Press release from the Tennessee Firearms Association; May 15, 2012:

TFA is joining forces with other grassroots organizations to have a voice in primary races

The 107th General Assembly, a historic one because it returned full power in Tennessee to the Republicans for the first time since the Civil War, has become the catalyst for grassroots organizations and conservatives across Tennessee how are increasingly voicing displeasure at the actions of the General Assembly (primarily in leadership) and the Governor for turning their backs on the citizens and pandering to the interests of Big Business.

Certainly, it can be said that there have been some changes made which addressed issues of real concern to conservatives and constitutionally based groups but much of what was done can be described as “too little”, “baby steps”, “incomplete” in sum simply far short of what the voters who worked to put these “Republicans” in office expected to be done.

Consequently, even local news organizations are reporting that the primaries – the Republican primaries – are a big issue this year. Why? Because expectations of those incumbent Republicans fell far short of the promises they made and so the primaries are now an election cycle about accountability in Tennessee.

For example, consider the following news release as a sample of what many more Tea Party groups have already or are releasing to their members:

Patriots,

The reason for this letter is to impress upon each Tennessee Tea Party Patriot why we should engage with our money and time in a particular race in Middle Tennessee and why it is imperative that we win this race in District 45 which is in the Madisonville and Goodlettsville area just north of Nashville.

The Tea Party’s goal is to encourage state government to protect Tennesseans from Federal overreach. All of the legislation that we promoted in the past legislative session had only one purpose and that was to protect the people, which is the purpose of government. All of the legislation that we promoted for this purpose either failed or was withdrawn.

After the second armed federal raid on Gibson Guitar and the seizure of their manufacturing materials we expected our state legislators to take action to protect Tennesseans from further such federal abuse of power. The Republican leadership failed to take any interest in protecting us and did absolutely nothing.

The blame for the failure of state government to protect the people lands primarily at the feet of the House Republican leadership. If there is any chance of us getting anywhere with state government standing up to protect us we absolutely must see a change in leadership. As close as we can get to making a change in leadership is to defeat the House Republican Caucus Chairman in the primary election and that is Representative Debra Maggart.

The Tennessee 8th District Tea Party Coalition met on Saturday 5/5/2012 to establish the Republican legislator most in need of defeat in the primary elections. After a four hour meeting and debate all 10 Tea Party groups represented along with two guest groups came to a unanimous decision to support Lt. Col. Courtney Rogers in her bid to unseat Debra Maggart in the primary election. Courtney was leader of the Sumner County Tea Party and we have confidence that she is a true constitutional conservative with the values we need in state government. It is an absolute must that we succeed in defeating Debra Maggart. Tea Party groups in Middle Tennessee will be working with us as well but defeating the House Republican Caucus Chair is a challenge.

It’s time for our membership to step up to the plate. We need grass roots donations to Courtney’s campaign from all 10 of our TN8 Tea Party group members. Please consider doing all you can to be a part of this effort. Visit Courtney’s web-site and read about her background. You’ll be impressed. Then please make a donation that stretches you a little. Again, we’ve got to win this one and nothing of value is gained without sacrifice. You can donate on her web-site here. www.votecourtney.com

If you prefer to donate by check, please mail your check to:

Friends of Courtney Rogers
170 East Main Street, #216
Hendersonville, TN 37075

David Nance
Chairman
Tennessee 8th District Tea Party Coalition

A Common Theme – Remove Debra Maggart from Office

Why has this theme arisen?

Certainly, there are a significant number in the Republican caucus in the General Assembly who deserve to be removed from office. They know it. However, they also take advantage of the old “divide and conquer” strategy. They assume that they can raise money from the Speaker and the Lt. Gov’s super PACS, from business resources, from wealthy governor, etc., in amounts far greater than challengers can raise. Perhaps they can.

