Just shy of three weeks into the legislative session, activity is still relatively quiet concerning issues by the administration or others which affect active and retired state employees. TSEA has hit the ground running and has been working legislation that deals with important state employee issues.
Representative Courtney Rogers will be presenting HB972 in the House Civil Justice committee on Tuesday. This legislation deals with case limits for DCS case managers.
Both of these pieces of legislation have a long journey ahead of them, and we will be calling on you to help us get them through
Other news of note:
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam will give his annual State of the State Address on Monday.
TSEA will be watching to see what effects this budget will have on state employees. We will immediately begin working with the legislature to ensure benefits, raises, and pensions are secure.
The First Gubernatorial Debate
Gubernatorial candidates held a forum on education Tuesday evening at Belmont University in Nashville. Candidates disagreed on a few issues but made plenty of promises. U.S. Rep. Diane Black, who cited a scheduling conflict in declining an invitation to join other gubernatorial candidates at the forum, attended a fundraiser instead. Candidate Mae Beavers, former State Senator, could not participate due to the death of her mother. Our thoughts and prayers are with Mae Beavers and her family.
To view the Gubernatorial forum in its entirety, visit this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExUHUTWFxLo
Speaker Harwell, Lt. Gov. McNally and Gov. Haslam outline opioid legislation with $25M for addict treatment and recovery
From a news story posted on the Governor’s TN.gov news page:
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam Monday announced an aggressive and comprehensive plan to end the opioid epidemic in Tennessee by focusing on three major components: prevention, treatment and law enforcement.
TN Together is a multi-faceted initiative that addresses the issue of opioid addiction through legislation, proposed funding in the governor’s 2018-19 budget and executive actions. TN Together is a collective effort and has been designed in partnership with the General Assembly through the Ad Hoc Opioid Abuse Task Force established by Speaker Beth Harwell and chaired by Speaker Pro Tempore Curtis Johnson and a working group established by Haslam that included Harwell and Lt. Gov. Randy McNally’s appointee, Speaker Pro Tempore Ferrell Haile.
To read the full story, click here: https://www.tn.gov/governor/news/2018/1/22/haslam-announces-aggressive–comprehensive-plan-to-end-tennessee-s-opioid-epidemicemic.html
NewsChannel5 in Nashville reported this week that the TBI might have been ignoring state law which gives hiring preference to veterans
From Humphrey on the Hill’s coverage:
Two state legislators say they want to change state law giving military veterans a preference in hiring for state jobs because the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has been ignoring the statute. TBI Director Mark Gwyn told us he believes that the law that says veterans *will* be given preference was actually designed to be read as *may* be given preference.
To read the full story, click here: http://humphreyonthehill.tnjournal.net/tbi-reported-ignoring-state-law-giving-hiring-preference-veterans/
Reeves defeats Carr in GOP primary for Senate District 14 special election
Businessman Shane Reeves of Murfreesboro defeated Joe Carr in the primary for the District 14 special election on Thursday. According to unofficial results, Reeves received 4,720 votes to Carr’s 2,556.
How to Stay Informed this Session
The session will start moving quickly once House and Senate committees are both meeting. To ensure you always have the latest news:
• Subscribe to TSEA updates through your home email address.
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