What happened at the 4/3/18 Council meeting: Sidewalk bill deferred, lot of $ spend, not much else.

At just a little over an hour long this is a relatively short meeting especially considering it is a meeting with public hearings on zoning matters. There are no long speeches or contentious items on the agenda. To access the agenda, the staff agenda analysis and my commentary on the agenda follow this link. Below are the items of interest.

Bills on Public Hearing:

Bill BL2017-1029 by Councilman  Steve Glover which would change the laws regarding "contributions" paid in lieu of the construction of sidewalks is deferred indefinitely. Also,
Bill BL2018-1130 by Councilman Glover which would  require an annual study of sidewalk costs is deferred indefinitely. The Councilman says there is more work to do on the bills.  Both of these are good bills and I hope they do come back, especially 1130. It should be criminal the amount of money wasted on sidewalk construction. Back in October, The Tennessean investigated Metro's sidewalk program and found that city allocated $30 million a year for each of the last two years for sidewalks and the city build only 3.5 miles of new sidewalks.

Resolutions of interest:

Resolution RS2018-1123  appropriates $19.759 million from the 4% fund to various departments. This is normal and is for purchasing of things that ware out or for unexpected repairs. $1.5 million is for library material, $1.5 is for maintenance material and supplies for the parks department and .5 million for Metro General Hospital. Due to our fund balance falling below an acceptable level, I would think it wise to defer some of these expenses, such as purchasing new books for the library, until the new fiscal year. Five hundred thousand dollars to fund the relocation of a salt bin is taken out, which is wise since we won't need to salt the roads in the summer. Unfortunately nothing else is deferred and the bill passes by a voice vote with no audible "no" votes.

Resolution RS2018-1124 is a supplemental appropriation of $2,516,400, largest amount going to the Sheriff's Department for salaries. This supplemental appropriation reduces to  3.18% for the GSD General Fund and 3.93% for the USD General Fund.  According to a policy approved by the Council in 1989 and by Office of Management and Budget in 2005, the minimum fund balance percentage should be no lower than 5% of the total operating budget. This is an indication of Metro's mismanagement. This passes on the consent agenda. That means it is lumped in with most other resolutions all of which are passed by a single vote of the Council.  

Resolution RS2018-1125 awards three economic development incentive grant agreements from money already appropriated for that purpose. The grants are $50,000- Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum (Rolling Stones exhibit), $325,000- The Country Music Film Project (Ken Burns documentary), and $625,000- Music City Productions ("Nashville"). This also passes on "consent." 

Bills on Second Reading.

Bill BL2018-1111 would put under the purview of the Board of Ethical Conduct and the Standards of Conduct those who violate executive orders regarding rules of conduct. Currently this board only has authority to act on those who violate a section of the Metro code concerning standards of conduct. Concern is expressed that this would put too heavy of a burden on employees to defend themselves against complaints filed with the board. At last council meeting it was discussed and then deferred one meeting. To understand the arguments on both sides of this issue you may want to watch the video of the March 20th meeting at timestamp 1:29:18-1:51:15.  It is again deferred one meeting.


Bill BL2018-1140  will create a South Nashville Central Business Improvement District. A district such as this creates a governing body which may impose additional taxes on businesses within the district for project within the district.  Such project may include building parking facilities, promoting the district, beautification and improvement projects in the district and more. The initial additional tax levy will be 55 cents per $100 of assessed value of real property and estimated initial projects will cost approximately $10.948 million. This district would consist of approximately 266 acres, whose boundaries are approximately Cane Ridge Road to the West, I-24 to the East, Target Drive to the North, and Old Franklin Road to the South. There are other such districts like this, including the central business district. This passes on a voice vote with no discussion.

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CAROL SWAIN LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN FOR MAYOR OF NASHVILLE

Press release, Nashville, TN - Former Vanderbilt University law professor and nationally

Carol Swain

recognized conservative political commentator Carol Swain announced on Monday that she is a candidate for Mayor of Nashville in the special election to fill the position vacated by former Mayor Megan Barry. She secured the necessary petition to become a candidate this morning, obtained more than the 25 signatures required to become an official candidate, and filed the petition this afternoon, which will qualify her to appear on the special election ballot.

The date for the special election is currently scheduled for August 2, but pending court cases could result in that date being moved to sometime in May.

