Latest news with #TennesseeSenate
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Tennessee hemp dispensaries brace for fallout of bill banning THCA products
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A bill banning the sale of hemp products with levels of THCA greater than 0.3% is headed to Tennessee Governor Bill Lee's desk. 'I was actually amazed when I started seeing what was being sold in some of the cannabis stores,' said State Senator Richard Briggs (R-Knoxville), a sponsor of the bill. East TN business owners discuss plans after Tennessee Senate passes bill banning most THCA products THCA is a naturally-occurring cannabinoid that does not have any psychoactive qualities in it's raw state. When it is heated smoked or vaped, it turns into THC. A bill was passed in 2023 placed a limit on how much Delta-9 can be in legal products, not THCA. One business owner contended that THCA is perfectly legal in Tennessee since the federal Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, otherwise known as the 2018 Farm Bill. 'It is 100% legal to have THCA in Tennessee even when this bill passes on January 1,' said Blom Shop owner Travis McKinney. 'There's a lot of confusion on that, 100% you can have THCA and there's no criminal consequences.' 'I want to make it absolutely clear that we have some very good, very compliant family-run cannabis stores,' Briggs added. 'They are selling hemp and hemp products.' Businesses and customers alike will see changes in the available options. A majority of products at some stores in Knoxville contain THCA or THCP, both would be banned under this new bill. McKinney said more than just the businesses will suffer. Three bears killed after report of aggressive behavior near Gatlinburg 'This is going to impact the people of Tennessee, that's the most important thing,' McKinney explained. 'You're going from these people, these veterans, these mothers, these fathers, these doctors and these teachers that are able to get legal cannabis, federally-legal hemp products in a store that's tested in DA-certified labs. Now it's just going to go back to either online sales or the black market unfortunately, and that's not what we want.' With these new parameters surrounding THCA, Briggs said regulation of the products will be similar to alcohol. 'It's going to be done by the Alcoholic Beverage Commission (ABC),' Briggs said. 'We've designed this very closely to how we regulate alcohol.' ▶ See more top stories on Briggs told 6 News that the bill was a tough one because of how complex it was trying to get everyone to understand the reasoning for wanting this to pass. McKinney said there needs to be more education surrounding THCA. The bill is heading to Governor Lee's desk. It is set to go into effect in January. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tennessee Senate wants to kick undocumented kids out of school
It's fundamentally cruel to turn away children from public schools based on their immigration status, but the Tennessee Senate advanced a bill that would let its schools do just that. State Sen. Bo Watson has argued that his legislation is about easing financial pressure on school districts, but the bill is more about scapegoating immigrant communities and forcing needless suffering upon their kids. 'Our education system has limited resources, which should be prioritized for students who are legally present in the country,' Watson said earlier this year. Referring to local education agencies, he said, 'An influx of illegal immigration can strain LEAs and put significant pressure on their budgets.' He said his bill empowers local governments to manage their resources more effectively and 'builds upon the legislative action taken during the special session to address illegal immigration at the local level.' The bill that the Tennessee Senate passed is a direct challenge to Plyler v. Doe, the 1982 Supreme Court ruling that stopped Texas' plan to let local school districts either deny admission to undocumented schoolchildren or charge them tuition. In a 5-4 ruling, the court said the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause means that all children in this country have access to public education. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. noted in the majority opinion that the provisions of the equal protection clause are 'universal in their application, to all persons within the territorial jurisdiction, without regard to any differences of race, color, or nationality.' Plyler v. Doe made clear that these protections apply to all 'people' within the United States, not just citizens. This principle has been central to the law for more than four decades and has prevented states from using immigration status to deprive children of their right to attend public school. But, as you might imagine, the battle over Plyler v. Doe has never truly ended. Republican lawmakers and conservative legal groups have repeatedly pushed to overturn it and dismantle the protections it provides. For them, erasing Plyler is not just about reversing a single Supreme Court case; it's also about stripping away a core pillar of the 14th Amendment's promise. Similar bills have been proposed in Texas and Oklahoma. Tennessee's bill has now been moved to its lower chamber, and immigrant communities across the state are fighting to stop it from becoming law. Lisa Sherman Luna, the executive director of the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, told me in an email: 'Even in the face of unrelenting attacks on their humanity, immigrant families have responded to this latest threat to their children's futures with power, not panic.' She said, 'Tennesseans across race, class, and immigration status recognize the harm these policies would have not only on the children of our state but the entire nation, and have been calling their lawmakers, showing up in committees, and organizing actions in districts to make sure their voices were heard.' Local parents and educators have also been vocal in their opposition. 