Lewis County Herald - Serving Hohenwald, Lewis County Tennessee Since 1898

Expanding School Choice within a School District – Public Chapter 479 expands public school choice to additional districts that do not already have open enrollment policies. It allows students w...

Session Highlights Teacher Shortages - Public Chapter 125 simplifies the process for teachers who are moving to Tennessee to receive an appropriate teaching license, helping qualified teachers get int...

Session Highlights Special Session / Tennessee Literacy Success Act – Public Chapter 3 targets literacy skills to get students on track in the early grades, so they can become proficient readers by 3...

Session Highlights BUDGET Appropriations Bill – Public Chapter 454 provides appropriations for the no-debt, structurally-balanced $42.6 billion budget, which will fund state government for the 2...

House Republicans pass historic criminal justice reform The Tennessee House of Representatives approved two major criminal justice reform bills this past week in Nashville. Both are proposals from...

The General Assembly approves $42.6 billion budget The House and Senate of the 112th General Assembly on Thursday successfully approved a no-debt $42.6 billion budget that provides strategic...

House Republicans make Covid relief tax deductible for business Tennessee businesses will be eligible to receive more pandemic assistance through a bill that will exempt relief funds from state...

Gov. Lee’s budget amendment includes tax holidays, investments in mental health, education and economic development The state budget is the central focus in the last remaining weeks of the first s...

House Republicans make Covid relief tax deductible for business Tennessee businesses will be eligible to receive more pandemic assistance through a bill that will exempt relief funds from state...

House Republicans propose to protect consumer privacy Republican leaders this week announced a proposal that protects Tennesseans’ right to privacy and returns control of personal information back to...

In house committees this past week, the Truth and sentencing reform advances. House Bill 1047 requires any person convicted of violent or sexual offenses that historically target women and children...

Gov. Bill Lee delivered his third State of the State address this week in a joint convention of the House and Senate at War Memorial Auditorium in Nashville. The governor’s speech focused on recent R...

New law allows local governments to prohibit smoking on playgrounds -- The General Assembly passed Public Chapter 529 this year allowing local governments to prohibit smoking on any playground in...

New law allows local governments to prohibit smoking on playgrounds – The General Assembly passed Public Chapter 529 this year allowing local governments to prohibit smoking on any playground in w...

3th General Assembly passes major pro-life legislation banning abortion when a fetal heartbeat is detected -- Major pro-life legislation, which includes a prohibition on abortions where a fetal...

New law gives more flexibility to directors of schools regarding student discipline – The General Assembly passed a bill this year giving directors of schools in Tennessee more flexibility r...

Legislation encourages school districts to provide students with a wide variety of career-based experiences - State lawmakers approved a new law this year encouraging Tennessee school districts to...

Commission created to study impact of COVID-19, natural disasters on students - On the morning of March 3, 2020 devastating tornadoes wreaked havoc on Middle Tennessee. Schools were destroyed, homes l...

Legislation to extend CoverKids Program passes General Assembly - An extension of CoverKids (Public Chapter 582), Tennessee’s children’s health insurance program (CHIP) was approved this year, ext...

Legislation expands access to dental care – A bill to help nonprofit dental clinics provide free care to more Tennesseans in need passed during the 2020 legislative session. Public Chapter 724 e...

New law encourages alternative pain treatments to opioids – Legislation encouraging the use of more alternative pain treatments rather than opioids was approved during the 2020 session. Public C...

Legislation encourages lower health care costs through Association Health Plans – Legislation which aims to lower premiums and overall health care costs for small businesses through Association H...

HEALTH Budget – The 2020-2021 budget increased funding for health care, with highlights including: • An additional $9.2 million in non-recurring funds for the adult health care safety net and $3 mil...

General Assembly Reconvenes for 61st Extraordinary Session This week, the General Assembly reconvened in Nashville for the 61st Extraordinary Session in Tennessee history. As part of this historic...

Tennessee General Assembly passes legislation to mitigate effects of COVID-19 in one of the toughest budget years in state history The second session of the 111th Tennessee General Assembly adjourned...