Stateline Headlines

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.

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.

Feds belatedly send $67 million in disaster funds to Utah, Colorado, 12 other states

Medicare program eliminates 30 out-of-state suppliers

Nashville judge hears arguments in civil service suit

Judge grants week extension to delay of state layoffs

TN attorney general's power makes him a target

Middle TN sees growth in Hispanic, Asian populations

TN GOP supermajority struggles to find footing

Health-care plan predictions vary widely among TN leaders

Tennessee Labor and Workforce Development commissioner defends jobless service cuts

DCS lawyers set bad precedent

After Occupy Nashville ruling on First Amendment rights, now what?

Back up legal protections for state workers

Tennessee Justice Center co-founder will move to top post

Winning bid for medical services to TN Correction Department is upheld

TN Labor Department interim chief Burns Phillips earns official title

TN pharmacy board writes new rules for drug compounders

Discrimination by any other name still stinks

Interim TN Labor commissioner pledges end to claims backlog

Laid-off workers challenge parts of TN civil service law

Chicago firm that got state contracts had ties to Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam

New trial sought in Metro's nondiscrimination case that followed Belmont coach's departure

Davidson County judge blocks Gov. Bill Haslam's plan to lay off state workers

Public chorus is needed to save symphony

Politics complicates TennCare discussion

TN misses out on some federal grants for family, child programs

Tennessee's lower DUI standard 3 years off

Online taxes plan leads to Sen. Nicely's bill to cut TN food taxes

Sen. Lamar Alexander's bill would get rid of strings on schools' federal funding

DCS puts $34,000 price on new files

Haslam to review federal pre-K funding plan

Petition for expansion of TennCare is presented to governor's office

TN attorney says IRS harassed his education group

Nashville council approves $1.8 billion budget

TN book commission faces scrutiny after lawmakers say textbooks show bias

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:

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.

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.

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

Tennessee State of the State Address 2010

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Feb. 1 -- Following is the prepared text of Gov. Phil Bredesen's (D) 2010 state of the state address: Lieutenant Governor Ramsey, Speaker Williams, Speaker Pro Tem DeBerry, Members of the 106th General Assembly, Justices, Constitutional Officers, friends, guests and my fellow Tennesseans. Once

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

Tennessee State of the State Address 2009

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Feb. 9 -- Following is the prepared text of Gov. Phil Bredesen's (D) 2009 state of the state address: Lieutenant Governor Ramsey, Speaker Williams, Speaker Pro Tem DeBerry, Members of the 106th General Assembly, Justices, Constitutional Officers, friends, guests, and my fellow Tennesseans. Her

Tennessee State of the State Address 2008

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Jan 28 - Following is the prepared text of Gov. Phil Bredesen's (D) 2008 state of the state address: Click here to visit the governor's web site to hear the address. Lieutenant Governor Ramsey, Speaker Naifeh, Speaker Pro Tem DeBerry, Members of the 105th General Assembly, Justices, Constituti

Tennessee State of the State Address 2007

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Feb. 5 - Following is the prepared text of Gov. Phil Bredesen's (D) 2007 state of the state address: Lieutenant Governor Ramsey, Speaker Naifeh, Speaker ProTem DeBerry, Members of the 105th General Assembly, Constitutional officers, justices, friends, guests and my fellow Tennesseans. I stan

Tennessee State of the State Address 2006

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Feb. 7 - Following is the prepared text of Gov. Phil Bredesen's (D) 2006 state of the state address: Governor Wilder; Speaker Naifeh; Speaker ProTem DeBerry; Members of the 104th General Assembly; Justices; Constitutional Officers; friends and guests; and my fellow Tennesseans. As we gather in

Tennessee State of the State Address 2005

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Jan. 31 Following is the prepared text of Gov. Phil Bredesen's (D) 2005 state of the state address: Governor Wilder, Speaker Naifeh, Speaker ProTem DeBerry, members of the 104th General Assembly, justices, constitutional officers, friends and guests, and my fellow Tennesseans: I stand here ton

Tennessee State of the State Address 2002

NASHVILLE, Tennessee - Feb. 4 - Following is the full text of Gov. Don Sundquist's 2002 State of the State Address, delivered on Feb. 4: Governor Wilder, Speaker Naifeh, Madame Speaker DeBerry, Members of the 102nd General Assembly, Constitutional Officers, Justices of the Supreme Court, Attorney General Summers, Me

Tennessee State of the State Address 2001

NASHVILLE, Tennessee - Jan. 29 - Following is the full text of Tennessee Gov. Don Sundquist's 2001 State of the State Address: Governor Wilder, Speaker Naifeh, Madame Speaker DeBerry, Members of the 102nd General Assembly, Constitutional Officers, Justices of the Supreme Court, Attorney General Summers, Members of

Tennessee State of the State Address 2000

NASHVILLE, Tennessee - Jan. 31 - Following is the text of Gov Don Sundquist's 2000 State of the State Address: Governor Wilder, Speaker Naifeh, Madame Speaker DeBerry, Members of the 101st General Assembly, Constitutional Officers, Justices of the Supreme Court, Attorney General Summers, Members of the Cabinet,

On the Record: Tennessee Gov. Don Sundquist

The last year or so has been a prolonged exercise in crisis management for the Volunteer State's Republican chief executive. Don Sundquist is battling to save financially troubled TennCare --Tennessee's $4.4 billion experiment in providing health care for 1.3 million poor state residents. At the same time, Sundquist is working to overhaul his state's tax system and plug a $342 million budget deficit. During a recent visit to Washington, Sundquist talked to Stateline.org Senior Writer Blair S. Walker about life in a gubernatorial pressure cooker.

