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Gov. Bill Lee signed Senate Bill 1315, the Tennessee Election Integrity Act, which was passed by the Tennessee Legislature last month and will put an approved watermark on all absentee ballots with the goal of providing more security to the election process. The watermark does not apply to military electronic absentee ballots, which are not printed onto paper. Local election authorities will be required to dispose of previously purchased ballot paper at the end of 2021. âEach ballot would have to have that watermark when returned or it would not be counted,â Sen. Joey Hensley, R-Hohenwald, said. The bill did not lead to any discussion in the Senate, but it did lead to some debate in the Tennessee House before it was passed. ....
Legislative Update: Session adjourns with major bills passed in education, health Joey Hensley The Tennessee General Assembly adjourned the 2021 legislative session on May 5 after acting on major bills to increase scholarship opportunities for students and help turn around struggling schools. The year began with passage of landmark legislation in a special session to boost student literacy and to recover learning losses suffered in one of the most turbulent school years in state history due to the pandemic. The regular legislative session saw action to strengthen Tennessee’s economic recovery, expand broadband, prepare students for 21st century jobs, protect Second Amendment rights, support the state’s first responders, improve health care, and take care of some of the state’s most vulnerable citizens. Below is a look into some of the key pieces of legislation that was passed during the 112th Session of the Tennessee General Assembly. ....
View Comments A Republican effort to revive a bill in the final days of session that would offer immunity to some drivers who strike protesters and make it a felony to demonstrate in streets has failed for the year. While the legislation had previously stalled in the Senate, it gained new traction last week after leaders in the two chambers agreed to allocate funding for it in the budget. Similar bills had passed this year in Oklahoma and Iowa. But senators, including the chairman of the judiciary committee, Sen. Mike Bell, R-Riceville, continued to express concerns about the legislation. Bell filed a last-minute amendment to tone down some of the charges against protesters and ensure that law enforcement would still investigate instances when a driver struck someone. ....
Now, Tennessee lawmakers are backing a deal primarily benefiting FedEx, which would save the company millions more in state taxes each year. A proposal championed by Gov. Bill Lee s administration would lower the aviation fuel tax rate and ultimately slash by half the maximum annual amount in taxes each aviation fuel consumer must pay. The measure, carrying bipartisan support, will go before the legislature Monday night. FedEx, the largest aviation fuel consumer in Tennessee, would reap the most benefit if the bill becomes law. But some worry it would mean less funding for smaller airports in need. The tax cut would lead to a loss in aviation fuel tax revenue, which is deposited annually into the state s Transportation Equity Fund. The money helps fund development, construction and operations at Tennessee s 69 general airports and five commercial airports. ....