What they do not expect, however, is that organizations will focus efforts of their members on specific local races and make those races statewide issues – like the defeat of Debra Maggart. We might not be able to defeat Harwell, McCormick, Maggart, or any of about 14 RINOS that a House Republican member has told TFA to “go get them” this year – but the fact is that we do not have to get them all. What conservative voters and organizations should do is to form a concensus and start picking these incumbents off like political snipers. Make political examples of them. Use their political careers as “hides” and as a political warning and demand for accountability from others. Take them out of office so that the true conservatives (there are some) in the rank and file can get enough courage and enough of a numerical majority to take control of leadership, replace Beth Harwell and others in Republican leadership and install into leadership positions those who place duty to the citizen above partisanship.

Maggart is a member of House leadership. Maggart, by her own words, sees her job as first and foremost partisan – to increase the number of Republicans holding office. She knowingly sacrifices civil rights, constitutional rights, and doing what is right all in the name of partisan power. She pretends to be a 2nd Amendment supporter when talking with gun owners. She pretends to be a 10th Amendment supporter when talking with Tea Parties about the Constitutional Sheriff’s legislation. She pretended to be supportive of local citizens who tried to protect their telephone cooperatives from raids by AT&T. She is a pretender. Citizens have been fooled enough. Now it is time to act.

Gov. Bill Haslam says he signed the state’s $31.5 billion spending plan Tuesday, putting into action a state budget that is $627 million less than this year’s.

In an interview with TNReport Tuesday afternoon, Haslam said he’s proud of the budget plan, which spends about $400 million more than he originally pitched to lawmakers and the public back in January.

“The ultimate budget had a lot of the things that we added back in when the revenue numbers improved,” Haslam said. The state spending plan runs from July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013.

“I am somebody who believes in smaller government. I also think though, there’s critical services that we provide,” he said. “While we want to be really tough on how we spend taxpayers dollars, we also want to make certain we’re taking care of people we’re supposed to.”

The governor and Republicans heralded this year’s legislative session as a fiscal success story. Elimination of the state’s gift tax, phasing out the tax on wealthy inheritances and slightly trimming the tax on food were all noteworthy accomplishments, Haslam said.

The spending plan also put $133.4 million back into the budget to restore funding to so-called “core services” originally on the chopping block, such as $3.9 million fund Healthy Start and Child Health and Development programs and $1.4 million for mental health peer support centers.

This year’s budget is expected to top off at $32.1 billion by June 30, the end of the spending year, according to budget highlights from the General Assembly’s conference committee that hammered out final details of the budget.

The year before, Tennessee closed the books on $31.1 billion in spending, according to the governor’s original 2012-13 budget proposal.

The governor’s budget includes spending on projects and programs lawmakers at one point flagged as pork barrel spending, including a $500,000 for the Birthplace of Country Music Museum in Bristol, Va., across the street from Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey’s Republican district Bristol in Tennessee.

“It’s kind of an easy target to say, oh that’s in Virginia. Why are we funding it when it’s yards from Tennessee?” he said. “It’s not like we funded something that’s in northwest Virginia.”

When asked if he was “comfortable” funding the museum, he said “I think I am… it’s a little different situation because of the way the city of Bristol is laid out.”

“Now, it is a fair question to say, ‘What are a local responsibility and what are private, philanthropy dollars,’” he said. “In the end, it’s always a judgment call on those.”

Press release from the Tennessee Department of Health; May 14, 2012:

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Department of Health Commissioner John Dreyzehner, MD, MPH, has suspended new admissions of residents to Jackson Street Care Home effective May 9, 2012. A special monitor has been appointed to review the facility’s operations.

Jackson Street Care Home, an 11-bed licensed home for the aged located at 472 East Jackson St. in Jackson, was ordered not to admit any new residents based on conditions found during a follow-up survey conducted May 3, 2012. The investigation was completed May 3. During the inspection, surveyors found violations of the following standard: life safety.