State Laws Allow Adoptees To Unlock The Past

Last month, the Tennessee Supreme Court upheld a law giving adoptees 21 and older access to their birth certificates and adoption records. In Oregon, a first-of-a kind ballot initiative guaranteeing the same right is bottled up in a state appeals court. Over the years, requests to open these records have spawned pitched battles involving adoptees, birth mothers wishing to remain anonymous and anti-abortion advocates who fear that open records laws will make more women choose abortion over adoption.

Tennessee Tax Fight Scrambles State's Political Battle Lines

Tennessee's legislature is meeting in special session to debate a controversial tax package that Gov. Don Sunquist says is his state's only way out of fiscal chaos. The reform plan has sparked a bitter fight that is proving anew the old saying that politics makes strange bedfellows. For Republican Sundquist is allied with the Democrats, and opposed by his fellow Republicans.

Tenn. retools its health coverage

After drastic cuts to TennCare, Tennessee weighs whether to adopt an alternative health insurance program with lower expenditures tailored for a wealthier demographic.

Report Chronicles Downside of Term Limits

Statehouses under term limits are growing less diverse, less powerful and less civil, according to a new study by three non-partisan organizations that support state lawmakers nationally. To compensate for those changes, many of the 13 states that currently cap legislators' tenures are developing techniques to help make lawmakers more effective during their limited time in office.

Democrats Have Edge in Statehouse Races

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Democrats are likely to make gains in state legislative races this year, but it's a toss-up whether the seats they win will be enough to overtake control of a handful of narrowly divided statehouses, a panel of election experts said at the National Conference of State Legislatures annual conference here.

Bredesen Calls for Medicaid Changes

Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen (D), who is presiding over one of the largest cuts to Medicaid rolls in the program's history, appeared before a Washington, D.C., audience June 24 to call for increased cost-sharing by beneficiaries and extra flexibility for states to manage their programs.

Rookie Representative Calls 'Em Like He Sees 'Em

Former Major League Baseball umpire Dale Ford once tossed manager Earl Weaver from a game during the national anthem. This year, he got plenty of practice with the art of compromising as a rookie lawmaker in the Tennessee General Assembly.

Tracking the Recession: A Pier to Nowhere

The economic stimulus package includes about $30 billion for "shovel-ready" projects, but what does that mean? Tennessee has an answer.

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

Summary of the Tennessee State of the State Address

Term-limited Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen (D) unveiled a new budget plan that would cut state spending and use up about $200 million in rainy day funds during his final state of the state address Feb. 1.

National Parties Hone in on Legislative Races

TODAY'S TAKE: Legislative elections will be particularly important this year in states such as Tennessee, where Republicans control the House of Representatives by only three seats. Democrats hope to flip the chamber in time for redistricting.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

Three More Governor's Races Set

TODAY'S TAKE: It was a busy week on the gubernatorial campaign circuit, as voters in three more states chose their major-party nominees for November. Tennesseans on Thursday (Aug. 5) selected Republican Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam to face Democrat Mike McWherter, the son of a former governor.

States Use Data To Wrestle With Racial Profiling

Six states trying to stamp out the controversial, alleged police practice of racial profiling - selectively stopping, questioning and searching people based upon arbitrary minor offenses and the color of their skin - have enacted laws requiring officers to police themselves by recording racial data and other pertinent information on all traffic stops. They are North Carolina, Connecticut, Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee and Washington.

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.

State Commemorative Quarters Boost Coin Collecting

Two years into the U.S. Mint's State Commemorative Quarter program, the mint estimates that millions of Americans are collecting the coins. Many of the twenty-five cent pieces put into circulation so far have been subjects of public debates, so states that are still designing their coins are trying to submit proposals that are unique and non-controversial.

State Police Not Immune to Budget Cuts

TODAY'S TAKE: State police agencies have been propped up with the help of federal stimulus money, but that doesn't mean they are immune to budget cuts. In Tennessee, 13 small counties soon could have no state troopers at all. Pennsylvania is worried that it will not be able to replace retiring officers.

Gubernatorial Candidates, Ohio - Wyoming

For a comprehensive list of gubernatorial candidates in Ohio through Wyoming.

