Tennessee gubernatorial candidate Bill Gibbons on Wednesday proposed to fund pre-kindergarten expansion by cutting the amount of money the state lottery pays to large ticket vendors like the Pilot truck stop chain that is part-owned by GOP rival Bill Haslam.

Gibbons, who is the top prosecutor in Shelby County, said at a Children’s Advocacy Days gubernatorial [...]

From the AP:
Legislation is advancing in the House that seeks to clarify a Tennessee law allowing people with handgun permits to be armed in bars and restaurants that serve alcohol.

The measure sponsored by Rep. Curry Todd, a Collierville Republican, passed the House Judiciary Criminal Practice and Procedure Subcommittee on a voice vote Wednesday.

A judge [...]

The proposed “Ben Nelson Act to Ensure Political Integrity” got a cool reception from Democratic legislators Wednesday, prompting the Republican sponsor to offer a change in the name that one lawmaker called “a gratuitous political insult.”

The bill by Rep. Bill Dunn, R-Knoxville, is named after the United States senator from Nebraska and is intended to [...]

From the AP (updates and replaces earlier post):
The attorney for a University of Tennessee student accused of hacking the personal e-mail of former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is challenging search warrants in the case.

Wade Davies, attorney for David C. Kernell, is questioning a magistrate’s authority to issue search warrants for Internet companies outside [...]

News release from the office of House Democratic Leader Gary Odom:

House Democratic Leader Gary Odom passed a long-overdue measure Wednesday that will keep armed robbers behind bars longer.

“Unfortunately, a lot of armed robbers have been serving only a small percentage of their sentences, due to budgetary restraints in the state,” said Odom (D-Nashville). “We have [...]

Rep. Frank Niceley’s bill authorize reapportionment of congressional districts every two years and set up a “joint legislative committee on congressional communications” has failed in a House subcommittee on a tie vote – three Republicans for it, three Democrats against it.

Niceley, R-Strawberry Plains, said the idea behind the bill (HB3510) is that an “out of [...]

A research biologist warned legislators Tuesday that mountaintop mining is already causing problems in Tennessee, joining country singer Kathy Mattea in urging passage of legislation to restrict the practice. Dr. Dennis Lemly, a professor at Wake Forest University, said the selenium released by mining has already reached dangerous levels in some places, reports the [...]

A Senate Republican Caucus news release:
Legislation that calls for Tennessee to keep its own road money, rather than participate in the Federal-Aid Highway Program, has been approved by the Senate Tax Subcommittee, its first hurdle in the legislative process. The bill, Senate Bill 3678 sponsored by Senator Tim Burchett (R-Knoxville), provides for Tennessee [...]

From the AP:
Opponents of mountaintop removal coal mining are drawing on some star power to make their case for banning the practice in Tennessee.

Country singer Kathy Mattea spoke before the Senate Environment and Conservation Committee on Tuesday. The West Virginia native told the panel that “mountaintop removal makes people sick, and makes them die [...]

Individuals who violate an order of protection in Tennessee could face a fine of up to $500 under a proposal advancing in the Senate.

The measure (SB3100) sponsored by Democratic Sen. Beverly Marrero of Memphis was unanimously approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.

Violators are currently fined $50. But Marrero’s proposal would give a [...]