'I am Latino. My kids have Latino names. And while this bill is targeted directly towards immigrants, it's primarily, in my opinion, targeted towards the Latino community.' Hamilton County teacher Kyle Carrasco said. 'So I fear, just in general, that they'll have to kind of negotiate some of these stigmas.' 'Unchecked illegal migration over the past three years has possibly cost the public education system billions of dollars,' according to a 2024 post from the Heritage Foundation. 'Large influxes of non-English-speaking children also have a negative effect on the classroom. Not only must the federal government secure the border and prevent illegal migration, but states can, and must, also take action.' What Watson and the Heritage Foundation don't acknowledge is the undeniable human cost of kicking children out of schools. And the cost to the United States if we normalize the idea that the circumstances of their birth define children's worth. Kica Matos, president of the National Immigration Law Center, said in an email that, 'We're seeing a groundswell of opposition to this extreme bill, and we're going to keep fighting to make sure it doesn't pass. But if it does, we're ready to respond accordingly.' A fundamental promise of the 14th Amendment is that all people will be afforded equal protection under the law. That's what's at stake here. It's not the only place it's at stake, obviously, but in this case, conservatives — and not for the first time — are seeking to block the schoolhouse doors to children. This article was originally published on
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill to hold charities liable for providing housing to certain immigrants heads to governor's desk
A bill to hold churches and nonprofits liable if immigrants they aid go on to commit crimes is headed to Gov. Bill Lee for his signature.(Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout) A bill to hold churches and charitable organizations liable for providing housing aid to immigrants without legal status — who then go on to commit a crime — is now headed to the governor's desk. The Tennessee Senate Wednesday voted 70-23 in favor of the legislation (SB227/HB11) brought by Sen. Brent Taylor of Memphis and Rep. Rusty Grills of Newbern, both Republicans. The Republican majority in the House approved the measure earlier this month. Tennessee Senate OKs bill to hold charities liable for aiding immigrants who later commit crime A spokesperson for Gov. Bill Lee did not respond to a question sent Wednesday about whether he plans to sign the legislation into law. Grills called the measure a 'public safety bill in keeping with the Trump Administration's renewed focus on illegal immigration.' 'What we're doing with this bill is anyone who is a victim of a crime committed by an illegal alien would have a private right of action against any NGO (non-governmental organization) that has assisted the illegal alien with housing in the community,' Grills said in presenting the bill on the Senate floor. The legislation would open the door to civil lawsuits against charities that provide a variety of long-term housing assistance to individuals regardless of their immigration status, including assistance in signing leases or securing an apartment. The bill exempts 'temporary overnight housing such as that provided by a homeless shelter,' but includes no specific exemption for other short-term housing, such as domestic violence shelters, which can house victims and their children for months at a time. Bills that target immigrant-serving nonprofits raise criticism from faith community Charities would be subject to lawsuits if their 'conduct in providing housing constitutes negligence, gross negligence, or willful and wanton misconduct.' The bill's language does not include a definition of those terms in the context of providing physical housing, referrals for housing or assistance in signing apartment leases. The measure has drawn pushback from Tennessee faith leaders as an infringement on their religious freedom to perform acts of charity to those in need. On the Senate floor earlier this month, the bill drew contentious debate, with Democrat Sen. Jeff Yarbro of Nashville criticizing the measure as holding charities responsible for 'crimes committed by someone they helped' while Taylor — the bill's sponsor — called it a 'misguided mission' to serve immigrants without legal status. House Republicans quickly moved for a vote Wednesday, forestalling any floor debate, even as Democrats audibly protested the maneuver. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tennessee legislature clears path to hear new evidence: 'Good news for innocent people'
