The Pew Charitable Trusts - State and Consumer Initiatives from Tennessee

Attorneys General Seek Warning Label Cautioning Pregnant Women Against Using Pain Pills

State attorneys general are hoping to protect the littlest victims of prescription drug abuse.

Obama Administration Poised to Approve Arkansas-style Medicaid Expansions

The Obama Administration is inviting states to apply for Arkansas-style Medicaid expansions in an effort to woo those balking at traditional Medicaid expansion.

After Expanding Coverage, Health Care Pioneer Seeks to Tame Costs

The Affordable Care Act will extend health care coverage to almost everybody. Now states are moving on to the next frontier in health care reform: containing costs. Once again, Massachusetts is taking the lead by putting its health care industry on an annual budget and requiring all insurers and medical providers to make detailed price lists available to the public.

Backlash for Red-Light Cameras Hasn’t Slowed Spread

Throughout the country, state legislatures are considering how broadly to use traffic cameras, but the number of communities using them keeps growing.

States Struggle To Keep Online Schools Accountable

As concerns grow about performance in the booming online education sector, some states are working to define their oversight role.

Early Voting in Tennessee

In 1994 Tennessee became one of the first states to allow in-person early voting. And like other states, Tennessee has seen the number of voters casting ballots before Election Day increase significantly in the years since.

Tennessee State of the State Address 2013

NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- Feb. 1 -- Following in the prepared text of Gov. Bill Haslam's (R) 2013 State of the State Address:

Falling Short on Dental Sealants: Tennessee

How well is Tennessee protecting kids from tooth decay?

The Impact of the Fiscal Cliff: Tennessee

Federal and state finances are closely intertwined, and the fiscal cliff’s tax and spending provisions will have consequences for states.

Voter ID Rulings Vex Administrators Ahead of Election Day

Recent court rulings and ongoing lawsuits have prompted widespread concerns about whether election laws can work smoothly next Tuesday.

Tennessee Plan Would Help Medicaid Families Keep Health Coverage

Low-income families will have more health insurance options starting in 2014, but income fluctuations and other circumstances could switch their subsidized plans. Tennessee is one of a handful of states developing ways to help people maintain coverage and keep seeing the same doctors.

Still Risky: Checking Accounts in Tennessee

Checking accounts, the most widely used financial product in America, contain hidden risks that can harm consumers. Six of the 12 largest banks nationwide offer checking accounts in Tennessee and hold 37 percent of all deposits in the state. Here’s what consumers in Tennessee may be paying.

Best of #StateReads: Michigan Confronts Crime by Parolees and Probationers

This week’s extraordinary journalism about state government, tagged to #StateReads on Twitter.

Wisconsin Voter ID Law Unlikely to Apply in November

Wisconsinites this November won’t likely need to show photo identification at the polls. That’s because the state Supreme Court says it won’t immediately consider whether to reinstate a voter ID law blocked in a lower court.

State Scholarship Changes Could Cost Students

Legislators in Arkansas are considering tying scholarship levels to academic progress.

Religious Liberty Emerges as Sensitive Political Issue

Freedom of religion is a universal American ideal, but there is growing disagreement about just what it means.

Amid Lawsuits and Controversy, States Prepare for Voter ID

Identifying and verifying hordes of extra voters will be a daunting task for many states ahead of Election Day.

With ‘Facts’ Website, California Looks to Thwart Opposition to Climate Change

California Governor Jerry Brown has unveiled a new website seeking to quiet climate change skeptics. The move comes as conservative legislators in some states are pushing back against efforts to address the impacts of a climate shift.

Tennessee Governor Follows Middle Road to Success

Without attracting or even seeking national attention, Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam has compiled an impressive record in Tennessee. But vocal elements in his Republican Party don’t think he’s conservative enough.

Widening Gap Update: Tennessee

Tennessee consistently made its full annual pension contribution between 2005 and 2010. The system was 90 percent funded in fiscal year 2010, and faced a $4 billion funding gap. Most experts agree that a fiscally sustainable system should be at least 80 percent funded. The state also had a $2 billion bill for retiree health care costs, none of which was funded, well below the 8 percent national average in 2010.

Will Happier Adjuncts Mean More Graduates?

A proposal presented this week at a national gathering of university professors in Washington suggests that providing career paths for adjunct, or contingent, faculty could ultimately improve graduation rates. The “Contingency Plan,” developed by several professors at Middle Tennessee State University, would create

Time Served in Tennessee

The average offender in Tennessee released in 2009 served 1.9 years in custody, 6% less than the average offender released in 1990.

Voter ID in Kansas and Tennessee

Voters in Tennessee and Kansas recently cast their first ballots under new state laws requiring that they present photo IDs at the polls.

Tennessee Republicans See Threat in U.N. Plan

Republicans in the Tennessee House of Representatives say a 20-year-old United Nations program for sustainable development is “destructive and insidious.”

States Push to Shake Up Personnel Practices

Civil service rules that haven't changed in decades are being re-assessed by several governors bent on major changes in the system.

Congressional Wrangling Leaves Sales Tax Deduction in Question

TODAY'S TAKE: Residents of seven states without an individual income tax are watching the budget debate on Capitol Hill to see whether they will be able to keep writing off state sales taxes on goods they purchase.

States Struggle with Prescription Drug Abuse

PUBLIC SAFETY BEAT: Legislators are looking for ways to deal with a problem that keeps getting worse. Physicians in some states are starting to work with them.

