the Tennessee State Capitol in Downtown Nashville.

Gov. Lee proposes $1.2 billion in business tax refunds, $410 million annual cut

Gov. Lee proposes $1.2 billion in business tax refunds, $410 million annual cut

iround@dailymemphian.com (Ian Round) — Mon, 5 Feb 2024 18:05:11 -0600

The tax cut is among the biggest expenses in the governor’s budget, and comes as state revenues are stagnating. Lee argues the state can afford it because revenue is stabilizing at a level significantly above where it was a few years ago.

Memphis Judge Mary Wagner appointed to Tennessee Supreme Court

iround@dailymemphian.com (Ian Round) — Thu, 1 Feb 2024 19:12:18 -0600

Gov. Bill Lee has now appointed a majority of the Tennessee Supreme Court’s justices.