Vivian Jones
@Vivian_E_Jones
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Wife. Mom. State Gov't reporter @tennessean . Previously @mainnashville , @thecentersquare . Alum @Hillsdale . vjones @tennessean .com
Nashville, TN
Joined July 2013
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Crowd is marching down Rep. John Lewis way to escort
@brotherjones_
back to the State Capitol where he’s expected to retake the oath of office on the Capitol steps and rejoin the House floor, just days after he was expelled.
Follow along for updates:
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More than two hours into the presidential forum,
@realDonaldTrump
is not yet on stage.
The room is far from full. About 20 mins ago, staff cleared out about 300 chairs from the far back corner. Photo on the left was taken just after 7pm, photo on the right was taken just now.
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Reappointed Rep.
@brotherjones_
arrives at the Capitol as the crowd cries “Welcome home! Welcome home!”
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To my knowledge, Sen. Blackburn has never notified press of campaign stops nor has she held a campaign press conference this cycle. Her campaign staff has yet to respond to my inquiries sent via DM, email, and text.
It’s been 57 days and Kamala Harris has yet to do ONE SINGLE formal press conference.
The Democrats know she can’t operate off script.
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We’re adjourned. As the three left the chamber, the crowd met them outside the door and chanted “a people united will never be divided.”
Now they’re chanting “see you Thursday.”
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Reps.
@brotherjones_
and Pearson have a bullhorn on the House Floor yelling “no action, no peace”
House immediately recessed.
Sargents at arms have approached.
Party leaders look like they’re conferring to figure out what to do.
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The entire House Democratic Caucus, and several senators gather around Rep.
@brotherjones_
as he’s giving his closing argument.
“If you expel me, I recognize that it’s not about expelling me, it’s about expelling the people,” he says.
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A member of
@GovBillLee
's Faith Based board started a mowing business with no apparent prior experience 3 days before Lee's 2019 inauguration, after her family donated extensively to his campaign.
She then won $4.7M in TDOT contracts. 🧵
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One day after $300 pandemic unemployment benefits ended for Tennesseans, the state began giving away $250 airline vouchers, paid for with taxpayer dollars, to (presumably) nonresidents to visit one of four cities.
Y’all can come to Tennessee on Me…or wait, on
@GovBillLee
or something like that. Anyways, book a 2 night stay in Tennessee at and get a free flight voucher.
#nowplaying
#tnonme
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Rep. Farmer moves consideration of the resolutions to expel Jones, Johnson, and Pearson on Thursday.
Crowds in the gallery scream “fascists!”
Sexton orders galleries cleared.
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In a few minutes,
@brotherjones_
@Justinjpearson
and
@VoteGloriaJ
will hold a press conference at the Cordell Hull Legislative Office Building. Several demonstrators who rallied this morning outside are joining as well.
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Organized by
@voices4saferTN
, about 6,000+ people are now making a human chain from
@VUMCchildren
to the State Capitol to call for tougher gun control laws.
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Here’s audio of
@GOPLeader
’s comment on
@SpeakerPelosi
:
The Tennessee delegation just presented
@GOPLeader
with an oversized gavel.
“I want you to watch Nancy Pelosi hand me that gavel… It’ll be hard not to hit her with it,” he joked.
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Confrontation among democrats on the floor.
Troopers had to physically remove some of the protestors from the gallery.
The last are leaving now yelling “this isn’t over!”
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I haven’t been around here very long, but I haven’t seen something like this before.
“If we don’t quit, we can’t lose,” Pearson says, to the protestors in the gallery. “We will not be quiet. We will not be silent. You are being heard. Thank you for being here.”
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Breaking: House Democratic Caucus Chair John Ray Clemmons is calling for an audit of Gov. Bill Lee’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.
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Rep.
@brotherjones_
returns to his desk in the House chamber, accompanied by Rep.
@VoteGloriaJ
.
“I want to welcome the people back to the people’s house,” Jones said in his first remarks back on the floor. “Today 78,000 people have a voice in this chamber once again.”
