There are 149 article(s) tagged Tennessee Legislature:

• November 2021

  • Behind The Headlines: Thompson and Gillespie have differing views of special session

    State Representatives John Gillespie and Dwayne Thompson spoke on this week’s “Behind The Headlines.”

    By Bill Dries November 27, 2021

• 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

  • Tennessee lawmakers to hold special session focused on COVID

    Tennessee’s top legislative leaders on Tuesday announced they have enough support to call a special legislative session to address COVID-19 measures after Republican Gov. Bill Lee declined to do so.

    By The Associated Press October 20, 2021

• August 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

• May 2021

  • Council urges Gov. Lee to veto ‘critical race theory’ classroom ban

    The resolution condemns the bill on Lee’s desk that bans public schools from teaching the racial theory. Council members, Black and white, said their experience on a diverse elected body has shown the importance of discussing race in classrooms.

    By Bill Dries May 19, 2021

  • Opinion: Legislature’s rush to end teaching of systemic racism lacked thought and research

    Within the span of about three days, the House and Senate imposed their Caucasian-centered, conservative will on what can and cannot by taught in schools about racism’s sordid history and harmful impact.

    By Otis Sanford May 13, 2021

• April 2021

  • Tennessee Pro Family Building Act rolls to 2022 legislative session

    The bill had bipartisan support among 29 co-sponsors. If passed, the legislation would provide fertility coverage to state employees.

    By Abigail Warren April 23, 2021

  • Herrington: The ladder as Tennessee’s state tool? An idea right out of a Memphis artist’s pocket

    Dolph Smith studied and taught at what became the Memphis College of Art. Making the ladder Tennessee’s state tool was his idea. Mr. Smith didn’t go to Nashville. But he did write a letter. 

    By Chris Herrington April 15, 2021

  • Letter to the Editor: Bills favor vaping industry, not public health

    House Bill 705 and Senate Bill 1047 serve to protect the tobacco industry’s financial interests and stop our ability to take local action to protect our youth.

    By Letters to the Editor April 06, 2021

• March 2021

  • Letter to the Editor: Change the law that ties child support to voting

    The intent of the law is not about concern for struggling single mothers, but a means of unfairly denying the right to vote to thousands of Tennesseans.

    By Letters to the Editor March 31, 2021

  • Tennessee lawmakers sending Gov. Lee permitless carry gun bill

    The bill, which had already passed the Senate, passed the House 64-29 Monday. Some Republicans defected to vote against the measure, whose opponents include influential law enforcement entities.

    By The Associated Press March 30, 2021

  • Most on commission oppose eliminating county primaries

    The bill in Nashville would outlaw partisan primary elections in Shelby and Davidson counties – the state’s two biggest concentrations of Democratic voters.

    By Bill Dries March 08, 2021

  • Opinion: Voter suppression efforts still on the minds of state GOP lawmakers

    Among the misguided proposals presented at the Tennessee Legislature, none would have as much negative impact on the majority of Tennesseans as the bill introduced last week to abolish early voting in the state.

    By Otis Sanford March 01, 2021

• February 2021

  • Dozens of election changes proposed by Tennessee legislators

    Here’s a review of some of the bills that would change elections in Shelby County and Tennessee. Some of them have been proposed before and others are new in the wake of the 2020 presidential election year.

    By Bill Dries February 18, 2021

  • Right-to-work amendment advances in state Senate

    The measure could move to a vote before the full Senate if it passes through the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee, which is scheduled to meet on Feb. 16.

    By Blake Fontenay February 10, 2021

  • SCS increasingly isolated as state’s only district without in-person classes

    The state’s largest school system – Shelby County Schools – becomes the only school system in the state to have no in-person classes as Metro Nashville Schools resumes some in-person classes Thursday, Feb. 4.

    By Bill Dries February 03, 2021

• January 2021

  • Akbari, Kelsey have different view of ‘following science’ on in-person school

    On “Behind The Headlines,” the Republican and Democratic legislators from the Shelby County delegation to Nashville also agreed on mandatory summer school or tutoring to help students who have slipped academically during the pandemic.

    By Bill Dries January 28, 2021

  • The hurdles SCS schools face as it tries to reopen

    Legislation potentially could force parents to send their children into situations they believe to be unsafe.

    By Linda A. Moore January 27, 2021

  • Tennessee legislature passes teacher pay bump

    The move wrapped up the legislature’s four-day special session on education, called by Gov. Bill Lee to address learning disruptions for students during the coronavirus pandemic, plus perennial challenges with teacher pay and literacy.

    By Marta W. Aldrich January 23, 2021

  • TNReady requirements concern suburban superintendents

    The governor and education commissioner have touted districts won’t be penalized based on test results. However, that’s only if 80% of students take the exam. Superintendents are concerned as so much uncertainty surrounds the requirements.

    By Abigail Warren January 22, 2021

  • ‘Please don’t hurt my children,’ Joris Ray begs lawmakers

    Superintendent Joris Ray posted a video Friday, Jan. 22 urging state legislators to vote against a bill that could “defund public education” if Shelby County Schools remain closed. 

    By Laura Faith Kebede January 22, 2021

  • Germantown school leaders identify legislative wishes

    Germantown Municipal School District laid out a wish list as part of its efforts advocate for state laws that best serve students.

    By Abigail Warren January 14, 2021

  • Tennessee lawmakers return for 2021 session

    Tennessee’s legislative session is likely to stretch for several months, with a special session called by Republican Gov. Bill Lee on tap starting Jan. 19 to address education challenges that have popped up amid the virus outbreak.

    By The Associated Press January 12, 2021

  • Bill clarifies authority over schools’ emergency operations

    State representatives from Shelby County want to clarify that authority for school operations lies with local district’s elected leaders. 

    By Abigail Warren January 11, 2021

  • Kelsey bill would eliminate residency requirements statewide for police and fire

    The bill follows a City Council decision late last year to remove a referendum question that would have allowed Memphis police and firefighters to live outside Shelby County.

    By Bill Dries January 06, 2021