Four States Consider Income Tax; Four States Reject It

Facing education funding woes and a variety of budget shortfalls, lawmakers in New Hampshire and three other states that do not collect income taxes considered reversing course this year--and in each case defeated or abandoned those plans for fear of retribution from the voters. To read about this politically perilous policy issue, click on

Legislatures In Nebraska, Oklahoma, Illinois and Tennessee Close Shop

Nebraska lawmakers recently ended their 1999 session, but not before Gov. Mike Johanns vetoed a bill that would have imposed a two-year moratorium on capital punishment. Oklahoma, Illinois and Tennessee were also scheduled to shut down their legislative sessions by week's end, bringing the tally of statehouse adjournments to 31. To read on, click here.

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.

State Jobless Funds Are Running Dry

As claims for benefits rise because of the economic downturn, many states are trying to figure out how to pay unemployed workers.

Mass. Health Connector, Other Innovations Honored

As the Obama administration and Congress debate the details of a national health care plan, the state that paved the way for universal coverage was honored in Washington, D.C.

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.

Study Grades States On Higher Education

Connecticut, Illinois, New Jersey, Minnesota, Kansas and Massachusetts get the highest grades in a new state-by-state report card that measures performance in higher education. According to the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, these six states do the best job of preparing students for post-high school education, providing academic opportunities, making them affordable, attaining a high graduation rate and reaping the benefits of an educated workforce. The lowest grades in the report entitled Measuring Up 2000 went to Arkansas, Louisiana, Nevada, Oregon, Tennessee and West Virginia.

Alabama, Tennessee In Special Session, Massachusetts Budget Okayed

Alabama and Tennessee legislators are in special session dealing with tax issues, while Massachusetts lawmakers cleared the way for adjournment by finally passing a budget. For more information, click on

Fairness of Death-Penalty Panels Questioned

Death-penalty supporters are raising questions about the fairness of state commissions charged with studying how capital punishment is carried out in Maryland and Tennessee, claiming the panels will issue reports that ignore their views.

State Lawmakers Bag Online Hunting

Lawmakers in 11 states jumped on the bandwagon to outlaw online hunting this year, and California may soon do the same. Why all the fuss? It's over a single website that briefly offered Internet users a chance this spring to shoot live animals on a Texas ranch and that netted a single customer.

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.

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

State Health Officials Concerned About Vaccine Shortage

On the surface, a nationwide tetanus and diphtheria vaccine shortage may not seem like such a big deal. How many people will step on a rusty nail this year? Doctors in states such as Wisconsin say the shortage is serious due to flooding in the state and related accidents, but in Kentucky, Oregon, Tennessee and Washington, health experts say it's not yet a problem. But the shortfall is resulting in higher prices for states and potential problems for patients.

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.

Governors

What would a Kerry administration mean for states? Heres a sampling of responses collected by Stateline.org from governors attending the Democratic National Convention in Boston.

Kids catch Iowa lawmakers goofing off

Iowa senators are caught playing computer games while their colleagues speak. YouTube spreads a Montana Republican's barrage against Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D). And budget suggestions bury an Ohio lawmaker's office in paper. In case you missed those stories this week, "Worth Noting" fills you in.

State Medicaid Budgets Start To Squeeze

During the last five years, policymakers expanded Medicaid with a flourish. Armed with hearty surpluses and federal funds to boot, states launched the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), pharmacy assistance programs for the elderly and community-based health services for the elderly and disabled. But budget bliss is fading fast. Numerous states, from Oregon to Tennessee, New Mexico, Kentucky, Indiana and Washington State, are now complaining about Medicaid's skyrocketing price tag.

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.

States Fine-Tune New Welfare Programs

Since stateline.org last looked at state welfare policies in our May 25th story: States Refine Welfare Programs As Pace Of Reform Slows, several have announced changes. Some are developing programs for people with serious problems such as drug abuse, learning disabilities and histories of domestic violence. In Ohio, legislators will return from summer recess to work out details of a merger between the two agencies that run the state's welfare and jobs programs.

Governors Kick-Off Discussion of Long-Term Care

Under the glare of television lights, four governors recently kicked off what they hope will be at least a year-long national conversation about long-term health care for the elderly. In 2008, nearly 77 million World War II Baby Boomers will start to retire and state public health safety-net programs will not be able to keep up, the governors said.

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.

State Agencies Search for Foster Kids

Following the high-profile disappearance of a 5-year-old foster child in Florida who was discovered missing last spring after a social worker failed to check on her for 16 months, several states are under pressure to account for hundreds of missing foster kids that ran away or were abducted from state care.

State Officials Meet on Election Reform

Hoping to head off congressional interference in elections, the nation's secretaries of state unveiled their own recommendations on election reform Monday (2/5), calling on Washington, D.C. to steer clear of state affairs and allow local officials to correct outdated and error-prone voting systems on their own. The only thing the secretaries want of the federal government is more financial help to do the job right so that states won't be forced to rely on the courts to resolve election standoffs.