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Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tennessee Republican pushes roadway blockade protest bill ahead of ‘No King' demonstrations
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — 'No King' protests are set to take place across the country, but in Tennessee, Republican lawmakers have tightened the reins, and they're asking demonstrators to obey the laws. The Republican supermajority has passed multiple measures related to protests, they say, to protect the public. 'I wouldn't classify it as trying to prevent protests and demonstrations,' Rep. Jody Barrett (R-Dickson) said. 'I would classify it as a public safety measure to try to prevent innocent bystanders from being caught up and put in danger as a result of these demonstrations.' 'This is not a monarchy': Nashville protest targets Trump, military parade For the last couple of years, Rep. Barrett has sponsored a bill to make intentionally blocking a roadway, bridge, highway, or other passageway a felony in Tennessee. However, his bill, which has a $241,000 fiscal impact according to the proposal's fiscal note, has yet to be included in the state's budget. 'What we're seeing and have seen over the last several years is this trend of intentionally blocking highways and roads and bridges and things and having sit ins on passages ways to put regular, ordinary citizens, who are just trying to get back and forth to work, or go to the airport, or deliver their load on time, or worse, get to the hospital, getting caught up in these demonstrations that are organized,' Rep. Barrett said. Intentionally blocking a passageway remains a misdemeanor in Tennessee, but people who are harmed, hurt, or otherwise negatively impacted as a result can sue the individuals responsible under a law, also sponsored by Barrett, that went into effect last year. 'If you're unable to get to the hospital and you have damages as a result of that, or you have contractual damages because you can't get your load to the delivery point on time, that bill, this new law would give you the right to sue those people that caused that, who intentionally blocked your access and your use of the passageways in this state,' Barrett said. Democrats called the measure 'harmful' and 'anti-democratic,' but Barrett argues that intentionally blocking the public from getting to their destination has a much greater negative impact. 'When you get these mass protests going and things get out of hand, innocent people get put in danger and they get hurt,' Rep. Barrett said. 'Not only do we have property damage, but we have physical injuries as a result of it, and we need to stop that and make sure that's not the case in Tennessee.' Barrett told News 2 he hopes his bill to make intentionally blocking a roadway a felony is included in next year's budget. ⏩ This year, Gov. Bill Lee signed the 'Protecting Everyone Against Crime and Extremism,' or 'PEACE Act,' into law, which criminalizes giving a fake identity to police, intentionally coming within 25 feet of an officer after being asked to back up, and hanging a banner or flyer on a bridge or overpass, among other provisions. The measure will go into effect July 1. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-02-2025
- Yahoo
St. Johns County Sheriff's Office to conduct accreditation assessments
The St. Johns County Sheriff's Office will host department-wide accreditation assessments starting and is asking the public for input. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] Starting March 31, assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement, Inc. (CALEA). The goal is to assess aspects of policy, procedures, management, operations, and support services. SJSO has maintained accreditation by CALEA standards since 1991. The community is urged to submit comments to CALEA regarding SJSO operations by clicking HERE or to mail written comments to the following address: 13575 Heathcote Blvd., Suite 320, Gainesville, Virginia 20155 Please note 'St. Johns County Sheriff's Office' in the subject line. Contact Professional Standards Supervisor Jody Barrett at jbarrett@ or (904) 209-2178 for information about the review process/standards. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tennessee Republican: Vouchers set state up for 'fiscal cliff'
Rep. Jody Barrett, a Dickson Republican photographed at a March 2024 rally, says passage of universal school vouchers could place Tennessee on a "fiscal cliff." (Photo: John Partipilo) A Tennessee Republican lawmaker is making light of Gov. Bill Lee's private-school voucher plan, saying wealthy characters on the 1960s show 'Gilligan's Island' would benefit from it as much as the poor while the rest of the 'castaways' put up the money. Besides questions about the program's equity, state Rep. Jody Barrett of Dickson says it will cause long-term financial problems for the state. 'There's a fiscal cliff that will occur with this down the road,' Barrett said, adding he believes in a decade the program could cost $1 billion a year, including 'scholarships' and related expenses. 'I just think it's a dangerous bill fiscally for us that creates an entitlement program that will never go away,' Barrett added. In a social media statement posted over the weekend, Barrett said, 'Under the proposed Education Freedom Act, Thurston Howell III would be eligible to get the same $7k scholarship as Gilligan. Seems like a stretch to suggest that this plan would create any additional freedom for Thurston & Lovey. Meanwhile, the rest of the castaways pay for it.' Lee's plan, which is to be taken up this week in a special session of the legislature, calls for providing more than $7,000 to 20,000 students statewide and then expanding by about 5,000 annually. Half of those students in the first year could come from families with incomes at 300% of the federal poverty level, an estimated $175,000 for a family of four, while the rest would have no income limit. No maximum income would be placed on the program after the first year. House Speaker Cameron Sexton recently said he believes the House has enough votes to pass the governor's plan, which is slated to cost upwards of $450 million the first year alone. But Barrett's opposition is a sign that rural Republicans could throw up a stumbling block as the special session begins. Barrett said his vote will be based on the stance of his constituents, who made it 'unequivocally clear' they are against the governor's bill. In addition to Democrats, rural Republicans are the most likely to oppose the governor's voucher plan because of the financial impact it could have on school districts that are often the largest employers in their constituency. Besides the potential effect on his school districts, Barrett said one of his biggest concerns is the long-term impact on the state budget. He pointed out K-12 funding is slated to go up 3% annually, as will the amount for private-school vouchers each year. School boards across the state have passed resolutions opposing the plan. But this year's version says a school district's funding 'shall not decrease from one year to the next due to the disenrollment of students.' If districts lose students, though, the state would pay additional funds to those districts to cover transfers for just one year. The bill denies 'scholarships' to undocumented students, even though a 1982 Supreme Court case, Plyler v. Doe, prohibits states from denying students a free public education based on immigration status. Besides the private-school voucher bill, lawmakers will take up Lee's immigration enforcement plan, which involves setting up a new bureau and director within the Department of Safety and Homeland Security, providing relief to flood victims in East Tennessee and setting up a transportation authority to oversee public-private partnerships. Critics of the voucher plan say the governor is trying to cloud the issues by putting so many critical topics into one special session. House leaders said the legislature will continue to invest 'heavily' in education while expanding 'school choice' for parents. Bills will be approached separately in House committees and won't be linked, according to Rep. Jeremy Faison, chairman of the House Republican Caucus. 'The notion that the speaker or the governor or anybody in leadership would hold hostage somebody in East Tennessee and their people, that we're not going to bring relief to them if they don't vote for the governor's voucher bill, that's silly,' Faison said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
