Legislation sponsored by Senate Minority Chairwoman Raumesh Akbari would authorize sports betting in Tennessee and set up a gaming commission to oversee the industry, with 10 percent of the revenue going to state and local governments and community colleges and technical schools.

Criminal justice reform promises to be a recurring theme in the 111th General Assembly in 2019, along with medical marijuana and possibly an immigration issue affecting in-state tuition. 

Tennessee's tax-credit liability of nearly $1 billion is raising questions about economic development incentives and transparency for taxpayers. 

Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris believes it’s time for a new leader of the Tennessee Democratic Party, saying Democrats missed a great opportunity to win seats across the state this year.

Sara Kyle says constituents have been encouraging her to consider running even before U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander announced he would not seek re-election.

A Tennessee Attorney General’s opinion saying sports betting could be legalized without amending the Constitution could make it easier for Sen. Brian Kelsey to pass legislation allowing gambling on athletic events.

Memphis legislators say a court ruling striking at the heart of the Affordable Care Act should spur the Legislature to protect health insurance coverage for Tennesseans.

Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander announced on Monday he won’t seek another U.S. Senate term in 2020, leaving the post open for another contentious election and ending one of the most prolific political careers in Tennessee history.

Gov. Bill Haslam is mulling a run for the U.S. Senate seat to be vacated by Sen. Lamar Alexander while University of Tennessee interim president Randy Boyd is ruling out the 2020 race.

History-making House Minority Leader Karen Camper isn’t naturally flamboyant. She just wants to get the job done, and if it means delivering tough news to the next governor on issues he wants to push, the former Army intelligence officer says she’ll take on the task.

Gov. Bill Haslam choked back emotions Monday morning before the state unveiled the official portrait of Tennessee’s 49th governor, a painting that will hang in the State Capitol for years.

State Sen. Katrina Robinson is urging the governor to pardon a woman serving a life prison term for murder when she was a teen and says she will sponsor legislation to change sentencing laws for juveniles.

Bartlett resident Eric Coleman, retired from the U.S. Navy, emerged this week as the only Democratic candidate for the open 32nd District Senate seat vacated by Mark Norris.

Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris said Thursday he is committed to providing county resources for a driver’s license reinstatement center and is hoping for backing from the next governor and his Department of Safety and Homeland Security commissioner.

Expect bipartisan backing for a plan by House Speaker-nominee Glen Casada to resume oversight committees for three main start departments with Memphis Republicans and Democrats both saying they support the idea.

Freshman state Sen. Katrina Robinson is working with the Shelby County Mayor’s Office to set up a new driver’s license reinstatement center to expedite Memphis applications in the wake of a federal court ruling.

Jonathan Skrmetti, a partner at the Butler Snow LLP law firm and former federal prosecutor in the Memphis office of the U.S. Attorney for the Western Division of Tennessee, is the new chief deputy of the Tennessee attorney general’s office.

State Rep. G.A. Hardaway, still smarting from 2012 redistricting, says Tennessee’s Black Caucus will focus on the importance of voting in 2019 and could seek an independent commission to draw House districts after the 2020 census.

Senate Minority Chairman Raumesh Akbari, with an eye toward passage of a Florida referendum on felon voting rights, is planning to sponsor legislation automatically restoring the right to vote for people with low-level felony convictions.

Gov.-elect Bill Lee made another round of cabinet appointments Monday, announcing Williamson County Sheriff Jeff Long, a former police officer at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Memphis, will serve as Safety and Homeland Security Department commissioner.

The Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators is putting together a legislative agenda that could fit with one of Gov.-elect Bill Lee’s priorities — keeping felons from going back to prison.

As Gov.-elect Bill Lee works at disentangling himself from the family-founded Lee Company, state lawmakers say he must take steps to avoid even the appearance of conflict with government contracts the company holds.

Tennessee Gov.-elect Bill Lee says his first budget proposal will focus on capping growth in state government and shifting funds toward criminal justice reform and to more vocational, technical and agricultural education in public schools.

Tennessee Gov.-elect Bill Lee talked with The Daily Memphian at Muddy’s Bake Shop + Coffee in Cooper-Young before he spoke at the Greater Memphis Chamber’s annual luncheon Thursday, Dec. 6. Here is a transcript of the conversation, edited for clarity.

Freshman Sen. Raumesh Akbari will serve as chairman of the Senate Democratic Caucus in the 111th General Assembly, taking the post Tuesday by acclamation. Though the group is small in number, with five members compared to 28 in the Senate Republican Caucus, Akbari said the “energy is undeniable” and she believes the group can “kick it up another notch for 2020.”