Legislature adds two more criminal courts to Shelby County
The state Legislature has passed a bill that would add two more judges to Shelby County for criminal cases. The bill now heads to Gov. Lee to sign.
Topic: Tennessee Legislature
RSSThere are 173 article(s) tagged Tennessee Legislature:
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April 2026
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Bail bond limits, property tax ban, ICE regulations: A legislative session recap
A lot can happen in four months, especially when 132 Tennessee lawmakers get together. Here are some of the bills that may have slipped between the big headlines.
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Hiring, working, driving: An immigration-related legislative recap
Four months after announcing Republican lawmakers would send a “strong message” with immigration-related bills, The Daily Memphian looks at what passed and what failed.
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Memphis gets another $50M for Downtown Memphis safety
The Tennessee General Assembly included a $50 million grant for Downtown Memphis Public Safety in the state budget passed this week.
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State budget spikes $30M meant for Memphis
The budget “reallocates” $30 million originally proposed for Memphis to combat crime through workforce development and deterrence.
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Tennessee House passes voucher expansion plan in tight vote
House Bill 2532 met with bipartisan opposition, barely clearing the majority vote needed to pass.
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Tennessee bill would make drink spiking a felony and require test strips at bars
Led by Sen. Paul Rose, R-Covington, a bipartisan bill that aims to crack down on the use of “date rape” drugs to involuntarily intoxicate someone cruised through the Senate, but is set for a challenge in the House.
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House Republicans tie immigrant student tracking to Tennessee voucher expansion bill
Tennessee House Republicans have inserted a student immigration tracking requirement into a pending voucher program expansion bill, linking two of the most controversial policies affecting state public schools in recent years.
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March 2026
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Tennessee GOP advances bill to relax voucher testing rules for private schools
Schools that participate in the voucher program could choose to give students a different test than the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program, or TCAP.
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Competing bills battle to restrict community bail funds
While sponsors argue the bills enhance public safety, community leaders say limiting how often community funds can bail people out would be detrimental.
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Bill in state Legislature targets adults who coerce minors into crime
A bill sponsored by two local lawmakers would add situations where an adult coerced a minor into committing a crime to the list of reasons a sentence might be enhanced.
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Tennessee would be required to use federal funding to feed low-income students under new bill
Gov. Bill Lee has declined federal funding to help feed low-income students over the summer. A bipartisan group of lawmakers wants to change that.
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Here’s what happened at the Tennessee Capitol last week
It was a busy week for state politics, with lots of updates on immigration and bills concerning pharmacy ownership and bail reform.
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Tennessee moves forward with act to ban ‘West Bank’ term
A controversial bill about what to call an area of land in the Middle East makes its way through the Tennessee Legislature.
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Two Democrats eye August state primary for chance to challenge Brent Taylor
All 13 state House incumbents and three state senators representing Shelby County have checked out qualifying petitions for the August ballot. The filing deadline for primary challengers is March 10.
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8Ball — along with GloRilla, Three 6 Mafia and other Memphis musicians — recognized by Tennessee Legislature
February 2027 is set to be Tennessee’s first Tennessee Songwriter Month. 8Ball was recognized for his significant cultural impact and as a pioneer of Memphis hip-hop.
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February 2026
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Tennessee’s felony law when local officials vote for ‘sanctuary’ policies is ruled unconstitutional
Earlier last year, the GOP-supermajority state Legislature and Republican Gov. Bill Lee approved legislation to aid the Trump administration with immigration enforcement.
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State House bill lets private businesses, citizens reject same-sex marriage
The Tennessee House of Representatives passed a bill Thursday, Feb. 19, that lets private businesses refuse to recognize same-sex couples.
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Trigger bill would require Tennessee schools to track, report student immigration status
House Bill 1711 is the second piece of legislation currently in the Tennessee General Assembly that could require educators to report the legal status of public school students.
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Governor wants constitutional ban on state property tax
Tennesseans will vote on an amendment to ban state property taxes this November — even though Tennessee hasn’t imposed the tax since 1949.
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School board elections, superintendent contract ‘irrelevant’ with MSCS takeover looming, lawmakers say
The Memphis-Shelby County Schools board is about to decide on the district’s leadership, and candidates are campaigning for school board seats. But two sponsors of a state bill say little, if any, of that matters.
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New bill would bar some Tennesseans from running for Congress
Memphis lawmaker Brent Taylor sponsors a bill to keep naturalized and dual citizens out of party primaries.
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January 2026
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2020 Black Lives Matter protest organizer to challenge Cohen for Congress
Already facing Rep. Justin J. Pearson, Steve Cohen faces a new challenger; one who was active during the George Floyd protests in Memphis years ago.
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New year, new laws: Tennessee legislation that takes effect on Jan. 1, 2026
Changes to immigration, cannabis regulation and changes to retirement are among the new laws beginning in 2026.
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June 2025
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Vaughan talks future legislative ideas, reelection plans at Collierville chamber
Rep. Kevin Vaughan weighed in on the suburb’s reliance on Memphis Light, Gas and Water and on the Memphis-Shelby County Schools state takeover.
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