“The reason I’m running is that Nashville needs a choice between two different visions for the city. I believe the city is headed in the wrong direction, like many large cities headed by Democratic mayors,” Swain said.

“Nashville is currently following the ‘tax-and-spend’ prescription that has resulted in so many of our cities becoming wastelands of poverty, crime, failing schools, and high taxes,” Swain noted in announcing her plans to run for Mayor. “We have a shrinking window of opportunity to avoid that future, but only if we act now to embrace new leadership committed to low taxes, common-sense regulations, and maximizing freedom and opportunity for all of our citizens.”

“This whole thing is about fixing potholes instead of building giant edifices while the city as a whole is not thriving. I’m concerned about the fact that if the transit plan passes, it’s not going to solve our problems and it will give Nashville the highest taxes in the country,” she noted.

“At a time when our school system mishandles $7 million, our city leadership promotes a $9 billion transit boondoggle that they admit won’t really relieve or reduce traffic congestion, seeks to embrace ‘sanctuary city status,’ and ignores the reality of crime and violence increasing across our city, we can’t afford to keep doing ‘business as usual’ with the ‘usual suspects’ running the show,” Swain said.

“I am delighted that Troy Brewer, an experienced and well respected C.P.A. who specializes in campaign finance and reporting, has agreed to serve as treasurer of my campaign,” Swain added.
Swain is making it clear that she opposes the proposed tax increase to fund the Megan Barry transit plan, a plan that has also been embraced by Mayor David Briley. “A bad idea didn’t get better simply due to Megan Barry resigning and Mayor Briley stepping in to replace her,” Swain pointed out. “I will be encouraging voters across the county to say ‘NO, to funding the transit plan in the May 1 Referendum. The first step to our retaking control of our city is to take control of our finances in the voter’s booth on May 1.”

Dr. Carol M. Swain is an award-winning political scientist, a former professor of political science and professor of law at Vanderbilt University, and a lifetime member of the James Madison Society, an international community of scholars affiliated with the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University. Before joining Vanderbilt in 1999, Dr. Swain was a tenured associate professor of politics and public policy at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. Dr. Swain is passionate about empowering others to raise their voices in the public square. She is an author, public speaker, and political commentator.

Dr. Swain is the author or editor of nine books. Her first book, Black Faces, Black Interests: The Representation of African Americans in Congress (Harvard University Press, 1993, 1995), won the Woodrow Wilson prize for the best book published in the U. S. on government, politics or international affairs in 1994, and was cited by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy in Johnson v. DeGrandy, 512 U.S. 997 (1994) and by Justice Sandra Day O’ Connor in Georgia v. Ashcroft, 539 U.S. (2003). In addition, Cambridge University Press nominated her book, The New White Nationalism in America: Its Challenge to Integration, for a Pulitzer Prize. Her forthcoming book, Debating Immigration (2nd edition), is scheduled for a July 2018 release. Dr. Swain’s other books include Abduction: How Liberalism Steals the Hearts and Minds of Our Children (Christian Faith Publishing, 2016, co-author Steve Feazel), Be the People: A Call to Reclaim America’s Faith and Promise (Thomas Nelson Press, 2011), Debating Immigration (Cambridge University Press, 2007); Contemporary Voices of White Nationalism (Cambridge University Press, 2003, co-author Russ Nieli).

Dr. Swain’s opinion pieces have been published in CNN Online, The Financial Times, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Times, and USA Today. She has appeared on ABC Headline News, BBC Radio, NPR, INT News, CNN’s AC360, Fox News’ Hannity, Fox and Friends, Lou Dobbs Tonight, Judge Jeanine, The Story with Martha MacCallum, Michael Smerconish, The PBS News Hour, and The Washington Journal, and ABC’s Headline News. She had a major role in Hillary’s America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party and has had three Prager University videos go viral.

Her commentary on social and political issues can be heard nationally on Bott Radio and American Family Radio’s Two Minutes to Think About it. Dr. Swain received a B.A. from Roanoke College, M.A. from Virginia Polytechnic & State University, Ph.D. from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and M.S.L. from Yale. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

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Bastiat Society-How to Do Economic Development without Giving Away the Farm

Click here

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What's on the April 3rd Council agenda: Requiring an annual sidewalk construction study, more $ out of reserve funds, $625,000 for production of "Nashville."

