Shelby County Schools and Metro Nashville Public Schools – targeted by Gov. Bill Lee’s education savings accounts bill – are threatening a lawsuit against the state, contending the legislation is unconstitutional.

The Tennessee Senate approved legislation Thursday penalizing paid voter registration drives that turn in large numbers of incomplete forms and fail to train workers, legislation spurred by a 2018 Tennessee Black Voter Project drive.

The state Senate passed Gov. Bill Lee's education savings account bill Thursday after a 20-13 vote, enabling public dollars to be used for private education.

The state House of Representatives approved a nearly $38.6 billion budget Wednesday, including $27.3 million to fund a TennCare program for severely disabled children and $18 million in pork barrel money, which could be a hurdle in Senate budget talks.

The House pushed an online sports betting bill to the finish line Wednesday, enabling people to use a computer or phone app to wager on sporting events.

Rather than go home for the year without passing substantive abortion legislation, the House and Senate on Monday both adopted bills banning abortions if federal law is reversed.

NASHVILLE – The House of Representatives barely passed Gov. Bill Lee’s voucher legislation after a historic 40-minute deadlock Tuesday that saw one member flip his vote to push the bill to passage by the narrowest of margins.

With a vote set for Monday, Shelby County Democratic lawmakers are castigating a bill from the Secretary of State’s Office penalizing paid voter registration drives for failing to undergo training and for turning in incomplete forms.

State Senate candidates would be able to collect nearly a half-million dollars from political action committees under legislation sponsored by state Sen. Brian Kelsey and approved Thursday in the Senate.

Senate and House pass subpoena guidelines for community oversight boards mirroring Memphis’ rules requiring its Civilian Law Enforcement Review Board to go through the city council.

The state Senate overwhelmingly approved legislation Thursday carried by state Sen. Brian Kelsey establishing a charter commission with authority to overrule local school boards and run charter schools.

House Republicans amended Gov. Bill Lee’s education savings account bill to move money into rural districts with Priority schools before it was approved Wednesday night by the Finance Committee, shifting a portion of it from urban districts such as Shelby County Schools that might lose students to private schools.

State Rep. Mark White pushed Gov. Bill Lee’s state charter commission through the House Wednesday, saying it will create a better system for overseeing charter schools in Tennessee.

Worried about the “threat of litigation,” Attorney General Herbert Slatery’s office is declining to issue a legal opinion to state Rep. G.A. Hardaway about the constitutionality of Gov. Bill Lee’s education savings account bill.

Gov. Bill Lee is putting $10 million of his $66.8 million supplemental budget into a Memphis riverfront development grant, though the scope of the funding is unclear. Mayor Jim Strickland said the money is specifically for Tom Lee Park.

The Senate Finance, Ways & Means Committee approved legislation Tuesday setting up a charter school commission with authority to overrule local school boards, even though it could cost nearly $1 million next year and continue to tap the state budget.

Despite protests, the House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly Monday for legislation penalizing voter registration drives that produce large numbers of “incomplete” forms.

Less than a week after yanking House Speaker Glen Casada’s microphone, House Minority Leader Karen Camper issued a public apology and drew a standing ovation.

A legislative conference committee adopted an amended community oversight board bill Monday mirroring Memphis’ guidelines, despite opposition from state Sen. Raumesh Akbari.

Warned about the potential for “stigmatizing” veterans, the Senate Judiciary Committee postponed state Sen. Brian Kelsey’s Green Alert bill until 2020, saying the language needs work.

With the state Legislature on the brink of producing no meaningful abortion legislation this year, House leaders are bringing back a bill to outlaw abortion in Tennessee if the landmark case of Roe v. Wade is reversed.

House Minority Leader Karen Camper grabbed the wrong mic Thursday and at the wrong time, leading to a bit of a dressing down about House decorum.

The House overwhelmingly approved legislation Thursday urging the governor to negotiate a Medicaid block grant with no strings attached, in spite of adamant arguments against it by Memphis Democrats.

State Rep. G.A. Hardaway of Memphis sent an official letter to Attorney General Herbert Slatery this week seeking a legal opinion on the legality of a parental ID provision in Gov. Bill Lee’s education savings account bill.

Medical cannabis legislation designed to give the state’s sickest residents a chance to use THC rather than addictive opiates is withering on the vine, at least for 2019 in the General Assembly.