Senator Bill Powers Takes Oath of Office – Newly-elected State Senator Bill Powers (R-Clarksville) took the oath of office this week, beginning his tenure representing Tennessee’s 22nd Senate District. The oath was administered by Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Jeffrey Bivins in the office of Governor Bill Lee on Thursday. Powers won a decisive victory on Tuesday for the Senate seat previously held by U.S. Congressman Mark Green. Opioids /
The Senate gave final approval to legislation establishing a Pilot Education Savings Account (ESA) program to serve low-income students zoned to public schools in Metro Nashville, Shelby County and the state’s Achievement School District (ASD). Senate Bill 795, which is part of a package of bills proposed by Governor Bill Lee to improve education opportunities for students, focuses on providing parental choice in school districts which have the state’s highest
The full Senate voted 26 to 5 on Monday evening to strengthen Tennessee’s pro-life stance with approval of the Human Life Protection Act. Senate Bill 1257 would proactively trigger the restoration of Tennessee’s abortion laws prior to the Roe v. Wade ruling, if and when the power to regulate abortion is returned to the states, to protect the life of unborn children. When the United States Supreme Court handed down
Several bills aiding healthcare consumers advanced in the State Senate this week, including the Tennessee Right to Shop Act, a consumer-driven program which provides patients with more transparency regarding the costs of healthcare services in their network. Senate Bill 510 seeks to disclose the cost for certain procedures so the patient can make an informed choice that fits their within their budget or deductible. It requires health insurance providers to
(NASHVILLE, Tenn.), April 25, 2019 – As the Tennessee General Assembly prepared to enter the final stretch of the 2019 legislative session, state senators acted on a wide variety of important bills this week. These include the state budget, several bills aiding healthcare consumers, and legislation to protect the life of unborn children. State Budget — The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee adopted a schedule to the appropriations bill on Thursday, outlining
Farmers / Tennessee Wine and Grape Board – The Senate State and Local Government Committee approved legislation to create the Tennessee Wine and Grape Board to strengthen Tennessee’s efforts to restore preeminence in the wine and grape industry. Senate Bill 302 also creates the Wine and Grape Fund which is dedicated to promoting grape and wine production in Tennessee. Governor Bill Lee has allocated $300,000 to this fund in his
Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration Commissioner Stuart McWhorter presented Governor Bill Lee’s revised revenue and spending plan for the 2019-2020 fiscal year to the Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee on Tuesday. The supplemental appropriations amendment is customarily introduced by the governor in the final weeks of the legislative session to make adjustments to the budget submitted earlier in the year. It also signals the beginning of final state
Three key bills promoting civics education in Tennessee schools were approved by the Senate Education Committee this week before members concluded their business for the 2019 session. This includes Senate Bill 800 establishing the “Governor’s Civics Seal” to recognize public schools and local education agencies (LEAs) for implementing high quality civic education programs that prepare students for career and civic life. The bill is part of Governor Bill Lee’s legislative
(NASHVILLE, Tenn.), April 18, 2019 – Major legislation calling for Tennessee’s Commissioner of Finance and Administration to request a block grant waiver from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to better serve recipients of the state’s TennCare program was approved by the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee this week. Senate Bill 1428 is designed to maximize flexibility in constructing an innovative plan that serves the needs of Tennesseans,
Decoupling / Tax Cuts and Jobs Act — Legislation which ensures that Tennessee businesses are not unintentionally overtaxed due to recent changes in the federal tax code received final approval on Thursday. Tennessee currently uses the definition of federal taxable income as the base for computing a business’s excise tax liability. The Federal Government passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 which expanded the definition of taxable income