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Tonight at
@fiskuniversity
,
@SenSanders
is speaking w/
@brotherjones_
to call for a $17/hr federal minimum wage.
“Poverty is a death sentence, and we’re here to say we will no longer accept that,” Sanders says. “A job should lift you out of poverty, not keep you in it.”
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False claims are circulating that insurrectionist protestors took over the TN House floor.
I was there.
Two *House members* w/a bullhorn brought legislative business to a halt. Capitol Security & Sargents At Arms did not allow any protestors on the floor
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You:
—Chose not to get a TN driver’s license
—Chose not to register your vehicle in TN because it cost too much
—Chose not to get a TN ID-only license
—Chose not to pay to rush a passport
—Chose not to vote absentee in GA
But the *ID requirement* disenfranchised you?
I had my:
• valid driver's license
• student ID
• voter registration card
• a copy of my birth certificate
• my lease
and that still wasn't enough. I couldn't vote.
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TN’s former vax chief
@drfixus
ordered a dog muzzle sent to her office before being fired from the
@TNDeptofHealth
, then denied it, according to a Department of Safety and Homeland Security report.
She referenced the muzzle in interviews on national tv following her firing.
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After nearly an hour of singing by the Signature Sound quartet, the crowd here is “milling about smartly” awaiting Trump’s arrival.
No one is on stage. There is Christian music on the loudspeaker.
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Appears to be a new banner up this morning near the Foster Ave bridge on I440
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This story started with a records request, to find out how the Governor’s Faith-Based office planned to spend $1.2M in state funding.
When the gov’s office told me they didn’t have a copy of the budget, I had a lot more questions.
From me
@Tennessean
:
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BREAKING: Gov. Lee is ending local govt's authority to impose COVID-19 capacity restrictions and mask mandates.
Counties w/their own health departments may continue mask mandates (3 have them) -- Lee has spoken with those mayors, and they will be lifted by Memorial Day.
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State troopers turned spectators away from the west House gallery ahead of the start of session on Tuesday, citing a new policy requiring tickets issued by lawmakers that was never publicly announced.
From
@itsmelissabrown
and me
@Tennessean
:
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Some personal news: Today is my first day as state house reporter
@Tennessean
. I’m thrilled to join
@itsmelissabrown
and to work with the talented team led by
@duanegang
.
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BREAKING: Former Nashville Mayor
@MeganCBarry
is running for Congress in Tennessee's 7th Congressional District, she announced Wednesday, challenging incumbent U.S.
@RepMarkGreen
.
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NEW:
@GovBillLee
will sign an executive order today aimed at strengthening background checks for firearm purchases & call for lawmakers to pass an order of protection law to keep guns away from dangerous individuals.
From
@itsmelissabrown
:
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Twice within her first 6 months with the state, TN Ed Cmsr Lizzette Reynolds signed forms certifying she had been a state employee for more than 6 months as she sought a tuition waiver for classes at UT Martin.
She recently paid back the tuition money.
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Right now: House and Senate Democrats announcing a 5-bill legislative package aimed at preventing gun violence.
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In highly edited, leaked audio of a House GOP Caucus meeting held Monday, high-ranking GOP leaders hurled accusations at members who broke with the caucus to vote against Johnson’s expulsion saying “you hung us out to dry.”
From me
@Tennessean
:
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Significant confrontation here from Democratic leadership,
@brotherjones_
and
@Justinjpearson
and Leader Karen Camper.
House galleries are now being cleared.
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A demonstrator was just removed from the House gallery.
She yelled “Address your constituents! Do your job!” before state troopers escorted her out.
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This is irresponsible,
@realDailyWire
. The two at the podium are duly elected members of the House of Representatives.
Protesters were not allowed on the floor. State troopers removed disrupters in the gallery.
Facts don't care about your feelings.
BREAKING: Left-wing protesters disrupt TN legislative session shouting "No action, no peace!"
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NOW: TN Democratic leadership is speaking against
@GovBillLee
’s school choice expansion proposal.