More innocent people in prison will get their case before a judge after a bill passed the Tennessee legislature, according to the director of the Tennessee Innocence Project. The bill, which now heads to Gov. Bill Lee's desk to be signed into law, ensures people with new evidence of innocence can petition a court to hear that evidence. The Tennessee Senate approved the bill 24-6 with bipartisan support on April 10. Chattanooga Republican Sen. Todd Gardenhire, one of the bill's sponsors, said it fills a gap in the law for people who chose to plead guilty despite being innocent. Previously, those people could not present to a judge new, non-scientific evidence — which includes things like video footage of the actual perpetrator committing the crime — after pleading guilty. Jason Gichner, executive director of the Tennessee Innocence Project, said the bill was 'good news for innocent people in Tennessee.' 'There was not a legal pathway … to help these folks,' Gichner said. 'Now there is.' One of the compromises in the bill — a joint effort of the Tennessee Innocence Project and the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference — is that district attorneys general must sign off on the petition to present the new evidence. 'The DAs are the gatekeepers for these petitions,' Gardenhire said. He added the bill will apply only in 'very rare situations of actual innocence.' Gichner said his organization tries to work collaboratively on innocence cases, anyway. 'If there's objective evidence that shows somebody is innocent, both sides should be able to work together to do the right thing and get that person out of prison,' he said. More: Nashville judge issues ruling, won't overturn dad's murder conviction in baby son's death Gichner said most other states do not have this gap in the law that currently exists in Tennessee. 'I'm grateful that the legislature took this up and realized that this is a gap in the law that we had to do something about,' Gichner said. Have questions about the justice system? Evan Mealins is the justice reporter for The Tennessean. Contact him with questions, tips or story ideas at emealins@ This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Legislature clears path for more innocence claims to get day in court
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tennessee lawmakers want schools to teach the ‘success sequence' - graduate, get married, have kids
Tennessee public schools may soon be required to teach students that a key to success is following a traditional sequence of life events, including marriage before children, as part of a new bill that passed the state Senate. If passed in the state House, the 'Success Sequence Act' would teach students about the 'positive personal and societal outcomes' of completing a specific sequence of life events: obtaining a high school diploma or equivalent credential, entering the workforce or pursuing college, getting married and having children. The bill, sponsored by state Senator Janice Bowling, asserts that evidence shows those who follow the sequence of life events experience rates of higher family income, grade point averages and graduation. Bowling said children raised by single parents are 'three times as likely' to live in poverty than those raised with married parents and children raised in a home without married parents are 'twice as likely' to end up in jail or prison before the age of 30. However, Democrats in the Tennessee legislature have pushed back on the bill calling it a form of 'indoctrination.' 'This is a step too far,' state Senator Raumesh Akbari said. 'Because I graduated from high school, obtained my degree, entered the workforce, did not complete the last two steps, marriage or children, and I still think I'm a success. So I don't understand why it is important to incorporate this level of indoctrination into our schools.' State Senator London Lamar said the bill would teach a curriculum that people are 'less than' if they are a single parent. 'That doesn't make my mother less than because she raised a current sitting senator when she became a single parent,' Lamar said. She argued that it was not the legislators' job to dictate how children should view marriage or parenthood. 'If you are not married, it does not mean that you are less than anybody else. I think this bill is misguided, it's very offensive and I'm living proof that this bill has no merit,' Lamar said. But Republicans have pushed back, pointing to evidence that shows delaying certain life events, such as having children, can set people up for a more successful financial future. 'I know people that are very dear that went to college, got their degree, never married, and they live very successful, happy lives,' Bowling said. 'But if it's in your purview to get married, then you need to get married and then have children.' The bill passed the Tennessee Senate Thursday and is now headed to the House. If approved it would head to the governor's desk for signing and start in the 2025-2026 school year. Similar bills have been introduced in Texas, Kentucky, Ohio and Mississippi.
