Page 2 - John Partipilo News Today

Delays in an East Bank Authority bill that pushed it until the end of the legislative session allowed the measure to pass without debate, averting potential rancor that could have derailed it. House Republicans sponsored late amendments that might have sent the chamber into disarray over the bill as the Legislature prepared to adjourn sine […] The post End-of-session burnout enables East Bank bill passage appeared first on Tennessee Lookout.

Tennessee lawmakers have officially agreed to eliminate a portion of the state’s business tax one year after making several costly changes to the same tax. Estimates from the general assembly’s fiscal review committee show that the two cuts and an additional refund approved this year will cost the state at least $7.4 billion in the future. Tennessee traditionally […] The post Tennessee lawmakers agree to a second billion-dollar tax break for businesses in as many years appea...

(This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with WPLN/Nashville Public Radio. Sign up for Dispatches to get stories like this one as soon as they are published.) A bill that would strengthen oversight of Tennessee’s juvenile detention centers has failed, despite a concerted push for reform after multiple county-run facilities were found to […] The post Despite outcry at juvenile detention centers, Tennessee lawmakers fail to pass oversi...

Gov. Bill Lee entered the fray as a “political outsider” six years ago. Based on his performance toward the end of the 113th General Assembly, he’s still standing on the other side of the fence — almost invisible. The Legislature ignored his pleas to pass a private-school voucher bill for every student in the state, […] The post Stockard on the Stump: Gov stumbles to end of Tennessee session appeared first on Tennessee Lookout.

“Range is hot!” The curt, sandpaper voice of the ever-grumpy range warden at my Boy Scout summer camp was always loud, even through my hearing protection. How someone can sound like five decades of chewing tobacco consumption and still be loud as a cannon is beyond me, but twenty years later, a voice that was […] The post Corporate capture, the Covenant shooting, and a crippled system we must change appeared first on Tennessee Lookout.

House and Senate lawmakers still don’t have an agreement on Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee’s $1.9 billion business tax cut proposal. The sticking points are how many years of refunds to give and a part of the House version of the bill that requires the revenue department to disclose the names and amount of refunds companies […] The post Tennessee lawmakers still at odds over business tax cut as session enters final days appeared first on Tennessee Lookout.

With Gov. Bill Lee’s signature, Tennessee last week became the first state in the nation to establish the right of adults who claim moral or religious objections to LGBTQ identity to foster and adopt LGBTQ kids. In the days since the law became effective, the Department of Children’s Services (DCS) has shelved a 10-year-old policy […] The post In the child’s best interest? appeared first on Tennessee Lookout.

UPDATED: This story has been updated to reflect a House vote to table the anti-reparations bill. The Tennessee House voted 52-43 Wednesday to defeat an anti-reparations bill despite the efforts by an East Tennessee House Republican to resurrect the measure. Before introducing the bill, Republican Rep. John Ragan of Oak Ridge circulated a letter to […] The post House kills anti-reparations bill despite lawmaker’s effort to save it appeared first on Tennessee Lookout.

Balcony crowds chanted, “Blood on your hands” and “Vote them out,” after the House voted Tuesday to allow teachers to carry concealed weapons on school campuses. House Republicans passed the legislation 68-28 enabling school districts and local law enforcement to opt in on the law and let teachers who go through 40 hours of training […] The post Tennessee House votes to arm teachers despite opposition appeared first on Tennessee Lookout.

The Tennessee Senate passed a bill allowing teachers to carry guns at school, minutes after clearing the gallery of people opposed it.