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Weekly Recap: Major Gun Legislation Reaches Governor’s Desk;  Lee Proposes $250M Mental Health Trust Fund for Students With the calendar moving into April and leadership still targeting a late April / early May adjournment, committee chairs are actively pushing to wrap up their committee work to leave the necessary time to address the budget issues…

With leadership expressing a desire to adjourn the 2021 session before the end of April and committee chairs announcing targeted closing dates for various committees, the activity around the Cordell Hull building this month began to feel like the session is starting to hit its stride and relatively back to somewhat normal operations. Lt. Governor/Senate Speaker…

More Committees Announce Closure Dates.   The Tennessee legislature continued its mid-session stride this week, with full committee calendars, budget presentations wrapping up, appropriation amendments being filed, and committees announcing closure dates.  All in all, the feasibility of a late-April adjournment appears all the more likely, now that committee closures are announced and the budget process…

Senate Reopens to Public as Covid Outlook Continues to Improve   Exactly one year removed from the very week that the pandemic caused nearly everything in Tennessee to come to an immediate halt, the slow transition back to near-normalcy continued in Nashville this week.  The latest sign of progress was observed in the Cordell Hull…

Legislature Ramps Up To Speed As Leadership Targets April Adjournment   With leadership expressing a desire to adjourn the 2021 session before the end of April and committee chairs announcing targeted closing dates for various committees, the activity around the Cordell Hull building began to feel like the session is starting to hit its stride.…

In February, the 50th Governor of Tennessee, Bill Lee (R-Franklin), delivered his third State of the State address in the War Memorial Auditorium, with the members of the 112th General Assembly, Lee’s cabinet, state officials, and other dignitaries in attendance. Typically, the annual speech is given in the House Chambers, but due to the pandemic,…

Building Back Better: Investing in Transportation Infrastructure and the Future   The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works held a hearing on Wednesday, February 24 to discuss the importance of investing in transportation, while addressing climate change, improving equity, and fostering economic growth and innovation. While the economy is starting to show signs of…

  Tennessee General Assembly Returns Monday Lawmakers will return to Nashville on Monday evening to reconvene for session and officially begin their legislative business for 2021. Typically the legislature eases into its duties over the course of the first few weeks, and that looks to be the case again this year, with the budget taking…

This month, the 112th Tennessee General Assembly convened in Nashville on January 12th to begin the 2021 legislative session, starting the first of a two-year legislative session. The first week of session is referred to as “organizational week” where the House and Senate adopt rules of order, elect leadership, and make new committee and office…