The Good News & The Bad News

 Our busy week at the legislature saw quite a mixture of both high and low points. Unfortunately, House Bill 356 (which 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) just barely passed out of a House subcommittee and is now likely on its way to passage in both chambers. However, we achieved a major victory in regard to an even worse bill. House Bill 358, which would prohibit TSEA members from having their dues automatically deducted from their paychecks, was taken off notice in the House State Government Subcommittee. While this action likely means that the bill is gone for the year, we are not taking that lightly until session is over! HB 358 also had the possibility to be amended to target public employees as well, so these latest developments are good news for us! Other bad bills (school vouchers and the bathroom bill) also saw failure in the Senate this week. 

  As we noted in last Friday's update, many bills are now being heard in both the Senate and the House, so we've noted if a piece of legislation is being heard in the other chamber at a different time or on a different day. Hopefully this will (somewhat) cut down on the length of these updates until the committees start closing! For some of the big bills that we're watching, we've made a special note to acknowledge if it is being heard more than once during the week. Please don't hesitate to let us know if you have additional questions or need more information about a specific bill. Make sure you take a close look at the last committee we have highlighted...there are some great bills on the agenda!   
Monday, March 27th
 
Senate Energy, Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee, 2:30 p.m., LP 12 (This committee will also meet on March 29th at 11 a.m.)

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 28th

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

House Bill 174 (SB 14):  This piece of legislation creates a list of rights and protections given to teachers. 
Note: This bill will also be heard in the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. in LP 12. 

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 2:30 p.m. in LP 12. 

House Health Committee, 10:30 a.m., LP 16

House Bill 817 (SB 240):  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 the Senate floor on Monday at 4 p.m.

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

Senate Bill 641 (HB 943): Making a return appearance from last year, this is the bill that authorizes deannexation of an area within a municipality. 

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

Senate Bill 517 (HB 1040):  This bill deals with the use of cell phones and other devices at polling places.

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 772 (HB 887): This piece of legislation would require a person to declare a statewide political party affiliation before voting in a primary election. 
Note: This bill will also be heard in the House Local Government Subcommittee at 3 p.m. in LP 31.


House State Government Committee, 12 p.m., LP 29

Hou se Joint Resolution 24: This dangerous bill would call on Congress to hold a constitutional convention for a balanced budget amendment. 

House Finance, Ways & Means Committee, 1:30 p.m., LP 16

House Bill 91 (SB 1172): This bill requires SNAP recipients to meet certain levels of work, community service, education or job-searching activities. 
Note: This bill will also be heard in the Senate Health & Welfare Committee on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. in LP 12. 

House Transportation Committee, 1:30 p.m., LP 29

House Bill 1374 (SB 559): This bill would create a state office that helps local governments with public-private initiatives dealing with transportation facilities.

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

Note: This committee will hear several bills dealing with equal pay and minimum wage laws. We've noted those below in the agenda for the House Consumer & Human Resources Subcommittee, which is meeting on Wednesday afternoon. 

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 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.

Senate Bill 1094 (HB 1309): This piece of legislation increases the amount of notice that a person has to give before cancelling an approved 30-minute break waiver. 

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

Senate Bill 1214 (HB 325): This is a "clean-up" workers' compensation bill that has been introduced by the administration. We have read the legislation and do not have any issues with the bill.  
Note: This bill will also be heard in the House Consumer & Human Resources Subcommittee on Wednesday at 3 p.m. in LP 29. 

Senate Bill 1237 (HB 451): This is another workers' compensation bill that has been introduced by the administration. 
Note: This bill will also be heard in the House Consumer & Human Resources Subcommittee on Wednesday at 3 p.m. in LP 29. 
 
House Education Administration & Planning Subcommittee, 3 p.m., LP 29

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. 
Note: This bill will also be heard in the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. in LP 12. 

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.
Note: This bill will also be heard in the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. in LP 12. 

House Bill 888 (SB 771):  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. It failed in the Senate earlier this week.  

House Local Government Subcommittee, 3 p.m., LP 31

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.  

House Bill 429 (SB 1296): This piece of legislation would allow voters to take a picture of their own marked ballot at a polling place.
Wednesday, March 29th
 
House Civil Justice Subcommittee, 9 a.m. & 1:30 p.m., LP 31

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.

House Education Instruction & Programs Subcommittee, 9 a.m. & 1:30 p.m., LP 30

House Bill 42 (SB 577): While on the surface this piece of legislation appears to deal with bicycle helmet safety, it was amended last year to eliminate payroll
school_bus.jpg
dues deductions for teachers. We expect this bill to do the same thing, however we can't say for certain just yet. 
Note: This bill will also be heard in the Senate Education Committee at 2:30 p.m. in LP 12.

House Transportation Subcommittee, 12 p.m., LP 16

House Bill 1358 (SB 1315):  This bill urges the Department of Transportation to study funding for a light rail service in the Nashville area. 

House Government Operations Committee, 12 p.m., LP 30

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

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

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.  

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

House Consumer & Human Resources Subcommittee, 3 p.m., LP 29

House Bill 477 (SB 1105):  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 Senate Commerce & Labor Committee on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. in LP 12. 

House Bill 1246 (SB 1106):  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 Senate Commerce & Labor Committee on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. in LP 12. 

House Bill 80 (SB 1411): This bill would establish a $15 minimum wage beginning on July 1, 2017. 
Note: This bill will also be heard in the Senate Commerce & Labor Committee on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. in LP 12.

House Bill 1184 (SB 1141): Another good bill, this would require that all employees be given six weeks of paid leave for adoption, pregnancy, childbirth or nursing. 
Note: This bill will also be heard in the Senate Commerce & Labor Committee on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. in LP 12.

House Bill 1060 (SB 1122): Among other provisions, this bill would set a minimum wage that increases each year on July 1st. 
Note: This bill will also be heard in the Senate Commerce & Labor Committee on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. in LP 12.
Contact:
Alyssa Hansen, Communications Director
1901 Lindell Avenue, Nashville, TN 37203  |   615.269.7111