By Rod Williams - The Metro Council will meet Tuesday, April 3, 2018 at 6:30 PM in the Council chamber at the Metro Courthouse.  If you are going to watch the Council meeting, you need a copy of the Council agenda and the staff analysis  or you really will not know what is going on. You can get the agenda and analysis at the highlighted links. 

Boards and Commissions
The first order of business is the call to order, prayer and pledge followed by consideration of mayoral appointments to boards and commissions. There are seven mayoral appointments to boards and commissions on this agenda for Council confirmations. The council normally rubber stamps whomever the mayor nominates.

Bills on Public Hearing
There  are only twelve  bills on Public hearing which is a small number. It has been running to twenty to thirty. Items on public hearings are all rezoning bills or related to planning and zoning policy.  Rezoning hearings bore me and I don't even try to form an opinion on the merits each rezoning bill before the Council.  Rezoning bills usually are of interest only to people who live near the proposed rezoning. People who don't care one way or the other do not show up, and with rare exceptions, the only people who speak in favor of rezoning bills are those who will benefit from the rezoning such as the property owner or the developer.  Opponents always make the same argument which boils down to one of these: 1) the change will result in stressing the infrastructure such as too much traffic on the roadway or overcrowd the schools, 2) will cause flooding, and 3) will change for the worse the character of the community. If you are interested in knowing what is permitted in different zoning districts, follow this link. The only bill on public hearing I find of interest are these: 

Bill BL2017-1029 by Councilman  Steve Glover would change the laws regarding "contributions" paid in lieu of the construction of sidewalks. If a developer develops a piece of property they are supposed to build a public sidewalk in front of the property. Sometimes when that would be the only sidewalk on a street, it makes no sense to build a segment of unconnected sidewalk to nowhere and the developer may instead of building the sidewalk pay a fee into a fund which is used to build sidewalks. It is called a "contribution" but of course it is not really a contribution but an option of build the sidewalk or paying a fee. This bill says that, that "contribution" would be for construction of sidewalks within the Council district, where the property is located rather than the "pedestrian benefit zone,"  in which the project is located. I don't have strong feeling one way or the other on this. Council district boundaries change every ten years. Also, I am unfamiliar with the boundaries of pedestrian benefit zones.

Bill BL2018-1122 would reinstate a requirement that the specific location of waste transfer facilities to be approved by resolution of the Council prior to the public hearing conducted by the Metro Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) to consider such special exception requests. That is the way it was prior to August 2017. Unless there is a good argument for not reinstating this, then I think it should be reinstated. Waste transfer stations are often unwelcome in a community and my gut feeling is that this should be a decision in which the public should be allowed to have a voice.

Bill BL2018-1130 by Councilman Glover would  require an annual study of

sidewalk costs. The study would solicit input from all affected parties and include a public hearings. This is a good bill. I have observed almost perfectly good sidewalks ripped up and replaced yet streets that need sidewalks don't get them. It should be criminal how much money Metro waste on sidewalks to get such few sidewalks. Back in October, The Tennessean investigated Metro's sidewalk program and found that city allocated $30 million a year for each of the last two years for sidewalks and the city build only 3.5 miles of new sidewalks.  I suspect million of dollars goes to consultants. If I ran a news agency, I would follow up the initial Tennessean story and find out who got the money and what was their connection to city officials and political campaigns. Maybe knowing a report has to be made to Council every year, their will less blatant waste in the sidewalk program.

There are 18 resolution on the agenda and all are on the consent agenda at this time. A resolution stays on the consent agenda if it passes unanimously the committees to which it was assigned. Resolutions which receive negative votes in committee are pulled off of consent. Also any councilman may have a resolution pulled off of consent. Those remaining on consent are lumped together and passed by a single vote. Resolutions on the consent agenda are usually not controversial and tend to be routine matters, such as accepting grants from the Federal or State Government, entering into inter agency agreements over mundane things, appropriating money from the 4% fund, settling lawsuits, or approving signs overhanging the sidewalk. Unlike a bill which requires three votes of the Council to pass, a resolution only requires one vote of the Council.

Resolution RS2018-1123  appropriates $19.759 million from the 4% fund to various departments. This is normal and is for purchasing of things that ware out or for unexpected repairs. $1.5 million is for library material, $1.5 is for maintenance material and supplies for the parks department and .5 million for Metro General Hospital. Due to our fund balance falling below an acceptable level, I would think it wise to defer some of these expenses, such as purchasing new books for the library, until the new fiscal year.

