Serving Hohenwald, Lewis County Tennessee Since 1898
Serving Hohenwald, Lewis County Tennessee Since 1898
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Several bills advance to improve school safety This week, several measures advanced to continue efforts to improve school safety across the state for public and private K-12 schools as well as at higher education institutions. Those school safety bills are highlighted below. School de-escalation training – The Senate Education Committee advanced school safety legislation to require de-escalation training for teachers and administrators in Tennessee. Senate Bill 1721, which I sponsored would e...
Senate takes major steps to protect children from danger online This week, lawmakers prioritized legislation to protect children from harmful online content, as well as protect the religious freedom of foster and adoptive parents in Tennessee. Other legislation advanced this week to crack down on the opioid crisis by punishing distributors of deadly drugs and expanding the ability for providers to treat opioid addiction. Protecting Children from Social Media Act - It is vital to ensure the...
8 Legislative Update Smart Heart Act protects health and safety of Tennessee students Legislation, which I sponsored, aims to protect the health and safety of Tennessee students. In 2015, the Tennessee General Assembly passed legislation that annually informs and educates coaches and athletes of symptoms of cardiac arrest. Senate Bill 2175 expands upon this act by requiring the governing authority of schools with grades nine through twelve to provide automated external defibrillators (AED) accessible to students during school hours and...
Senate advanced legislation to crack down on crime and hold criminals accountable This week, the Senate advanced several bills to increase penalties for criminals, specifically repeat offenders and criminals who target children. Dr. Benjamin Mauck Act The Dr. Benjamin Mauck Act advanced this week to increase penalties for assault in a healthcare facility. On July 11, 2023, Dr. Benjamin Mauck was shot point blank three times in his Collierville medical facility. One week prior, his life had been...
Legislation to prohibit political flags in classrooms advances A bill which I sponsored to keep controversial or political flags out of the classroom advanced out of the Senate Education Committee this week. Senate Bill 1722, would prohibit certain flags from being displayed in public schools. At public schools, students should be focused on learning academic skills and not be distracted by displays of political beliefs that might go against the values their parents are teaching at home. This...
School safety and education highlight the week On Capitol Hill this week, Senate committees were in full swing. In the first week of budget hearings from state departments and agencies, Senate committees approved eleven of sixty-three total budgets. Lawmakers also advanced many important bills to protect children, improve school safety and increase educational opportunities. Legislation advances to change fire alarm protocols for improved school safety The Senate Education Committee this week...
On the Senate floor, lawmakers expressed support for a lawsuit filed by Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti against the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for violating federal antitrust laws by placing anticompetitive restrictions on the ability of current and future student-athletes to benefit from their name, image and likeness (NIL). The AG’s action is consistent with legislation passed by the General Assembly in 2021 to push back against unfair NCAA policies and e...
8 Legislative Preview: HEALTH The 2024 Legislative Session has begun in Nashville and we will be addressing a variety of important issues facing Tennesseans including improvements to Tennessee’s health and health care in the state. HEALTH Mental Health Services -- To address the growing mental health crisis in the state, lawmakers have made significant investments over the years. Most recently, in the August 2023 Special Session lawmakers allocated: • $50 million for grants to licensed community mental health agencies to improve mental hea...
Because of large amounts of ice and snow across the state last week, the legislature postponed our meetings, so we will be going full force on Capitol Hill this week. During the first week of session, the Senate Finance, Ways and Means Committee, on which I sit, heard testimony from experts on the state’s budget and economy. Department of Finance and Administration Commissioner Jim Bryson laid out new budgeting challenges but reassured the committee that Tennessee is well-prepared to address t...
8 Legislative Preview: Crime and Public Safety We are preparing for a busy 2024 Legislative Session in Nashville where we will address a variety of important issues facing Tennesseans including improvements to Tennessee’s public safety. Crime and Public Safety A main priority of the General Assembly is to ensure Tennessee is a great place to live, work and raise a family. Protecting Tennessee communities from crime is a major aspect of this creed. Cracking down on crime and improving public safety is an ongoing focus of the General A...
EDUCATION Keeping politics out of K-12 classrooms – In recent years, the General Assembly has made significant progress in passing legislation to prohibit teaching inappropriate political concepts such as transgender ideology and other sexual concepts in public school classrooms. Lawmakers have passed laws to increase transparency and oversight of instructional materials and literature used in public schools by ensuring parents know what reading material and books their child has access to in their classroom and school libraries. Expect l...
Tennessee sees improvements in k-12 education K-12 education has been a top priority of the General Assembly in recent years and historic investments, innovative programs and effective legislation are generating impressive results. Tennessee is seeing dramatic improvements in student literacy as well as job readiness, school choice and school safety. Tennessee has championed early literacy of late by focusing on instruction that is rooted in the science of reading and ensuring both teachers and...
