Tennessee State Rep. Mae Beavers and Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Jeff Bivins says the most significant snag in reaching an agreement in how to reset the state’s judicial ethics panel is agreeing on how many judges can serve as watchdogs. Judges have one proposal that retains the ratio of 10 judges to six laymen. [...]
Tennessee Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, R-Blountville, tells reporters he expects Gov. Bill Haslam to build budget cuts into his budget and adds that state revenues might hint that the economy is recovering, but the state’ is still operating off revenue that is lower than it was in 2007. “I think there will still be cuts [...]
Tennessee Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey says he is in favor of changing the state constitution to verify that the state’s practice of selecting judges is constitutional. He adds that he will discourage other proposals looking to change the state’s method for picking judges. Ramsey made the comments from his Capitol Hill office Jan. 19, 2012. [...]
The Tennessee House of Representative’s No. 2 Democrat tells TNReport he believes the state Constitution already bans lawmakers from enacting an income tax, even though leadership in his own party helped fueled the charge to levy an income tax on Tennesseans in the late 1990s and early 2000s. On Jan. 12, 2012, Turner refused to [...]
After standing on stage with country music star Dolly Parton while she announced opening a snow and water amusement park, Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam tells reporters the state is offering taxpayer funded business incentives and road work to the project. He said he doesn’t know what the total cost will be, but says the park [...]
Tennessee House Speaker Beth Harwell, R-Nashville, points out that the map the chamber approved that resets House legislative districts for the next 10 years won bipartisan support, although part of that was because she had asked Democratic leaders to vote in favor of the legislation after agreeing to separating some Democrats from sharing the same [...]
Senate Republican Leader Mark Norris, R-Collierville, explains that the cut to the grocery tax that has been proposed by the Democrats last summer, was originally proposed by the Republicans years ago and was opposed by the Democrats at the time. The tax cut proposal by Gov. Bill Haslam was made possible because revenues are running [...]
House Republican Leader Rep. Gerald McCormick, R-Chattanooga, discusses Gov. Bill Haslam’s proposed cut to the sales tax on groceries from 5.5 percent to 5.3 percent. Though McCormick had said he thought that a tax cut was irresponsible over the summer, he says an increase in revenue has made it possible to make the tax cuts [...]
Occupy Nashville organizer Eva Watler calls herself the “Money Fairy” and says constitutionally banning an income tax in Tennessee would tie the state’s hands. She made the comments at a joint rally held by Tennesseans for Fair Taxation and Occupy Nashville Jan. 10, 2012. For more, go to www.tnreport.com.
Nashville District Attorney General Victor S. “Torry” Johnson talks to reporters after revealing he will not file charges against Reps. Tony Shipley, R-Kingsport, and Dale Ford, R-Jonesborough. Johnson ordered the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to investigate the two lawmakers for using their political muscle to pressure the state nursing board into reversing its decision to [...]
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and his Department of Safety Commissioner Bill Gibbons say say the administration’s safety “action steps” will cost taxpayers about $6 million annually in changes to the sentencing laws but will eventually save the state about $4 million a year by sending non-violent drug offenders to drug treatment courts. The state officials [...]
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam is standing by the education commissioner’s decision to cut more than two dozen agency employees from the payroll, saying it is the responsibility of the department to balance out staffing with resources. The governor made the comments after a press conference on Capitol Hill Jan. 5, 2012. For more, go to [...]
Tennessee House Speaker Beth Harwell defends her party’s redistricting maps unveiled by the GOP Jan. 4, 2012 on Capitol Hill. Democrats allege Republicans are trying to force out select Democrats with the new districts, but the speaker says she “can’t control the demographics of this state,” adding, “we feel very good about a plan that [...]
On the eve of House Republican lawmakers revealing their new district map, Tennessee Democratic Caucus Chairman Rep. Mike Turner tells reporters the map is punitive because it pairs several African American legislators and Democrats together. “Hopefully after we do some talking, they’ll come around and remember we’re not that bad of guys and they’ll take [...]
Tennessee Sen. Jim Tracy, R-Shelbyville, explains why he feels his 2009 texting while driving ban is a success despite lower-than-expected enforcement and adds that he doesn’t see the state making it illegal to talk on the phone “yet.” He made the comments at his Capitol Hill office Dec. 20, 2011. For more, go to www.tnreport.com.