“This program is for middle class families who do not want to pay the full price or tuition for private institutions,” Senate Democratic Caucus Chair
@SenatorLamar
says.
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According to his media schedule,
@GovBillLee
does not plan to take media questions this week, despite a mass shooting that occurred less than 4 miles from the Executive Residence.
He has not taken media questions anywhere within a 2-hour drive of Nashville for more than a month.
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Both motions to consider resolutions to expel Reps. Johnson and Jones on Thursday have passed.
Votes will happen Thursday.
House Democrats objected.
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NEW: House Republicans are questioning TN Ed Commissioner Lizzette Reynolds' qualifications.
One is calling for her resignation after a
@Tennessean
report that she repeatedly misrepresented her tenure with the state to obtain a tuition waiver.
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Big crowd inside the Capitol as the House is due to get under way momentarily.
Protestors are shouting “do your job” & booing as GOP lawmakers walk from elevators to the chamber. Big cheers for Rep. Johnson as she arrived.
Crowd is loud and clear in the Senate Chamber.
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Jones speaks on the Capitol steps before his swearing in
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A proposal to provide free diapers to TN families on the state’s Medicaid program — the first such benefit of its kind in the country — has received federal approval and is expected to become available late this summer, the Division of TennCare announced.
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.
@VoteGloriaJ
isn't just wooing voters for herself, but for every Democrat on the ballot, seeking to galvanize historic political energy sparked by an expulsion attempt into significant voter turnout.
This is doable, folks," she says.
@Tennessean
:
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Chaotic scene outside the House chamber after House members passed legislation allowing trained teachers with district permission to carry guns in classrooms without notifying parents.
Student protestors are yelling “blood on your hands!”
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Tennessee adults who assist minors seeking an abortion or abortion pills could soon face jail time if they don’t first get written parental permission – even in circumstances when the child was raped by a parent, or the child is in DCS custody.
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House has voted 69 to 26 to expel
@Justinjpearson
, after nearly 10 hours of session.
Galleries exploded in protest immediately afterward, yelling “fascists! fascists!” and “shame on you!”
Several threw crumpled protest signs into the chamber at members.
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As session continues inside the Capitol, much of the crowd has gathered at War Memorial Plaza to continue demonstrating.
A lot of people out here.
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Increased police presence at the Metro Courthouse tonight ahead of the Council Meeting, as members of the Neo-Nazi group “Whites Against Replacement” are here and signed up to speak during public comment.
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Galleries are clearing out. House is still meeting—no recess.
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Johnson, Jones and Pearson have arrived. House session is now under way.
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New records obtained by
@Tennessean
show the majority of $1.5B in franchise tax refunds, if approved, would flow out of state.
Conference committee on the bill meets today at 10am.
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Chamber and gallery were silent as Jones took the podium, but the crowd outside screamed cheers of support.
@brotherjones_
begins his defense:
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Roses are red.
Paris is great.
Let’s fly there first class
“to promote the state.”
#tnlegvalentines
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Rep.
@brotherjones_
says during that confrontation, another member “pushed me and stole my phone” and “tried to incite a riot with his fellow members.” He says he has a video.
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Fmr. Dem presidential candidate
@TulsiGabbard
, who announced last week she is leaving the Democratic Party, will speak today at
@MattWalshblog
's "Rally to End Child Mutilation" on Legislative Plaza.
Others include
@MarshaBlackburn
,
@SenJohnson
,
@WilliamLamberth
,
@robbystarbuck
:
Under the guise of “gender affirmation” our kids are being put at risk by those pushing harmful, irreversible surgeries. We must protect our children. Tomorrow I'll be speaking in Nashville at The Rally to End Child Mutilation w/
@mattwalshblog
& others
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BREAKING: Participants in TN's only existing school voucher program, ESAs, made modest gains in ELA & math test scores in 2023-24, but most are still testing significantly below their public school peers according to
@TNedu
data.
Exclusive
@Tennessean
:
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CM
@zulfat4council
kicks off announcements w/a statement condemning the Nazis in the room:
"I want to say to all these visitors from out of town: you're not welcome here," she says. "When you come for one of us, you come for all of us. We will continue to stand together."