The 2nd session of the 113th General Assembly will be convening January 9, 2024. These are a few of the issues that were addressed in the first half to the 113th General Assembly. Cracking down on TikTok use at Tennessee College Campuses - This law prohibits the Chinese-owned social media platforms TikTok and WeChat from being accessed on Tennessee public higher education institutions’ internet networks. The State of Tennessee and the Federal government have taken similar steps to mitigate t...
Christmas Is Legal I’ve been publishing this information for many years and every year it seems to reach more than it did the year before. My hope would be that it will serve as a reminder to everyone what Christmas is truly about and that each year it reaches someone new. I hope you enjoy it. As Christmas approaches and we all look forward to celebrating the holiday season, many begin to wonder just what the law says about religious expression. I would like to offer some clarification about wha...
In an effort to curb foreign influence of potential bad actors in the state of Tennessee, in the General As+sembly we passed a law this year that prevents non-resident aliens, foreign governments, businesses and non-citizens from countries on the U.S Department of Treasury’s sanctions list as well as China from purchasing or acquiring real estate in Tennessee. There are currently 38 countries on the sanctions list. In the new law, China was singled out to ensure Chinese foreign nationals are p...
Thanksgiving is the unofficial beginning of the Holiday season and it has different meanings to each of us. For most it is being with family and friends, having too much delicious food, and watching some football. Let’s not forget the huge sale papers advertising the bargains to be had by the early shoppers on “Black Friday”. Most everyone is familiar with the story of the “first” Thanksgiving with the pilgrims and the Indians, but I wonder how many know about the Proclamation issued by George W...
7 Session of the 113th General Assembly A new report shows Tennessee students are making important progress in reading For years, Tennessee struggled to significantly improve rates of proficiency in English Language Arts (ELA), including in third grade. In 2021, we faced less-than-stellar literacy rates, along with significant learning losses due to the Covid-19 pandemic. So the General Assembly held a special session and decided to take a different approach to address reading. During the...
7 Session of the 113th General Assembly In Tennessee, We Protect the 2nd Amendment From self-defense to recreational use, protecting the use of firearms in the 2nd Amendment is a Tennessee tradition. In the time I’ve served in the General Assembly, we have passed many laws to solidify our commitment to the 2nd Amendment. This year, we passed legislation I sponsored to protect firearm and ammunition manufacturers. This new law provides civil liability protection to firearm and ammunition m...
7 Session of the 113th General Assembly Condemning the invasion of Israel by Hamas The Tennessee General Assembly this week issued a proclamation condemning in the strongest possible terms the invasion of Israel by the terrorist group known as Hamas. The proclamation demonstrates that the people of Tennessee and their legislature stand united in their support for the state of Israel and against those who seek to destroy America’s strongest ally in the Middle East. As the proclamation s...
When Tennessee ushered in our current fiscal year on July 1, 2023, a slew of new Tennessee laws passed by the General Assembly went into effect. I was proud to pass new laws to care for children by improving adoption and foster care services, as well as strengthening resources to the Department of Children’s Services (DCS) and the Wilder Youth Development Center in Fayette County. A new law went into effect this year to protect prospective adoptive parents and expectant parents from illegal a...
Recognizing Breast Cancer Awareness Month Every October, our nation is painted in various shades of pink as we collectively observe National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It is a time to come together to raise awareness about breast cancer, support those affected by it, and emphasize the importance of early detection and research. Beyond the ribbons and pink products, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month carries profound significance in the fight against this deadly disease. As the most...
Joint Working Group on Federal Education Funding Last week, the Tennessee State Senate and speakers announced the creation of a new Joint Working Group on Federal Education Funding and I was appointed to serve on it. The working group will study the impact federal education funding has in and out of the classroom. That includes the restrictions, mandates, and additional regulations required by the Federal Department of Education, and whether the state can provide similar services without taking...
It was the Constitution that made the War of Independence a Revolution Celebrating Constitution Day Our nation celebrated a very important birthday on September 17. On this date 231 years ago, 39 delegates of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia signed the greatest protection of life, liberty and property the world has ever seen – the U.S. Constitution. It is altogether appropriate that we stop and reflect on this amazing document and what it means to us as Americans. That is why I s...
The 113th General Assembly has adjourned for 2023, and it was a very successful year. We have taken measures for Tennessee to be a better place to live, work and to raise a family. I will go over some of the laws passed this session. Adding “In God We Trust” to the state seal - The General Assembly approved a measure to add “In God We Trust” to the Tennessee state seal. The new law asks the governor, who is the keeper of the seal, to direct the Secretary of State to redesign the state seal. O...
The 113th General Assembly has adjourned for 2023, and it was a very successful year. We have taken measures for Tennessee to be a better place to live, work and to raise a family. I will go over some of the laws passed this session. Protecting senior citizens from stalkers - This new law expands aggravated stalking offenses to include anyone who stalks a person 65 years of age or older and is at least 15 years younger than the victim. The change increases the punishment from a Class A misdemean...