Haslam Asks For Overhaul to 'Broken' Civil Service System

TODAY'S TAKE: Governor Bill Haslam wants to make it easier to hire, fire and promote state workers. His plans would overturn longstanding rules intended to fight patronage.

Tennessee State of the State Address 2012

NASHVILLE, Tennessee - January 30 - Following is the prepared text of Gov. Bill Haslam's (R) 2012 state of the state address: Lieutenant Governor Ramsey, Speaker Harwell, Speaker Pro Tem Watson, Speaker Pro Tem Matheny, Members of the 107th General Assembly, Justices, Constitutional Officers, friends, g

Legislators Attempt to Strip Courts of Power

PUBLIC SAFETY BEAT: In an effort to rein in "activist justices," legislators in New Hampshire and Tennessee are attempting to get rid of judical review of legislation.

Election Websites: Tennessee

Being Online Is Still Not Enough provides state-by-state reviews and analysis based on detailed criteria of election websites for all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Medicaid Directors to Feds: Give States Flexibility

HEALTH BEAT: In a new report, the leaders of state Medicaid programs say federal rules discourage them from experimenting with ideas that could save money and improve care.

Infographic: Southern Strength

Republican dominance in the South started with presidential elections and only later came to statehouses.

Amazon Cuts Another Deal, Will Collect Tax in Tennessee

TODAY'S TAKE: A month after the nation's largest online retailer agreed to collect sales taxes in California, it struck a deal to do the same in Tennessee, adding pressure on Congress to come up with a national law governing online sales.

States Ask Colleges to Perform for Money

More and more states are doling out some of their higher education funds based on graduation rates and other measures of classroom achievement. The effort revives an earlier movement that had mixed success and raises some concerns about whether it will encourage professors to lower standards.

Ratings Agencies Sharpen Focus on States

TODAY'S TAKE: The threat of a credit downgrade is not over for some states that rely heavily on the federal government. Tennessee, for instance, has been asked to show it can handle deep cuts in federal aid.

States Seek Waivers From No Child Left Behind law

EDUCATION BEAT: The No Child Left Behind law has given some state school systems targets they know they can't meet. They are asking the federal government to relax the rules.

Budget Picture Brightens in New Fiscal Year

TODAY'S TAKE: State revenues are a long way from catching up to where they were before the recession started, but reports out of Massachusetts, New York, Tennessee and Virginia show that they are climbing back.

Tuition Hikes of 15 Percent Coming in Two States

TODAY'S TAKE: Higher education officials in Florida and Tennessee agreed Thursday (June 23) to raise tuition at public colleges and universities by up to 15 percent. In Florida's case, it's the third straight year of a 15-percent increase.

Measuring Transportation Investments: Tennessee

A May 2011 report, Measuring Transportation Investments: The Road to Results, found considerable differences among the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Children's Dental Health: Tennessee

Tennessee meets half of the eight policy benchmarks aimed at addressing children’s dental health needs. The state’s Medicaid program continues to exceed the national benchmarks for payments to dentists and the percentage of Medicaid enrollees ages one to 18 receiving dental care.

Tennessee State of the State Address 2011

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - March 14 - Following is the prepared text of Gov. Bill Haslam's (R) 2011 state of the state address: Lieutenant Governor Ramsey, Speaker Harwell, Speaker Pro Tem Jamie Woodson, Speaker Pro Tem Judd Matheny, Members of the 107th General Assembly, Justices, Constitutional Officers, friends, guests

How a Small Town's Bond Bust Led to a Model State Debt Policy

Lewisburg, Tennessee, got tangled up in an interest rate swap deal gone bad. As the town of 11,000 wrestles with the fiscal fallout, the state comptroller is forcing local governments to think hard before they engage in exotic investment deals.

Maine Republican Legislators Contemplate End to Labor Committee

TRANSITION WATCH: Maine Republicans seek to fold historic panel, Connecticut's pension gap gets bigger, and more news of the historic shift in power in the states.

Arizona's Brewer to Request Federal Waiver to Cut Medicaid

TRANSITION WATCH: Arizona's governor seeks new limits on Medicaid eligibility to balance the budget, Chet Culver's alternative energy program could be eliminated in Iowa and more news of the historic shift in power in the states.

Rhee is Possible Education Commissioner for Florida's Scott

TRANSITION WATCH: Florida's governor may offer a job to one of the best-known figures in public education, Colorado's new governor pledges apolitical appointments and other news of the historic shift in power in the states.

Trickle of Democratic Legislators Become Republicans

TRANSITION WATCH: Fewer state-level Democrats are becoming Republicans than in 1994, new Speakers of the House are elected in Montana and Tennessee and other news of the historic shift in power in the states

Conservatives Battle for Tennessee House Speakership

TRANSITION WATCH: The Tea Party becomes involved in the race for Tennessee House speaker, Arizona contemplates a flat tax and other news of the historic shift in power in the states.

Tennessee's Bold Leap in Care for the Aged and Disabled

A determined governor has rallied his state behind long-term health care reform. As more people begin to receive care in their homes - instead of in costly nursing facilities - Tennessee is betting on managed care organizations to keep costs in check.

Should Hunting, Fishing Be Constitutional Rights?

TODAY'S TAKE: Four states have measures on the ballot this year that would enshrine the right to fish and hunt in their state constitutions. Some question whether the proposals are necessary.