House considers additional safety measures, prepares to pass budget Lawmakers have been winding down legislative business for the first session of the 113th General Assembly as the House and Senate chambers prepare to pass a budget and additional safety measures to keep firearms out of the hands of dangerous individuals. Gov. Bill Lee on Tuesday…

House approves sweeping school safety enhancements The House chamber of Thursday passed bipartisan legislation that significantly strengthens safety at public and private schools across Tennessee. The School Safety Act of 2023, House Bill 322,, was introduced in January, though several measures were added following the deadly shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville on March 27. House…

Covenant attack puts increased focus on school safety It was a somber week on Capitol Hill as lawmakers joined Tennesseans and the rest of the nation in mourning the deaths of six innocent people killed by an active shooter at the Covenant School, a private Christian academy in Nashville, on Monday, March 27. Votes on…

Pro-life bill strengthens protections for mothers in emergencies The House chamber on Monday passed legislation ensuring the life of a mother will be protected when a nonviable pregnancy endangers her life. House Bill 883, sponsored by State Rep. Esther Helton-Haynes, R-East Ridge, clarifies that terminating a nonviable pregnancy, such as in the case of an…

House protects Tennessee workers’ right to private votes House Republicans on Thursday passed legislation ensuring Tennessee workers’ rights are protected by secret ballot in union-organizing elections. House Bill 1342, sponsored by House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, and State Rep. Kevin Vaughan, R-Collierville, prohibits an employer who accepts economic development incentives from Tennessee from disclosing an…

General Assembly confirms new Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Members of the General Assembly confirmed the appointment of Dwight E. Tarwater to the Tennessee Supreme Court in a joint session in the House chamber on Thursday. Tarwater, a Knoxville attorney, brings more than 40 years of legal background to the court, including decades of trial and…

General Assembly expands protections for overdose victims The General Assembly this week approved Republican legislation meant to further encourage individuals to seek medical treatment for an overdose.  House Bill 75 extends criminal immunity, at the discretion of law enforcement or the district attorney, to anyone experiencing a second or subsequent drug overdose and is seeking…

The pace picked up this week on Capitol Hill with lawmakers advancing several bills through committee and on the House floor. The House Finance, Ways and Means Committee continued its work advancing the priorities of Tennesseans for next year by completing its seventh week of budget hearings. The House Education Committee on Wednesday held a…

Republicans advance ban on taxpayer-funded transgender surgeries The House Insurance Subcommittee this week advanced Republican legislation to protect taxpayer money from being used for transgender surgeries in Tennessee. House Bill 1215 would prohibit a managed care organization (MCO) contracted with TennCare from covering any medical procedures performed for the purpose of changing a person’s sex.…