A Hectic Week Comes to a Close

  Thanks to President Trump's visit to Nashville this week, our typical legislative schedule was turned upside down. Committees were closed around noon on Wednesday, which was inconveniently right before some of the most important bills we're watching were scheduled to be heard. Long story short, a lot of what was sent out last Friday will be repeated this week. Some of the already lengthy calendars are double their sizes; almost anything that was scheduled to be heard on Wednesday afternoon was simply bumped to this upcoming week and added to the legislation that was already put on notice. Please make sure to pay close attention to our notes below. Some committees are meeting at different times to accommodate the changes, and we've highlighted that in our agenda. 

  On that same note, many bills are now being heard in both the Senate and the House. To help cut down on the length of our update and save you some time, we've noted if a piece of legislation is being heard in the other chamber at a different time or on a different day. That way, if you were planning to come to the Capitol or watch a hearing live online, you can see if you will have multiple opportunities to do so. As a reminder, the bills that we've noted below are only a fraction of everything that we're watching. Please don't hesitate to let us know if you are particularly concerned or interested in a specific bill!   
Monday, March 20th 
 
Senate Transportation & Safety Committee, 12:30 p.m., LP 12

Senate Bill 559 (HB 1374):  This bill would create a state office that helps local governments with public-private initiatives dealing with transportation facilities.
Note: This bill will also be heard in the House Transportation Committee on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. in LP 29.  

Senate Bill 1315 (HB 1358): This piece of legislation urges the Department of Transportation to study funding for a light rail service in the Nashville area. 

Senate Energy, Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee, 1:30 p.m., LP 12

Senate Bill 1110 (HB 1208): This bill prohibits the outsourcing of maintenance, operation and preservation of state parks.
Note: This bill will also be heard in the House Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee on Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. in LP 31. 
Tuesday, March 21st 

House Education Administration & Planning Cmmte., 9 a.m., LP 29

House Bill 126 (SB 161): This is a bad bill that would create a school voucher program for Shelby County Schools. 

House Local Government Committee, 9 a.m., LP 31

House Bill 1143 (SB 363):  Another bad bill dealing with local control, this prohibits local governments from passing laws that require affordable housing. It builds on a piece of legislation that was passed last year.
Note: This bill will also be heard in the Senate State & Local Government Committee at 10:30 a.m. in LP 12. 

Senate State & Local Government Committee, 10:30 a.m., LP 12

Senate Bill 155 (HB 271):  This bad piece of legislation prohibits state and local governments from adopting sanctuary policies. It has been dela yed several times in committee. 

Senate Bill 240 (HB 817): This bill would authorize the governor to appoint people to fill positions on certain boards from lists submitted by interested groups. In short, this could jeopardize the positions that some of our brothers and sister hold (or could hold) on certain boards. 
Note: This bill will also be heard on Wednesday in the House Health Subcommittee at 3 p.m. in LP 30. 

Senate Bill 512 (HB 625):  This piece of legislation would prohibit implying that a non-incumbent candidate is an incumbent. 
Note: This bill will also be heard in the House Local Government Subcommittee at 3 p.m. in LP 31. 

Senate Bill 517 (HB 1040):  This bill deals with the use of  cell phones and other devices at polling places; prohibits voters from taking a picture of their ballot.

Senate Commerce & Labor Committee, 1:30 p.m., LP 12

Senate Bill 261 (HB 939): According to this bill, workers' compensation cases would be required to go through the bureau's appeals board before seeking appeal to the Tennessee Supreme Court. 

Senate Bill 1214 (HB 325): This is a workers' compensation bill that has been introduced by the administration. It was deferred by the advisory council until its next meeting, which will be held this upcoming Monday, March 20th. 

Senate Bill 1105 (HB 477): A good piece of legislation, this bill would enact the "Tennessee Pay Equality Transparency Act," which prohibits an employer from taking adverse actions against employees who ask about the wages of their co-workers.  
Note: This bill will also be heard in the House Consumer & Human Resources Subcommittee on Wednesday at 9 a.m. in LP 30. 

