This article is from Tennessee/Lookout. A piece of legislation designed to stop the “criminalization” of doctors could be in trouble after several abortion-related bills went down in flames this week. State Rep. Esther Helton-Haynes delayed a bill Wednesday for three weeks that would remove the “affirmative defense” requirement for doctors who provide abortions for women going […]
Private School Voucher Bill for Hamilton County Rolls Through Committee
This article is from Tennessee/Lookout. Legislation expanding the state’s education savings account program to Hamilton County Schools passed the Senate Education Committee Wednesday with only token opposition. Despite a contentious vote in 2019 that brought the House to a standstill and led to an FBI investigation, the measure to spread private school vouchers to Hamilton passed […]
Governor Lee Breaks Little New Ground in State of the State Address
This article is from Tennessee/Lookout. Gov. Bill Lee broke little new ground nor dropped any policy changes in his fifth State of the State address Monday, choosing to highlight issues he has discussed for months and in some cases, years — including a transportation plan that would include “toll” roads for motorists who want to bypass […]
Silly Season
This editorial is from Tennessee/Lookout. As the 113th General Assembly gaveled into session in January, so did I begin the new year with all intentions of writing high-minded and substantive commentary on legislative bills that will make the biggest difference in the lives of ordinary Tennesseans, instead of getting pulled into the annual “shiny object” legislation […]
Citizens Deserve Access to Police Video Even When People Don’t Die
This editorial is from Tennessee/Lookout. If the video footage from the Tyre Nichols beating in Memphis tells us anything, it’s that we need to keep protecting the tools that allow public accountability for corruption. Two bills in the Legislature last year sought to reduce a citizen’s ability to view body cam or other law enforcement video […]
John Cole’s Tennessee
This John Cole editorial cartoon is from Tennessee/Lookout
Fair Criticism Does Not Equal Incivility
This editorial is from Tennessee/Lookout. In 1910, one year after leaving the presidency, Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt delivered a speech at the University of Paris — better known as the Sorbonne — titled “Citizenship in a Republic.” The speech is better known as the “Man in the Arena” speech, and you may be familiar with it as one portion is […]
Calls by Veterans Double after Expansion of VA Healthcare Benefits
This article is from Tennessee/Lookout More than 100,000 veterans in Tennessee may have been exposed to toxic substances during their military service and could be eligible for newly expanded healthcare benefits, according to the state’s department of veteran’s services. In August, President Joe Biden signed the PACT Act into law, expanding Veterans Administration benefits for men […]
Legislation Introduced January 16-20 in the Tennessee Legislature
This article was written by Holly McCall and is from Tennessee/Lookout. Each week during the legislative session, the Tennessee Lookout will provide a rundown of bills filed during the prior week. Hundreds of bills are filed each session and our list won’t include every bill but rather is intended to provide an overview of legislation […]
House Leader Pushes Resolution to Move County Elections to November
This article is from Tennessee/Lookout Some worry about long ballots and effort to consolidate power A move is afoot for a constitutional amendment shifting Tennessee’s judicial and county elections to November from August, a situation that some fear is an effort to further consolidate power and could confuse voters. House Majority Leader William Lamberth, R-Portland, is […]
Know Better, Do Better: A Civil Rights Reading List
This article by Holly McCall is from Tennessee/Lookout. Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated two months before my fourth birthday in 1968 and Robert Kennedy, former U.S. attorney general and Democratic presidential candidate, was assassinated the day after I turned four. I remember Kennedy’s death, although not King’s, despite that King’s occurred in Memphis, […]
Hamilton County Schools Voucher Bill Likely to Hit Stumbling Block
This article is from Tennessee/Lookout. House Speaker Sexton says he’s ‘not a proponent’ Legislation enabling the state’s private school vouchers to spread to Hamilton County Schools could run into trouble this session, at least in the House of Representatives. House Speaker Cameron Sexton isn’t expected to be a strong supporter of the legislation after voting against […]
John Cole’s Tennessee: In the Belly of the Beast
This editorial cartoon is from Tennessee/Lookout
Tennessee Advisory Group Recommends Task Force for Waterway Conflicts
This article is from Tennessee/Lookout. A state advisory group is recommending Tennessee establish a task force to address recreational uses of rivers, lakes and streams — and the increasing number of conflicts between anglers, boaters, paddlers and swimmers competing to enjoy the state’s waterways. The Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (TACIR) was tasked by the state […]
Jone Cole’s Tennessee Presents: TVA’s ‘Frozen’
This editorial cartoon is from Tennessee/Lookout