The Commissioner of Health may suspend admissions to a home for the aged when conditions are determined to be, or are likely to be, detrimental to the health, safety or welfare of the residents. The order to suspend admissions remains effective until conditions have been and continue to remain corrected. A copy of the order must be posted at the public entrance where it can be plainly seen.

The home for the aged has the right to a hearing regarding the suspension of admissions before the Board for Licensing Health Care Facilities or an administrative judge.

Press release from the Tennessee Department of Education; May 14, 2012:

NASHVILLE — Eighth-grade students in Tennessee scored higher in science than they did two years prior, according to the latest results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP, also known as the Nation’s Report Card.

About 28 percent of students in Tennessee scored at or above proficient in science in 2009, compared to nearly 31 percent in 2011, while the average scale score went up from 148 to 150. Tennessee ranks 32nd out of 50 states and the District of Columbia in NAEP science results.

Education commissioner Kevin Huffman said the upward trend was encouraging, since Tennessee’s new accountability model now measures science benchmarks, rather than math and reading only.

“I’m pleased with the direction our science scores are going,” Huffman said. “We certainly still have room for improvement, but we should all be proud of the gains our students are making.”

Economically disadvantaged students in Tennessee also made big gains over their 2009 scores, jumping from an average scale score of 133 in 2009 to 139 in 2011.

Emily Barton, assistant commissioner for curriculum and instruction for the Tennessee Department of Education, said the science gains show the state is headed in the right direction.

“It is critically important for our students to have a strong background in science education,” Barton said. “Through Race to the Top, we’ve invested a lot of money into Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, or STEM, so we’re glad to see our efforts paying off.”

Students in Tennessee took NAEP between January and March of 2011. A representative sample of students from schools across the state is chosen to take a portion of the test. Because the same test is administered in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, NAEP is a way to accurately compare academic progress across the nation.

For more information on NAEP scores in Tennessee and across the country, visit http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/.

For more information, contact Kelli Gauthier at (615) 532-7817 or Kelli.Gauthier@tn.gov.

Press release from the office of Governor Bill Haslam; May 14, 2012:

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today announced that Larry Martin will join his staff to oversee implementation of the Tennessee Excellence and Accountability Management (TEAM) Act

His responsibilities will include coordinating and collaborating throughout state government agencies to effectively begin recruiting new employees on all levels, updating performance evaluations in all departments, and a review of employee compensation that includes the salary study funded in the governor’s FY 2013-2014 budget.

“Getting the TEAM Act passed into law was only the beginning of our work,” Haslam said. “Now we must make sure it is implemented effectively, which includes creating meaningful performance evaluations, truly getting a full picture of employee compensation, and changing the culture now that we can recruit the best and brightest to serve. I am grateful that Larry has agreed to take on this challenge for the taxpayers of Tennessee. Our goal is to build a state workforce that is dedicated to and focused on customer service, efficiency and effectiveness.”

“This is a wonderful opportunity to work for Bill Haslam again and to be part of the implementation of the TEAM Act of 2012, which will be good for our state and our employees,” Martin said.

From September 2006 to December 2011, Martin, 64, served as deputy to the mayor for both Haslam and Mayor Daniel Brown. He was responsible for Finance, Public Works, Community Development, Information Systems, Purchasing and Risk Management for the City of Knoxville.

Prior to joining city government, Martin was an executive of First Horizon/First Tennessee Bank. He joined the company in 1969 and served in various capacities. He moved to Knoxville in 1987 when he was named president of First Tennessee Bank Knoxville. When he retired, he was serving as chief operating officer for First Tennessee Financial Services with responsibility for all Tennessee Regional Bank Markets; Merchant Services Processing; Hickory Venture Capital; and the Commercial, Corporate, and Middle Market Divisions of the bank.

A native of Jackson, Tenn., Martin received his bachelor of science from the University of Tennessee’s College of Business. Throughout the years, he has been involved in several community activities. In 1995, he chaired the Knoxville United Way campaign. He served as chairman of Covenant Health System, Leadership Knoxville, the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce, United Way of Greater Knoxville, and as president of the Great Smoky Mountain Council Boy Scouts of America. Currently, he is chairman of First Tennessee Bank Knoxville Advisory Board and serves on the boards of East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, Project Grad, Emerald Youth Foundation, and University of Tennessee Foundation.

