Latest news with #JoeyHensley
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Tennessee Legalizes Baiting During Deer Season — for an Extra $50 Fee
Tennessee deer hunters will be able to hunt over bait on private land starting this coming season, thanks to a new law signed by the governor earlier this month. The legislation, which received strong support from state politicians, creates a baiting privilege license for deer hunters in the Volunteer State. The new law drops at a time when other states, like Washington, are banning baiting to attempt to reduce the spread of CWD. House Bill 938, which was introduced by Kip Capley in the House and Joey Hensley in the Senate, establishes a bait privilege license, which will be issued by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. The license fee, which essentially requires hunters to pay extra if they want to put out corn piles, will cost $50 for residents and $100 for nonresidents. All hunters in a party using bait are required to possess a permit — including those who are ordinarily exempt from purchasing a hunting license, including landowners and children under 13. TWRA will have the authority to suspend the baiting privilege (without a refund of fees) on a county, regional, or statewide basis to prevent the spread of wildlife diseases like CWD. Hunting over bait is currently prohibited in the state of Tennessee. Although hunters can put out corn or other food attractants, they cannot legally hunt within 250 yards of it until at least 10 days after the bait has been removed. The new law, which takes effect before the 2025 hunting season, makes an exception for deer hunting with the designated license. The original draft of the bill included wild hogs in the bait privilege license, but it was removed in an amendment to focus the legislation on whitetail deer. Violating the law could result in a class C misdemeanor. More than 22 states currently allow deer baiting in some form, including five of Tennessee's neighbors: Arkansas, Kentucky, Alabama, Georgia, and North Carolina. 'A lot of other states allow hunting over bait anyway, like Texas and several other states, so that's my reason for supporting it,' state senator Joey Hensley, a primary sponsor of the bill, told Fox Chattanooga. 'I just don't think that people should be penalized because they're hunting over bait, especially on their property. That's what this bill does, but it requires people to get a license that would generate additional revenue.' The new baiting license requirement has drawn some backlash from hunters across the state. Some critics argue that the requirement is government overreach and that landowners shouldn't have to pay for privileges exercised on their own property. 'If baiting deer on your own land is going to be legal, why should landowners and hunters have to pay extra for that right?' Tennessee resident John Baker told Outdoor Hub. Read Next: Deer and Elk Hunters in Washington State Can No Longer Hunt Over Bait Other critics of the bill are concerned that baiting could speed the spread of CWD by concentrating deer in certain areas. Chronic wasting disease was first discovered in the Volunteer State in 2018 and has since been found in whitetails in 18 counties. TWRA is expected to release specific regulations ahead of the 2025 deer season.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Measuring the economic impact of county ambulance services
MT. JULIET, Tenn. (WKRN) — Though most Tennessee cities depend on county ambulances, one new law could take a closer look at the economic impact that it creates. 'Since 2001, all counties have been required to provide ambulance services,' Sen. Joey Hensley (R-Hohenwald) said in March. When the law was first introduced in the state legislature, it required any municipality that does not provide ambulance services to reimburse the county for a portion of the cost of the service. However, it was amended to have the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations' first look into the economic impact. MARCH : Mt. Juliet EMS has responded to over 6,900 calls since launching 2 years ago 'So, the ambulances that were here in Mt. Juliet would oftentimes be responding to calls, and we would have to wait for other ambulances to come from the county into the city,' Mt. Juliet's EMS chief Eric Newman, told News 2. Newman was tasked with building an EMS service inside the fire department several years ago. He said Mt. Juliet is one of ten fire departments in the state that provides EMS transport. 'For as long as I know, Sumner County like most counties in the state, has provided ambulance services,' Gallatin Mayor Paige Brown said. In Gallatin, meanwhile, the city relies on Sumner County to run their ambulance transport. 'The thing that we have done in Gallatin — and some other cities have done this as well — is we have really elevated the role of our fire department in getting them trained as EMTs and some as paramedics,' Brown said. Brown said firefighters can provide life-saving measures before an ambulance arrives. However, the state is looking into the potential economic strain county ambulance transport has on them. 'I actually serve on TACIR, so it will be interesting to see that study and what the economic impact is because it's going to be a very large impact,' Brown said. 'And when most governments are doing the most that they can with the least burden on taxpayers as they possibly can, it would change things.' ⏩ Brown said if the law stayed in its original language, it would have negatively impacted taxpayers in Gallatin. which could still happen after TACIR completes the review. 'I imagine a scenario where we have to negotiate this give and take — we are all better off just remaining good partners with one another,' Brown said. Once TACIR completes its study, the findings and recommendations will then be reported with any proposed legislation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