Resolution RS2018-1124 is a supplemental appropriation of $2,516,400, largest amount going to the Sheriff's Department for salaries. This supplemental appropriation reduces to  3.18% for the GSD General Fund and 3.93% for the USD General Fund.  According to a policy approved by the Council in 1989 and by Office of Management and Budget in 2005, the minimum fund balance percentage should be no lower than 5% of the total operating budget. This is an indication of Metro's mismanagement.

Resolution RS2018-1125 awards three economic development incentive grant

Council to award $625.000 production grant

agreements from money already appropriated for that purpose. The grants are $50,000- Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum (Rolling Stones exhibit), $325,000- The Country Music Film Project (Ken Burns documentary), and $625,000- Music City Productions ("Nashville"). While I am a big fan of music and especially country music and love Nashville's identity as "music city," I question if this is a wise use of limited resources especially considering the needs of our schools and the shrinking reserve fund balances which could endanger our bond rating. Since the money is already appropriated however, it may not be wise to impound the money at this point, but this may be the type of thing the council should carefully consider before doing it again.

Bills on First reading: There are 16 bills on first reading. First reading is a formality that gets bills on the agenda and they are not considered by committee until after they pass first reading. They are all lumped together and pass by a single vote except in rare circumstances. I do not read them until they get to second reading.

Bills on Second Reading: There are 19  bills on second reading These are the ones of interest:

Bill BL2018-1111 would put under the purview of the Board of Ethical Conduct and the Standards of Conduct those who violate executive orders regarding rules of conduct. Currently this board only has authority to act on those who violate a section of the Metro code concerning standards of conduct. Concern is expressed that this would put too heavy of a burden on employees to defend themselves against complaints filed with the board. At last council meeting it was discussed and then deferred one meeting. To understand the arguments on both sides of this issue you may want to watch the video of the March 20th meeting at timestamp 1:29:18-1:51:15.    

Bill BL2018-1140  will create a South Nashville Central Business Improvement District. A district such as this creates a governing body which may impose additional taxes on businesses within the district for project within the district.  Such project may include building parking facilities, promoting the district, beautification and improvement projects in the district and more. The initial additional tax levy will be 55 cents per $100 of assessed value of real property and estimated initial projects will cost approximately $10.948 million. This district would consist of approximately 266 acres, whose boundaries are approximately Cane Ridge Road to the West, I-24 to the East, Target Drive to the North, and Old Franklin Road to the South. There are other such districts like this, including the central business district. 

Bills on Third Reading:  There are only four bills on third reading and all are approved zoning bill

To watch the Council meeting, you can go to the courthouse and watch the meeting in person or you can watch the broadcast live at Metro Nashville Network's Government TV on Nashville's Comcast Channel 3 and AT&T's U-verse 99 and it is streamed live at the Metro Nashville Network's livestream site and you can watch it live on Roku. You can catch the meeting the next day (or the day after the next) on the Metro YouTube channel. If can stand the suspense and just wait, I will post the video on this blog the day after or the day after that and provide commentary.

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State of Schools Address ignores declining enrollment, pretends there is not a problem.

If you want to skip the introductory speeches and the entertainment and the event and instead just read the text of Dr. Joseph's address you can find it at this link.

The annual State of Schools address follows some bad news and a week of discontent from School Board member, teachers, staff, and parents. The proposed budget for the coming years cuts 38 positions mostly in the area of social workers and truant officers. Some of the programs that attract parents of higher performing students are being cut, so-called "legacy" positions such as World language, Suzuki Strings, STEM (Science, technology, engineering and math), advanced academics, and International Baccalaureate. Some students who now get free lunch will have to start paying for lunch. MNPS will get $7 million less from the State this year because there were 1,500 fewer students enrolled in the district than last year. 

With Nashville's population growing and yet school attendance shrinking, I think a theme of the State of Schools address should be to ask, "Why are we failing to attract students?" It would be good to have some data in order to know how bad the problem really is. Is Metro school enrollment shrinking while surrounding counties school enrollments are growing?  Is Metro school enrollment shrinking while private school enrollment is growing?  Is enrollment shrinking because there are fewer school age children in the metro Nashville area or because parents avoid putting their children in Metro schools? What are the numbers? What is the plan to make Metro School attractive to parents or is Metro Schools to be a dumping ground for those with no other options. The State of School address pretends there is not a problem.

