There are 134 article(s) tagged Cameron Sexton:

• October 2023

  • Sanford: Talk of rejecting federal education dollars is an exercise in lunacy

    “No other state has been successful in turning down federal education money, so Tennessee is plowing new ground with this wrong-headed, purely political sideshow.”

    By Otis Sanford October 26, 2023

  • As state leaders take aim at prosecutors, Mulroy isn’t worried

    “There are things that my office is doing that I think the Cameron Sextons of the world would be pleased to hear,” Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy told The Daily Memphian in a recent interview. 

    By Ian Round October 19, 2023

• August 2023

  • House Speaker ejects audience, silences Jones in special session; Democrats walk off in protest

    Sexton’s moves followed a subcommittee chairman’s move last week to clear the entire audience from a hearing room — including parents of survivors of the Covenant School shooting. 

    By Ian Round August 28, 2023

• April 2023

  • Expelled Tennessee House reps retain counsel, including former US Attorney General

    Justin Pearson and Justin Jones, whom Republicans expelled from the Tennessee House of Representatives last week, have lawyered up.

    By Ian Round April 10, 2023

  • General Assembly introduces resolutions to expel Justin Pearson, two other Democrats

    Tennessee Republicans on Monday, April 3, introduced resolutions to expel state Reps. Justin Pearson, Justin Jones and Gloria Johnson after their protest in favor of gun-safety legislation last week. They could be voted on as soon as Thursday.

    Related story:

    House Speaker accuses Memphis Democrat, two others of ‘insurrection’

    By Ian Round April 04, 2023

  • House Speaker accuses Memphis Democrat, two others of ‘insurrection’

    The Democrats — Reps. Gloria Johnson and Justin Jones — could face expulsion, along with Rep. Justin Pearson, who also participated in the protest. Pearson had no legislative committee assignments to be stripped from.

    By Ian Round April 03, 2023

• February 2023

  • Tennessee Republicans toy with the idea of shunning more federal money

    House Speaker Cameron Sexton and Gov. Bill Lee say they don’t want to deal with the requirements that accompany federal funding for education and HIV prevention and Tennessee is in the financial shape to replace it.

    By Ian Round February 20, 2023

  • Tennessee House speaker mulls rejecting US education money

    “Basically, we’ll be able to educate the kids how Tennessee sees fit,” House Speaker Cameron Sexton said, pointing that rejecting the money would mean that Tennessee would no longer have “federal government interference.”

    By The Associated Press February 09, 2023

• November 2022

  • Tennessee private prison operator ramps up campaign spending

    CoreCivic gave $107,490 to Tennessee politicians and PACs from July to September, the majority going to incumbent Republicans. The company has stayed in business despite a high murder rate and accusations of underinvestment in safety.

    By Ian Round November 07, 2022

• October 2022

  • More prisons an option for Tennessee despite past problems

    Tennessee passed a law similar to “truth in sentencing” in 1979. The law led to overcrowded prisons, rioting and millions in damage to state property. The National Guard was called in. The result was a federal consent decree and sentencing reform. Will history repeat itself?

    By Ian Round October 10, 2022

  • Lawmakers doubling down on crime in upcoming session

    Many of the proposed bills would increase penalties for rape, kidnapping and other violent crimes and require the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to test rape kits faster.

    By Ian Round October 03, 2022

• September 2022

  • TBI data show rape kit turnaround times are long — and getting longer

    It now takes the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation about 49 weeks to test the state’s rape kits, but some lawmakers hope to cut that time to 30 to 60 days. 

    By Ian Round September 17, 2022

  • Gov. Lee calls for changes in plea deals during Memphis visit

    Gov. Bill Lee was in Memphis Friday, Sept. 9, touting stricter laws targeting violent repeat offenders passed during his tenure. 

    By Bill Dries September 13, 2022

  • Tucker Carlson blames ‘Bill Lee and guilty liberals like him’ for violent crime in Memphis

    Carlson characterized Lee as soft on crime in a monologue against criminal justice reform, which, he claimed, “means letting violent people out of prison early.”

    By Ian Round September 09, 2022

• June 2022

  • Republican leaders tout ‘Truth in Sentencing’ crime bill

    House Speaker Cameron Sexton and Lt. Gov. Randy McNally held a ceremonial signing of the bill at City Hall in Memphis.

    By Bill Dries June 28, 2022

  • Republican politicians urge Gov. Lee to reject COVID vaccine for young children

    “Governor, the COVID-19 emergency has long passed in Tennessee,” state Rep. Jason Zachary wrote. “We ask that you direct the Tennessee Department of Health to halt distribution, promotion or recommendation of COVID-19 vaccines for our youngest Tennesseans.”

    By Ian Round June 22, 2022

  • State House Speaker says AR-15 ban not the answer to mass shootings

    Cameron Sexton says he sees no reason to ban AR-15 weapons in the wake of the Uvalde, Texas, mass shooting. Meanwhile in Washington Thursday, Memphis Congressman Steve Cohen was calling for such a ban.

    By Bill Dries June 02, 2022

• May 2022

  • Strickland calls ‘BS’ on critics of ‘truth in sentencing’ state law

    Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland went after critics of his backing of the state truth in sentencing law and his description of 201 Poplar as a “revolving door” for criminals during a lively interview on “Behind The Headlines.”

    By Bill Dries May 17, 2022

• March 2022

  • Lee’s school funding proposal progresses despite corruption inquiry

    Amid an FBI investigation coming to a head, lawmakers found time to advance Gov. Bill Lee’s school funding overhaul.

    By Ian Round, Abigail Warren March 27, 2022

  • Strickland pushes bill to give violent offenders longer sentences

    Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland and law enforcement leaders are advocating for a state bill that would eliminate parole for people convicted of specific felony offenses, such as attempted murder.

    By Yolanda Jones March 04, 2022

• January 2022

  • Listen: House Speaker Sexton defends the state’s new district maps

    Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton discusses the controversial redrawing of House district lines on The Daily Memphian’s “On The Record” podcast.

    By Bill Dries January 27, 2022

  • Strickland touts police pay raise proposal in State of the City address

    In addition to the pay raises, Strickland again called for changes in state laws, particularly around gun crimes, and doubled down on his earlier declaration that the local criminal justice system is a “revolving door.”

    By Bill Dries January 26, 2022

• October 2021

  • State proposal would limit local health departments’ power even in pandemic

    The bill would give the Tennessee health commissioner the authority to determine uniform quarantine guidelines for the state and appoint county health directors.

    By Abigail Warren October 29, 2021

• August 2021

  • County Health Department says it will ‘make adjustments’ after governor allows opt-out on masks

    Shelby County Schools leaders, however, say the school system’s mask mandate remains in place despite the executive order that also includes mask mandates by school systems. Shelby County Commissioner Van Turner is suggesting the county should take the issue to court.

    By Bill Dries August 17, 2021

  • Sexton calls for special legislative session to reverse ‘misdirected’ COVID mandates

    All four House Republicans from the Shelby County delegation signed Sexton’s call for a special session.

    By Bill Dries August 11, 2021