And other Tennessee news — Gov. Bill Lee made a big deal of pushing a “day of prayer and fasting” in the State of Tennessee. The idea was, well, it’s not clear what it was to accomplish except to make Lee feel better and claim his faith in the public square. Some Tennessee pastors, however…

Tennessee lawmakers demonstrate how to avoid tough issues — The Tennessee General Assembly started a special legislative session on public safety this week and so far, it appears to be a road to nowhere. Democrats Respond to Lee's Call for Special Legislative Session | Advocate Andy | NewsBreak… Lawmakers express frustration that gun safety is not included in session's focus. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee this week…original.newsbreak.com

That won’t address guns at all — In the wake of a devastating school shooting in Nashville earlier this year, Tennessee’s Governor faced pressure to call a special legislative session to address the issue of gun violence. After much talk and pushback, Gov. Bill Lee did finally call a special session, and it starts today. Lee Plans to Call Special Legislative Session on Gun Violence | Advocate Andy | NewsBreak Original The Tennessee General Assembly adjourned this past week without passing a Red Flag Law proposed by Gov. Bill Lee. The…original.newsbreak.com

Tennessee politics this week — Tennessee’s Attorney General joined top law enforcement officials from a number of GOP-controlled states in seeking access to personal medical records as it relates to reproductive healthcare. Tennessee Attorney General Joins Effort to Gain Access to Reproductive Health Records | Advocate… Skrmetti seeks access to information on Tennessee women seeking abortions outside the state. Tennessee Attorney General…original.newsbreak.com

Attorney General threatens businesses with inclusive policies — Tennessee’s Attorney General joined a letter from 12 other GOP attorneys general that called on the nation’s largest companies to cease affirmative action policies. The letter threatened legal action if these top businesses failed to heed the warning. Sen. Lamar Responds to Attorney General's Attack on Corporate Affirmative Action | Advocate Andy |… Legislative leader says letter from Attorney General could harm Black workers and Black business owners. Senate…original.newsbreak.com

Plus, state reports huge budget surplus — This past week was a busy one in Tennessee politics — here are some of the highlights: Tennessee Pastors Express Outrage Over Supreme Court Rulings | Advocate Andy | NewsBreak Original Southern Christian Coalition calls out decisions they say are "discouraging" and "harmful" During a week in which a…original.newsbreak.com “I’m so disheartened, discouraged, and, honestly, angered by the recent rulings from the Supreme Court against affirmative action, against equality for same- sex couples, and against the biblical value of debt forgiveness,” said…

Despite years of budget surpluses, school funding remains in the bottom 10 nationally — While Gov. Bill Lee “dreams” of being able to pay starting teachers $50,000 eventually and while the state’s schools languish in the bottom 10 in the nation in overall funding, the state continues to rake in extra cash. Lots and lots of extra cash. The numbers this year show a…

A summary of TN political news — This past week in Tennessee politics demonstrated that the state’s supermajority is advancing an agenda at odds with democracy. Here are a few stories from the week on issues ranging from reproductive rights to education policy. First, a look at the impact of Tennessee’s near-total abortion ban: Tennessee Physicians Speak Out on Abortion Rights as Anniversary of Dobbs Decision Approaches |… Doctors say Tennessee abortion ban harms patients, reduces healthcare options. One day before the anniversary of the…original.newsbreak.com

GOP candidate for Mayor seeks to usurp authority of elected school board — Nashville Mayoral candidate Alice Rolli says she’s ready to run the city’s public schools in addition to the rest of the city should she become Mayor. The remarks came at a recent forum as reported by the Nashville Banner: Alice Rolli said at a mayoral forum Tuesday night that as…

Nashville special election highlights key policy debates — Aftyn Behn is no stranger to confronting difficult political situations with direct action. When the former Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives (Glen Casada) appointed an admitted sexual predator to a key leadership post rather than asking him to resign, Behn confronted the issue head-on, helping to organize opposition…

This week in Tennessee education policy — This week in Tennessee education, the Mayor of Columbia told Hillsdale to get lost and the Tennessee Education Association took Gov. Bill Lee to court. More on these stories: TEA to Lee: We'll See You in Court Tennessee Education Association challenges Gov. Lee's attempt at union busting The Tennessee Education Association is…tnedreport.com On the Futility of State Testing In the latest edition of The Education Report, I write about standardized testing and note that Tennessee's version has…tnedreport.com

This week in Tennessee Politics — This past week in Tennessee politics has seen Gov. Lee sued by the Tennessee Education Assocation, a progressive activist announce a bid for the State House, and a trio of lawmakers visit the White House. Here’s more on those stories: TEA to Lee: We'll See You in Court Tennessee Education Association challenges Gov. Lee's attempt at union busting The Tennessee Education Association is…tnedreport.com