There are 105 article(s) tagged Raumesh Akbari:

• July 2020

  • Schools to receive $81M in CARES Act grants

    The state is doling out $81 million in grants to K-12 schools, colleges and universities to prepare for a safe reopening this August in the COVID-19 climate.

    By Sam Stockard July 07, 2020

  • Voter registration deadline for August election likely to pass quietly

    The deadline is the end of the business day Tuesday for those not already registered. But 83% of the county's voting age population is already on the voting rolls. Meanwhile, about 7,500 Shelby Countians already registered to vote have requested absentee ballots — far above the usual number of requests for the mail-in ballots.

    By Bill Dries July 07, 2020

• June 2020

  • Sanford: Mask or no mask? Politics – and gender – inform the decision

    A study released this month found that men are less likely to wear masks in public than women. 'Men more than women agree that wearing a face covering is shameful, not cool, a sign of weakness, and a stigma,' one of the study’s authors said.

    By Otis Sanford June 25, 2020

  • Senate passes COVID liability protection for businesses, schools

    The Republican-controlled state Senate, attempting to stop a potential wave of COVID-19 lawsuits, passed legislation this week giving businesses and schools greater protection from liability.

    By Sam Stockard June 17, 2020

  • House questions reserve fund status as budget talks begin

    As the House digs into a proposed $39.4 billion budget for fiscal 2021, lawmakers are coming to grips with the idea of building up reserves while cutting programs such as education in the COVID-19 pandemic.

    By Sam Stockard June 15, 2020

  • Senate passes nearly $40B budget using reserves to cover shortfall

    The state Senate approved a $40 billion budget for fiscal 2021, using a chunk of reserve funds to cover about $1 billion in tax shortfalls caused by the COVID-19 crisis, but refused to restore money for education and postpartum health care.

    By Sam Stockard June 12, 2020

  • Senate allows Forrest Day observance to continue but lets governor wash his hands

    Tennessee will observe Nathan Bedford Forrest Day on July 13, but the governor won’t have to sign a proclamation recognizing the observance under legislation passed by the Senate Wednesday.

    By Sam Stockard June 10, 2020

  • State to inject $200M into small businesses forced to close in pandemic

    The Department of Revenue will look at the sales taxes reported by businesses statewide and prepare to make payments ranging from $2,500 for the smallest to $30,000 for the largest ones, as the state distributes federal CARES Act funds.

    By Sam Stockard June 03, 2020

• May 2020

  • House, Senate conflict builds as session arrives

    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.

    By Sam Stockard May 25, 2020

  • DeVos directive on CARES Act funding splits Shelby lawmakers

    Tennessee House Education Committee Chairman Mark White agrees with federal guidelines diverting a great share of CARES Act funds to private schools, but Memphis Democrats say the decision creates a wider gap in education resources.

    By Sam Stockard May 21, 2020

  • Appeals Court decision puts voucher program in jeopardy for 2020-21

    Tennessee’s Education Savings Account program faces a tough road for the coming school year after the state Court of Appeals upheld a decision enjoining the state from executing it until the legal case is decided. Arguments aren't scheduled until Aug. 5, about the time school is expected to start.

    By Sam Stockard May 21, 2020

  • Leery Shelby lawmakers set for June session, but public’s return unclear

    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.

    By Sam Stockard May 15, 2020

  • Federal funds targeted to keep unemployment fund from draining

    State leaders say they plan to use federal CARES Act money to keep from "extinguishing" the state’s $1.2 billion unemployment insurance trust fund.

    By Sam Stockard May 13, 2020

  • Tennessean for vice president? No, but how about the Supreme Court

    With no current Tennessee Democrat available to fulfill Biden’s pledge to choose a woman VP, how about his other promise: to “appoint the first black woman to the Supreme Court”? 

    By Michael Nelson May 11, 2020

  • Chancellor leaves opening to challenge ruling striking down voucher law

    The Davidson County chancellor who ruled the state’s voucher law is unconstitutional is allowing the state to expedite a challenge before the Court of Appeals. And the Governor's Office and state Sen. Brian Kelsey are ready to go to the state Supreme Court if necessary.

    By Sam Stockard May 05, 2020

• April 2020

  • State leaders figuring out how to spend $3.6B in federal stimulus funds

    Tennessee leaders are trying to figure out how to spend $3.6 billion in federal COVID-19 funds, about half of which has arrived in the state as officials remain worried about tax revenue shortfalls and their impact on state and local budgets. 

    By Sam Stockard April 22, 2020

  • Democratic Party kills DeBerry challenge, keeps him off ticket

    The Tennessee Democratic Party Executive Committee rejected state Rep. John DeBerry’s challenge Wednesday, April 15, keeping him off the House District 90 Democratic ballot in the August primary.

    By Sam Stockard April 16, 2020

  • Akbari to serve on panel overseeing COVID-19 funds

    State Sen. Raumesh Akbari will serve on a panel overseeing spending billions of dollars in federal funds coming to Tennessee as part of the COVID-19 crisis response.

    By Sam Stockard April 09, 2020

  • Governor touts federal help for small business payroll and self-employed

    Gov. Bill Lee pushed a federal paycheck protection program Tuesday, April 7, for small businesses as well as relief for independent contractors who can qualify for unemployment during the COVID-19 pandemic, appearing to reverse or clarify his stance the previous day.

    By Sam Stockard April 07, 2020

• March 2020

  • Human trafficking bill inspired by Cyntoia Brown clears House

    Responding to Cyntoia Brown's case, legislation by state Rep. London Lamar of Memphis has passed in the House enabling victims of human trafficking to use it as a self-defense in criminal cases.

    By Sam Stockard March 03, 2020

• February 2020

  • Locked and loaded: Governor proposes new handgun bill

    Gov. Bill Lee proposed legislation Thursday to allow “constitutional carry,” watering down the state’s handgun permit system, if not almost eliminating it.

    By Sam Stockard, Yolanda Jones February 27, 2020

  • Right to Work resolution flies through Senate with Republican supermajority

    Legislation setting the course for putting Tennessee’s Right to Work Law into the state Constitution passed the Senate on a 24-5 vote, with only Republicans backing it in a supermajority advantage.

    By Sam Stockard February 14, 2020

  • State senator to represent low-income families potentially shut out from vouchers

    State Sen. Brian Kelsey will handle legal work for a law firm prepared to file suit on behalf of families against the Shelby County and Metro Nashville school systems over the voucher lawsuit.

    By Sam Stockard February 07, 2020

  • Shelby-Metro Nashville lawsuit: Education voucher program is ‘unconstitutional’

    Shelby County government and Metro Nashville Public Schools joined forces in a lawsuit Thursday challenging the constitutionality of Tennessee’s education savings account program.

    By Sam Stockard February 06, 2020

  • Democrats say governor’s State of the State takes political turn

    Democrats accused Gov. Bill Lee of throwing “red meat” to conservatives in his State of the State address, while Republicans said he showed "vision," especially in K-12 education.

    By Sam Stockard February 03, 2020