Senate Bill 1106 (HB 1246): Another good bill (and making a repeat appearance from last year), this would enact the "Tennessee Pay Equality Act," which would prohibit wage discrimination on the basis of sex. 
Note: This bill will also be heard in the House Consumer & Human Resources Subcommittee on Wednesday at 9 a.m. in LP 30. 

Senate Bill 473 (HB 979): Similar to last year's "Right to Earn a Living Act," this enacts the "Freedom to Prosper Act," which limits how local governments may regulate occupations.
Note: This bill will also be heard in the House Business & Utilities Committee on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. in LP 16. 

 House Education Administration & Planning Subcommittee, 3 p.m., LP 29

House Bill 174 (SB 14): This piece of legislation creates a list of rights and protections given to teachers. 

House Bill 356 (SB 404): Among other things, this bill adds language that allows a local board of education to provide payroll deduction for dues of professional employees' organizations, but does not require an LEA to do so. This is one of our top bad bills from this year. 
Note: This bill will also be heard in the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. in LP 12. 

House Bill 570 (SB 340): This bill would enact the "Local School District Empowerment Act" and create a pilot program to reestablish the office of elected school superintendent. 

House Bill 793 (SB 731): According to this bill, a local director of schools may not have his or her salary increased to an amount that is higher than the governor's salary.

House Bill 888 (SB 771): Making a return appearance from last year, this is the infamous "bathroom bill" that requires students in public schools to use restrooms and locker rooms that correspond to the sex on their birth certificates. 
Note: This bill will also be heard in the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. in LP 12. 
 
House Local Government Subcommittee, 3 p.m., LP 31

House Bill 1039 (SB 582): This bill requires partisan elections in municipalities with a population greater than 100,000 and in all school board elections. 

House Bill 954 (SB 1026): This piece of legislation would allow a person to register to vote and actually vote on Election Day. A somewhat similar bill (HB 953/SB 1025) has also been filed.  

House Bill 787 (SB 592): A good bill, this calls for people to be automatically registered to vote when they apply for a driver's license or photo ID card.  
Wednesday, March 22nd
 
Senate Government Operations Committee, 8:30 a.m., LP 12

Senate Bill 1313 (HB 1391):  Among other things, this is a good bill that would create the office of apprenticeship and work-study programs. 

House Civil Justice Subcommittee, 9 a.m., LP 31

House Bill 668 (SB 944):  This is one of the worst bills filed this year. It would give immunity to drivers who hurt someone who is blocking traffic while protestin g.

House Bill 1355 (SB 879):  Filed in response to a bad bill that was passed last year, this would delete the requirement that a court must award attorneys' fees and costs to the prevailing state or local government employee sued in an individual capacity.

Senate Education Committee, 12:30 p.m., LP 12

Senate Bill 380 (HB 336): This bill would create a statewide school voucher program. 
Capitol Reflection

House State Government Subcommittee, 1:30 p.m., LP 29

House Bill 358 (SB 638):  One of our top bad bills this year, this would prohibit TSEA members from having their dues automatically deducted from their paychecks. While the bill specifically targets one group, it has the potential to be amended to target public employees.

House Bill 394 (SB 815):  This bill would prohibit state employees from lobbying for 12 months after leaving office or employment.

House Bill 790 (SB 765):  This bill would restore longevity pay for executive branch employees hired after June 30th, 2015. 

House Bill 54 (SB 127):  A bad piece of legislation dealing with local control, this prohibits state and local governments from taking discriminatory action against a business based on the business's internal policies. This bill has already passed in the Senate.   

Senate Health & Welfare Committee, 3 p.m., LP 12

Senate Bill 7 (HB 632):   This bad bill would require a system for capping the total amount of public assistance benefits for a household at the median household income for the state. 
Note: This bill will also be heard in the House Health Subcommittee at 3 p.m. in LP 30. 
Contact:
Alyssa Hansen, Communications Director
1901 Lindell Avenue, Nashville, TN 37203  |   615.269.7111