This years proposed budget of $942 million is actually a 5.1 percent increase over the current budget. With 5.1 percent more money and 1500 fewer students, one might think Metro Schools would be in a good position but that is not the way the school board and many others see it. Teachers were asking for a 5% wage increase instead of the 2% they are being given. More than half of the new money in the proposed budget will be spend on employees.

In his address,  Dr. Joseph praises achievements in the 2017-18 school year and says the math and reading scores show that Metro schools showed improvement across the board at a rate of improvement higher than the national average. He discusses the schools  support of literacy efforts, college readiness, social emotional learning, equity and diversity, and employee compensation.

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Metro Schools to eliminate 38 positions

Metro Schools to eliminate 38 positions 

Positions being eliminated include 7 social workers, 12 family involvement specialists and 16 truancy specialists.

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David Fox says he won't run for mayor of Nashville in August election, Bill Freeman out, Erica Gilmore running

David Fox says he won't run for mayor of Nashville in August election

Councilwoman Erica Gilmore launches run for Nashville mayor

  

Bill Freeman says he won't run for mayor of Nashville this year

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Nashville Schools proposed budget of $924 million proposes teacher pay raises and layoffs

The proposed Metro Public Schools budget is for $924 million which is a 5.1% increase over last year, but since it is less than projected this is called a "cut."  Due to enrollment remaining relatively flat instead of growing as anticipated, Metro Schools will received $7.5 million less from the State than expected.

The budget calls for a 2% increase in teacher's salaries, a reorganization of student services department and a shifting of Title 1 monies to the worst performing schools. Title 1 money is money received from the Federal Government to support schools with large number of low income students. Cuts to student services cuts things like truancy officers and social workers.

Other cuts are to those services favored by middle class parents and parents of better than average students, such as cuts to the arts and advanced placement classes and International Baccalaureate.

Check back for more on the Metro School budget.

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School Board budget Public Hearing shows discontent

by Rod Williams - The School Board pubic hearing on the proposed budget is only 30 minutes long.  Those wishing to speak had to sign up in advance and were limited to two minutes. Speakers call for cuts at central office rather than in the classrooms, denounce Dr. Joseph for lack of transparency, denounce being put in a position of  "of fighting over crumbs," and ask the school board to propose a larger budget and to fight for it.  

Erick E. Huth, president of the Metropolitan Nashville Education Association, the teacher's union, ​ says the school budget is full of false choices and that if Metro can afford a massive new expensive transit system that involves drilling through limestone then it can afford more for schools. He is especially disappointed that the proposed budget calls for seven fewer  social workers and says the system needs more social workers, not fewer. He calls for a "realistic" budget and says Metro cannot continue to balance its budget on the back of its kids.

The third speaker a parent of a metro school student, denounces Dr. Joseph, President Trump, pitting one school against the other, and white supremacy.

The proposed budget calls for a 2% salary increase for teachers, some says it is not enough and needs to be 5%. Several school social workers speak explaining what they do and the importance of their job.

I am surprised that no one calls for more school nurses. That was an issue last year when the approved School budget did not include all of the nurses the school board asked for. I can see a need and would have expected those who advocated for school nurses last year to resume their advocacy. Perhaps with the position of seven social workers being on the chopping block, those advocates for more school nurses concluded it would be a futile effort this year.

At almost any public hearing one hears from unhappy people, not happy people, so one should keep that in mind. Those who speak at public hearing are not representative of the public and are individual expressing their own point of view. Also, only about a dozen people spoke, so that is a small sample of those effected by the school budget. Nevertheless, from this public hearing and other sources I get the distinct impression that people are upset at school budget cuts and the way Dr. Joseph has handled the budget.

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Mayor Briley adds union operative to legislative team

The Tennessean: Mayor Briley adds union operative to legislative team

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The Federalist Society: The Electoral College: Outdated relic or vital institution?

Event to be held at the following time, date, and location:Wednesday, April 4, 2018 from 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM (CDT)
Bass Berry & Sims PLC.  150 3rd Avenue South
28th Floor,  Nashville, TN 37201, View Map
Follow this link to purchase tickets.

Join the Nashville Federalist Society Chapter on Wednesday, April 4 at 12:00PM for a luncheon on the electoral college with lawyer and writer Tara Ross.