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Newly reappointed Rep.
@Justinjpearson
(who retook the oath this morning), just silently re-entered the House Chamber.
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Andy Ogles’ campaign sent these mailers to voters in his district this week.
Interestingly, the mailer lists Lee Beaman as Ogles’ campaign treasurer. He’s not been listed on FEC filings as treasurer since Aug 2022. Website says the same.
His treasurer is Thomas Datwyler.
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“She committed a crime,” Rep. Todd Warner, R-Chapel Hill, told The Tennessean in an interview on Monday. “I think she should resign, and if she won’t, I think the governor should definitely ask for her resignation.”
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In his new book, Stealth War,
@robert_spalding
examines how China has followed the strategy of unrestricted warfare to gain tremendous global influence at the expense of, and empowered by, the U.S. My latest:
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Reader, they did not.
Gov. Lee did not include $ beyond his original proposal for the Education Freedom Act in his budget amendment, released this morning.
If lawmakers want to move forward with $ for public schools in the House version, they'll have to find it themselves.
If the Lee admin already earmarked $300M in excess revenue to spend on franchise tax refunds ― can it find another $250M to cover the public school teacher health benefits & school infrastructure fees in the House version of the governor's voucher bill?
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It remains unclear how much Lee's family business, Lee Company, could benefit from the $1.5B in refunds he's backing.
Just in from
@itsmelissabrown
. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee opposes the transparency measure House GOP are pushing in the franchise tax bill. That's one of the key differences between the House and Senate versions.
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The Tennessee delegation just presented
@GOPLeader
with an oversized gavel.
“I want you to watch Nancy Pelosi hand me that gavel… It’ll be hard not to hit her with it,” he joked.
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Amid the chaos, the motion to hear the resolution to expel
@Justinjpearson
on Thursday passed with overwhelming Republican support.
That’s him in the far right corner.
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Speakers at the protest outside have concluded. A smaller (but certainly loud) crowd is in the Capitol, just outside the House chamber.
They’re shouting “Do something!” at any lawmaker that passes.
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My last story of the year.
On Sept. 11, two days after submitting a final invoice to MNPS for $1.7 million in COVID-19 testing efforts, Nashville entrepreneur Turner Nashe posted a picture of a Ferrari steering wheel on Instagram.
More
@MainNashville
:
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BREAKING: TN House Leadership has requested
@TNCOT
Comptroller Justin Wilson to conduct a “thorough review” of the City of Nashville’s use of $121 million in federal relief funding.
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Tennessee Democrats take full advantage of national spotlight: Key takeaways from expulsion debate
From me
@tennessean
:
via
@tennessean
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"My grandfather liberated concentration camps from the Nazis -- we're here and will continue to be here," said CM Jacob Kupin. "As we said in February, when hate rears its head, we will fight back stronger and harder and united together."
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Settling in here at
@VanderbiltU
for
@CGIU
’s opening plenary, where
@HillaryClinton
and
@SecretaryPete
are due to speak in a few minutes.
#CGIU2023
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Phillips' company, Big Al Mowing, has won 10 state contracts. TDOT terminated its contract w/Big Al in August --shortly after my investigation of the office began-- due to a "failure to meet performance standards."
Their website is also now deactivated.
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Senate Republicans just gave a negative recommendation to Sen.
@CharlaneOliver
's bill to eliminate the grocery tax... minutes after approving a $1.9B franchise tax restructure.
Republicans are not planning to fund a grocery tax holiday this year either.
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A school psychologist is speaking:
“Citizens are not allowed to drive a Bradley tank down the street. Citizens are not allowed to buy plutonium for their personal nuclear weapons. Private citizens should not be allowed to walk into a store & legally buy a killing machine.”
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"We need to divorce ourselves from the idea that words hurt. Because they don't."
@greggutfeld
@yaf
#totalyafmove
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Joint Democratic Caucus reacts to the adjournment:
“It’s been a complete waste of time, it’s been a waste of taxpayer money,” said House Minority Leader Karen Camper. “People expected us to do something to make the public safer. We did nothing.”