He and his wife, Jane, have two adult daughters, Hope and Meg, and have attended Church Street United Methodist Church in Knoxville for 24 years.

Martin will assume his new role as special assistant to the governor on May 23.

Press Release from Gov. Bill Haslam; May 14, 2012: 

Jobs4TN Online Brings Self-Service Functions to Job Seekers, Employers

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Department of Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner Karla Davis today announced a new jobs database to help connect job seekers with Tennessee employers.

Jobs4TN Online is a virtual recruiter, automatically notifying job seekers when jobs they may qualify for are posted and notifying employers when candidates who fit their needs register.

The online database contains positions from job orders placed directly by Tennessee employers, from corporate Internet sites, and from major job search engines. Jobs4TN Online also identifies available green jobs.

“The unemployment rate for Tennessee is at its lowest since November 2008 and has fallen below the national rate, but it is still too high,” Haslam said. The governor committed to developing a new jobs database during his gubernatorial campaign. “With Jobs4TN Online, those without a job will have quicker and better access to job openings related to their skills, and as we work to make Tennessee an even better place to expand and start a business, we want to help employers find the employees they need.”

Jobs4TN Online makes available labor market information, including demand occupations, education requirements and salaries for positions, labor force projections, and training program graduates. Information can be tailored to focus on specific communities, metro statistical areas or statewide. Employers and job seekers are encouraged to log in to Jobs4TN Online at www.jobs4tn.gov.

“This system is much more than a traditional job search engine,” Davis said. “Jobs4TN Online offers extensive information for interviews, lists of local training providers, and the capability to create and send resumes.”

The state’s previous job search site, the Source, included job orders received by Tennessee Career Centers and jobs listed by Fortune 500 companies. Jobs4TN Online uses a more robust search that provides first-run jobs from newspapers, government sites and private job boards, and the amount of jobs listed in Tennessee has gone from 30,000 to more than 85,000.

Jobs4TN Online can be accessed anywhere with a computer and Internet access. Tennessee Career Centers across the state have free computer resource rooms with guidance on job searching. For anyone not comfortable with using a computer, referrals can be provided in person at the center once they have registered for services. To find the nearest Tennessee Career Center visit http://www.tn.gov/labor-wfd/cc/cccounty.shtml.

Also, Tennessee Career Coaches are another available resource. They are mobile career centers with computer workstations and access to the Internet anywhere by satellite. Three mobile units operate in east, west, and middle Tennessee to provide job searching resources to those attending job events or to those that don’t have access to the Internet. The Career Coaches’ schedules can be found at http://www.getonthecoach.tn.gov/.

State officials have officially changed the way schools are held accountable this week by doing away with the legal strings that tied Tennessee to the federal No Child Left Behind program.

Gov. Bill Haslam signed into law  provisions that allow the state to grade schools on a different rubric following the U.S. Department of Education’s call to allow Tennessee to opt out of what critics say is an outdated program.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10Gb1lD5F1U

“I want to be real clear, we are not lowering standards. We are just making certain that we’re measuring improvement and having appropriate standards that recognize when achievement is happening and rewarding that,” Haslam told reporters after signing HB2346 at Brick Church Middle School in Nashville Thursday.

Changes to the law include doing away with “adequate yearly progress,” a standard the NCLB program used to determine whether a school was considered passing or failing.  Those standards would have labeled 80 percent of Tennessee schools as failing this year, officials say, despite having made academic gains.

“We were in a world last year where 800 some schools failed AYP,” said said Kevin Huffman, the state’s education commissioner. “And yet, hundreds of those schools had made significant progress during the very year where they moved from passing to failed status. So something was wrong with the picture.”