In the wake of the 2016 election, the Electoral College has again come under scrutiny. Why has the winner of the national popular vote been denied the White House twice in a 16-year period? Critics contend that the system is antiquated, an institution created to protect the institution of slavery.  Isn’t it time that we got rid of a system with such problematic roots? This session will explore the true history of the Electoral College.  What were the delegates to the Constitutional Convention trying to accomplish? Were they concerned about 18th-century travel and communication difficulties or did they have other considerations in mind? What other alternatives did they consider?  What (if anything) did they really say about the institution of slavery during their debates about presidential selection? Did the Founders expect electors to vote in accordance with the states’ popular votes? What surprising expectation did they have about the back-up presidential election procedure in the House of Representatives? Tara will address all these questions—and more.

The fee for the event is $15.00. You can pay online by credit card or bring cash or check (made out to The Federalist Society) to the event. If you would like to pay by check or cash, please send an email to grant@grantstarrett.com to RSVP. Lunch and refreshments are included. Paid parking is available in the building's lot for $8. CLE credit is available.

Space is limited so please RSVP by Monday, April 2.

Tara Ross is the author of The Indispensable Electoral College: How the Founders’ Plan Saves Our Tara RossCountry from Mob Rule (2017), We Elect A President: The Story of our Electoral College (2016), and Enlightened Democracy: The Case for the Electoral College (2d ed. 2012). She is also a co-author of Under God: George Washington and the Question of Church and State (2008) (with Joseph C. Smith, Jr.).
As a lawyer and writer, Tara focuses on the intersection among law, public policy, and constitutional history. She often appears as a guest on a variety of talk shows nationwide to discuss these matters and regularly addresses civic, university, and legal audiences. Her work has been published in several law reviews and newspapers, including the National Law Journal, USA Today, the American Enterprise Online, National Review Online, WeeklyStandard.com, FoxNews.com, HumanEvents.com, The Washington Times, and the Texas Review of Law & Politics.

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State bill will strenthen sanctuary city prohibitions and stop Nashville from adopting sanctuary policies

Reposted from Tennessee Eagle Forum newsletter - Fifty-eight Tennessee House Republicans are named co-sponsors on the anti-sanctuary city bill HB2315.

Adding the bill's chief sponsor, State Rep. Jay Reedy (R-Erin), means that 80 percent of the House Republicans support strengthening and closing the loopholes in Tennessee's existing anti-sanctuary city statute. (Seventy-four of the 99 members of the Tennessee House of Representatives this session are Republicans, while 25 are Democrats.)

Tennessee's anti-sanctuary city law passed in 2009, only addresses written policies that prohibit local governments, officials and employees from cooperating with federal immigration authorities. This narrower definition of "sanctuary city" would likely not have applied to at least one of the sanctuary city ordinances proposed by the Metro Nashville Council last June.

The two ordinances proposed by the Metro Nashville Council would have made Nashville the most liberal sanctuary city in the country. One of the bills included a "don't ask so you don't have to know or tell" practice prohibiting Davidson County and Nashville employees, including law enforcement, from providing pertinent information to ICE regarding criminal aliens.

Reedy's bill expands the definition of sanctuary city to include practices that obstruct cooperation with federal immigration authorities and help shield illegal aliens who have also committed crimes. North Carolina and Georgia have included the expanded definition in their anti-sanctuary city laws.
The Metro ordinances, drafted with the assistance of the TN Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition, were withdrawn due to overwhelming grassroots opposition and pressure from state legislators.

State Sen. Mark Green's (R-Clarksville) Senate companion bill, HB2332, passed the Senate State and Local Government Committee last week on a 7 - 1 vote and is ready to be scheduled for a Senate floor vote.

Reedy's bill is scheduled to be heard in the House State Government Subcommittee on Wednesday.  With 59 House members already co-sponsoring the bill, if it makes it to the House floor, it already has enough votes to pass.

In a February ad released by a PAC called Tennesseans for Good State Government, GOP gubernatorial candidate Speaker Beth Harwell takes credit for "outlaw[ing] sanctuary cities," most likely a reference to the narrow 2009 law which the Metro Nashville Council's ordinances would have bypassed and which Rep. Reedy's bill will fix.

Harwell is not yet listed as a co-sponsor of Reedy's bill.

Here is the list of 58 Republican co-sponsors of the bill, listed in alphabetical order:



Tennessee Eagle Forum is an organization I support. Their newsletter is a good source of information on what is happening at the state level. To join the TN Eagle Forum mailing list follow this link. Rod Williams

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