(NASHVILLE) – As House Republicans boost their efforts to combat the opioid and prescription drug epidemic in Tennessee, Representative Mary Littleton (R-Dickson) has introduced new legislation that would impose tougher penalties on illegal opioid and prescription drug suppliers. House Bill 786 would enable law enforcement to charge illegal suppliers with voluntary manslaughter when they cause death…

(NASHVILLE) — Monday evening, House members passed a joint resolution carried by House Republican Caucus Chairman Ryan Williams (R-Cookeville) that designates this April as “Child Abuse Prevention Month” in Tennessee. House Joint Resolution 32 raises awareness of child abuse and neglect issues throughout the state. It also establishes prevention and support for children and parents in…

Legislation Seeks to Provide At-Cost Tuition to Designated Individuals Representative Bryan Terry, MD (R-Murfreesboro) and State Senator Jim Tracy (R-Shelbyville) announced the "Blood, Sweat, and Tears Tuition Act", a measure to allow certain individuals to receive "at-cost" tuition at Tennessee public universities. It is believed to be a landmark piece of legislation that has not…

(NASHVILLE) — House Majority Leader Glen Casada (R–Thompson’s Station) announced this week that State Representative Jay Reedy (R–Erin) has been chosen to shepherd House Bill 299 through the legislative process on behalf of Republican leadership. House Bill 299 is part of Governor Haslam’s legislative package for the year, which is traditionally handled by the House Majority…

NASHVILLE – House Speaker Beth Harwell (R-Nashville), along with members of House leadership, honored on Wednesday Masami Kinefuchi, the Consul-General of Japan. Kinefuchi was appointed on April 1, 2015 and serves in Nashville. He has jurisdiction over five states (Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisana, Mississippi, and Tennessee) where more than 400 Japanese companies are located. “It was an…

NASHVILLE – Speaker Beth Harwell (R-Nashville) is working this summer to raise awareness about how to prevent the deaths of children trapped in hot cars. A recent report concluded Tennessee is in the top 10 states for death of children due to hot vehicles, claiming 23 deaths from 1998-2014. “As summer temperatures are soaring into the…

NASHVILLE – Speaker Beth Harwell (R-Nashville) today announced that the Tennessee General Assembly’s revamped website has won the prestigious “Online Democracy Award” awarded by the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). NCSL’s Online Democracy Award is presented each year to the legislature whose website “makes democracy user-friendly in an outstanding way.” Tennessee also won the award…