Bill making camp-out protests a felony comes under fire
A new law stripping people’s voting rights for camping on restricted state property is drawing heat from voting rights advocates and state lawmakers who say it is unjustified.
There are 116 article(s) tagged Cameron Sexton:
A new law stripping people’s voting rights for camping on restricted state property is drawing heat from voting rights advocates and state lawmakers who say it is unjustified.
State Rep. London Lamar is hoping a new emergency powers committee she is joining will look at the governor’s executive authority and decisions affecting everything from business closings to education amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tennessee leaders are weighing the prospects for a special session to consider a COVID-19 liability immunity bill and several other issues in early August.
Governor signed an executive order providing legal cover for health care providers in the COVID-19 pandemic and said his administration is looking at the legal authority for local governments to mandate face masks.
In the waning days of the 111th General Assembly, the House of Representatives descended into an atmosphere of chaotic uncertainty but slowly started trying to take a new direction Wednesday morning.
In an effort to calm nerves, state Rep. Antonio Parkinson issued an apology Wednesday night for cursing during an outburst the previous evening as he tried to defend a slain Nashville teenager.
The Lee Administration will take about $600 million from its $4 billion in reserves to bolster the budget this year and next, but it won't go deep into those funds, instead opting to add more to the rainy day fund.
With the Legislature set to reconvene June 1, the House and Senate are at odds over the scope of legislation to be considered in what is expected to be a short get-together to deal mainly with the budget and COVID-related bills.
Grappling with finances in the pandemic era, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee says the entire budget is up for review, including funds tied to the Education Savings Account, though he favors keeping the program intact as the Legislature gets ready to convene June 1.
When state lawmakers return to Nashville to grapple with the state budget in a flagging COVID-19 economy, they'll have an incomplete picture of the state's economy because state revenue is trickling in and business tax collections have been delayed until July.
Shelby County lawmakers who missed the final days of hectic mid-March work when the COVID-19 pandemic started are planning to return June 1 when the public will be allowed in the Capitol and Cordell Hull Building as well.
Leading Democrats and Republicans in the General Assembly are knocking the Tennessee Democratic Party’s decision to take veteran state Rep. John DeBerry of Memphis off the August primary ballot.
Lt. Gov. Randy McNally calls it the “black swan,” an unforeseen event capable of shaking Tennessee’s foundation, yet one the state must be prepared to handle, this time using a military approach on a worldwide scale.
Gov. Bill Lee worked with the state attorney general and comptroller on an executive order to put electronic government meetings rules in place after legislation failed Thursday in the final hours of the General Assembly session
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Tennessee’s political leaders are speeding up work on Gov. Bill Lee’s $40.9 billion budget proposal, which is expected to contain extra funding to deal with COVID-19 and tornadoes that struck the state amid a state of emergency.
State basketball tournaments are latest cancellations with COVID-19.
With Gov. Bill Lee declaring a state of emergency, Republican legislative leaders are calling for limited visits to the Capitol complex in an effort to stem to spread of the coronavirus, though Democrats say more extensive steps should be taken.
House Speaker Cameron Sexton is turning down a Nashville lawmaker’s request for temporary adjournment of the House and passage of a short-term budget until state and federal health officials get a handle on the coronavirus pandemic.
Democrats say Tennessee’s controlling Republicans took care of Gov. Bill Lee’s permitless carry and anti-abortion initiatives even though a terrible tornado killed people across the state and left a path of destruction.
Hours after Tennessee officials confirmed the state's first case of the coronavirus, one Memphis lawmaker said the state is “absolutely not” prepared to deal with a potential health crisis stemming from COVID-19.
The governor’s main initiatives on K-12 education, abortion and family leave are running into obstacles – legislative and legal – in his second year in office.
House Minority Leader Karen Camper is asking for a timeline audit of a no-bid education savings account contract to answer questions for legislators puzzled about the Education Department's method for expediting the program in time for the 2021-22 school year.
State Rep. G.A. Hardaway says he will ask the Comptroller's Office to review the Education Department budget amid questions about a transfer of Career Ladder funds to hire a Florida contractor to run the new Education Savings Account program.
Republican lawmakers are pushing legislation to take away the governor’s authority to keep Tennessee in the federal refugee resettlement program by claiming he is illegally "obligating" state funds.