In its place, the law creates a new system aimed at measuring student growth in core subjects and reducing the achievement gap between student subgroups. The new law also gives more tools to the state Achievement School District to turn around the bottom 5 percent of schools.

“The whole system benefits from having a realistic measure,” said Matt Throckmorton, executive director of the Tennessee Charter Schools Association. “There’s going to be nuances and adjustments without a doubt, but we’re going to raise standards, raise expectations.”

The U.S. Department of Education offered Tennessee an out from portions of the NCLB program in January after a long application process and a visit from Education Secretary Arne Duncan last year who said the state is an example other states should look up to.

Haslam also announced more than $37 million in federal grants to turn around poor performing schools, with $14.8 million going to Memphis City Schools and $12.4 million to Metro Nashville Schools. Hamilton County will see about $600,000 for planning and be eligible for further funds in the fall, according to state officials. Knoxville schools did not receive any of this grant money because it is not home to schools at the bottom of the pack.

Press Release from Planned Parenthood Greater Memphis Region, May 11, 2012: 

Tennessee has the tenth highest rate of teenage births in the United States. At Planned Parenthood Greater Memphis Region, we hear every day from young people who say they were never taught the facts about sex and pregnancy prevention. That’s why we were especially disappointed today to hear that Governor Bill Haslam had signed a bill that guts the state’s “family life” sexuality education program.

HB 3621/SB 3310, signed by Governor Haslam today, will change Tennessee’s family life curriculums to “exclusively and emphatically promote sexual risk avoidance through abstinence, regardless of a student’s current or prior sexual experience”—effectively denying students valuable and even life-saving information about contraception and the prevention of sexually transmitted infections.

This new law also allows teachers or outside contractors to be sued for “encouraging” or “condoning” nonspecific “gateway sexual behavior.” Some critics have speculated that teachers could even be held liable if students hold hands or kiss in their presence.

Tennessee students need more information about puberty, their own bodies and proven methods that prevent pregnancy and the spread of disease. Denying them this prevention information in order to exclusively promote abstinence until marriage does our students a serious disservice.

Studies show that young people who are knowledgeable about contraceptive methods are less likely to take part in risky behavior and more likely to use a highly effective method of birth control when they do become sexually active. (See “Young Adults’ Contraceptive Knowledge, Norms and Attitudes: Associations with Risk of Unintended Pregnancy,” by Jennifer Frost, et al. of the Guttmacher Institute.)

Polls show that parents overwhelmingly support comprehensive and medically accurate sex education programs. In fact, a recent 2011 poll from the University of Memphis shows that vast majority of Shelby County residents wish that teenagers were provided more comprehensive information about sex.

“HB 3621/SB 3310, the abstinence-only sex education bill signed into law by Governor Haslam today is a step backward for the young people of Tennessee,” said Barry Chase, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Greater Memphis Region. “Most parents in Tennessee want students to get comprehensive sexuality education that includes messages about prevention as well as abstinence. They expect that the schools will equip their young people with the information they need to protect themselves. This bill ties the hands of educators in Tennessee and will prevent them from providing the comprehensive education that students want and need and their parents expect.”

To find out more about Planned Parenthood’s education programs, visit our website: www.ppgmr.org.

People are right to condemn Vanderbilt University for concocting an anti-discrimination policy that seems prejudiced against students seeking to assemble with others who share their religious beliefs, Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam told reporters Thursday.

But Haslam said he still plans to veto a controversial bill the state Legislature passed recently that prohibits public colleges from enacting so-called “all comers” rules that require groups using campus facilities to accept as members and leaders anyone who expresses interest in joining, regardless of whether they embrace the group’s mission and values. The sticking point for Haslam is that the legislation also specifically includes Vanderbilt, a private university that accepts millions in state taxpayer dollars to provide medical care to the poor.