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Two
@TNECD
officials spent more than $32k during a whirlwind four-day trip to Australia this year, flying in first class and staying in 5-star hotels, while meeting with confidential business clients they sought to woo to TN, agency travel records show.
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This afternoon
@USDOT
@SecretaryPete
is visiting
@Fly_Nashville
to highlight $7M the airport received this year from
@POTUS
’ Infrastructure Act.
It’s a bit windy.
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NEW: Following threats from Democrats of an ethics complaint over his travel to Florida paid by an outside group,
@GovBillLee
is asking the Tennessee Ethics Commission to clarify whether accepting such payments is allowed under state law.
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Former VP, presidential nominee, environmentalist Al Gore received the Presidential Medal of Freedom today.
Gore was honored for his grace in accepting defeat in the disputed 2000 election, "a historic act of selflessness, and love for country."
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His office said campaign donations did not play a role in selections of any of the Faith Based board members.
But, every other board member ever appointed also contributed to Lee's 2019 campaign.
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When state troopers asked protestors in the gallery to leave, I moved down to the press desk inside the House Chamber. I had to repeatedly show my badge to get there. Very stringent security protocols were followed.
All protestors had to go through security to enter the Capitol.
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This afternoon, protestors held a sit in at House Speaker
@CSexton25
’s office after a protest on War Memorial Plaza calling for restrictions to gun access.
@GovBillLee
has called for a special session focused on public safety and mental health that will begin Aug 21.
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Big Al's most recent mowing contracts were authorized by TDOT Commissioner and Deputy Gov. Butch Eley, whose wife, Ginger, also serves on the Faith Based board.
Lee's office has said the governor was not involved in TDOT's decision to contract with Phillips' company.
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Rep.
@VoteGloriaJ
is NOT EXPELLED.
Vote is 65 to 30, one vote short of expulsion.
Here’s the moment:
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Nearly 10,000 people submitted feedback on potential gun reforms in the first two weeks after
@GovBillLee
announced plans to call a special legislative session on Aug. 21.
Initial feedback overwhelmingly supports new gun laws.
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NEW: An ethics complaint against TN Education Commissioner Lizzette Reynolds alleges she accepted travel reimbursements paid for by a group that also lobbies the legislature, in violation of state law and executive branch standards.
@Tennessean
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To this day, the office's website still redirects to a Malaysian lottery site.
Executive Director Lance Villio, whose salary is $165,000/year, says the $1.2M will support 11 new staff positions. The office previously employed 6 on a budget of $500,000.
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House debating franchise tax.
Rep. Clemmons says the chamber "got rolled" by Senators in ceding $800M in refunds in exchange for transparency.
"If you vote for this bill, I don’t want to hear the words ‘fiscal conservative’ come out of your mouth."
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@angienashville
After a confrontation outside, the neo Nazi group walked to their cars, followed by MNPD and State Troopers, and drove away.
They have not returned to the gallery, and business is proceeding.
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Galleries have remained quiet thru this morning’s business. Some have raised their arms to sign applause. Everyone is standing now, holding signs if they have them.
Rep.
@Justinjpearson
raised his fist in solidarity with the galleries.
Crowd is yelling “vote no” outside.
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Lt. Gov. Randy McNally has ordered the Senate gallery to be cleared of spectators after several outbursts and a warning from McNally as senators debate a measure that would allow Tennessee teachers to carry concealed firearms inside classrooms.
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As the Senate adjourns, demonstrators in the gallery break out in a chant of “You’ve done nothing! You’ve done nothing!” and unfurl a banner that reads “No gun reform, no peace.”
They were escorted out of the gallery.
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GOP Caucus Chair
@JeremyFaison4TN
has called for expelled & re-elected Rep.
@brotherjones_
to resign after he declined to lead the Pledge of Allegiance during session.
“That flag represents the oath. In my opinion, he should resign.”
Jones’ letter declining to lead the pledge:
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