Conservatives who value limited government should resist assuming government has the legitimate authority to dictate operating policies to private establishments, said Haslam.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4tTa7c5UAs

“I think Vanderbilt should do away with the policy. I don’t think it makes sense. I don’t think it’s fair. I really don’t,” he told reporters after a ceremonial bill signing at Brick Church Middle School in Nashville Thursday.

“But I don’t think the remedy for that is the state telling them, as a private institution, what they should do,” Haslam said.

Three dozen members of Congress — including four from Tennessee — sent a letter to the university urging it to abandon the “all comers” policy. The letter said the members, who belong to the Congressional Prayer Caucus, “are deeply troubled that Vanderbilt would use its freedom as a private institution to create a nondiscrimination policy that discriminates against religious student groups.”

Leadership at the university is “two-faced on this issue,” said Rep. Bill Dunn who sponsored language in the bill singling out Vanderbilt’s policy.

“In my view, they don’t really mind if this protects religious groups. But if this affects their fraternities and sororities, they might actually feel some pain,” said Dunn, a Knoxville Republican.

As of this posting, Haslam has yet to veto the bill, HB3597, although he told reporters Thursday “I haven’t changed my mind.” The hold up, he said, was the bill took a while to land on his desk. According to the General Assembly’s website, the legislation was sent to the governor Wednesday.

Press release from the Office of Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam; May 10, 2012:

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today signed the piece of his 2012 legislative agenda that redefines school accountability in the state and waives Tennessee from portions of the federal No Child Left Behind law.

Surrounded by educators from across the state and students, Haslam also announced more than $37 million in federal grants for three school districts to assist in their efforts to turn around low-performing schools.

The waiver was approved in January by the U.S. Department of Education and required changes to Tennessee law, which were approved by the General Assembly earlier this spring. The federal School Improvement Grants fund Innovation Zones: small clusters of schools, as described in the waiver, where innovative educational systems can be developed, implemented, assessed, and shared.

“This administration is committed to continuing Tennessee’s momentum in education reform, and days like today are the reason so many eyes are on us as a leader in the effort to improve education for every student in every classroom,” Haslam said. “This legislation was a priority for me this session, and I appreciate the broad bipartisan support it received – a testament to a lot of hard work by many people.”

The legislation, HB 2346/SB 2208, replaces the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) standards and designations for LEAs and schools and establishes a state accountability system requiring, in aggregate, significant growth in student achievement in core subjects and the reduction of the achievement gap between student subgroups. For additional details, click here.

Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris (R-Collierville) and Sen. Dolores Gresham (R-Somerville) and House Majority Leader Gerald McCormick (R-Chattanooga) and Rep. Harry Brooks (R-Knoxville) sponsored the bill.

For the School Improvement Grants, Memphis City Schools will receive a three-year award for $14,744,394, which will serve seven schools. Metro Nashville Schools will receive a three-year award for $12,384,213 to serve seven schools, and the state-run Achievement School District will receive a three-year grant for $10,395,111 to serve six schools. Hamilton County will also receive a one-year $600,000 planning grant for the creation of a district Innovation Zone to begin its turnaround efforts. For a complete list of schools, click here.

“Through our waiver, we committed a great deal of resources to turning around the bottom 5 percent of schools in this state, and it’s exciting to see some of those pieces coming together,” Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman said. “The Innovation Zones give districts greater autonomy, responsibility and resources to turn around some of their low-performing schools.”

The money given to each district can be used to fund a variety of practices, including extended learning time for students and a greater use of technology in the classroom.

Complementing the Innovation Zone funds, the Charter School Growth Fund also announced a $6.75 million investment in two Tennessee-founded charter school organizations to help serve students in the highest-need neighborhoods in Memphis and Nashville. Made up of federal money and private donations, the fund is giving $3.25 million to Nashville’s LEAD Public Schools, which will expand their K-12 program to five campuses and ultimately serving more than 4,700 students. They also are investing $3.5 million in Gestalt, which is located in Memphis. That investment will take Gestalt from two schools to 10 by 2016, ultimately serving 5,300 students.