Yes, well, that is sort of their job, right?
Nashville's police won't be needed for security for the First Lady, the Secret Service tells them.
Back in the fold?
Kerry Roberts, whose old Senate district was redistricted out of existence by his own party, wants back in the Senate where, presumably, he could convince his fellow Republicans not to erase him a second time.
You may now briefly look at the vodka
Tennessee may lower its BAC threshhold to .05.
The Ingram Hearings
The state Ethics Commission will hold hearings on the Ingram Group "oversight."
Governor vetoes Ag Gag
More to come, but here's the statement:
“Agriculture is the No. 1 industry in Tennessee. Farmers play a vital role in our state’s economy, heritage and history. I understand their concerns about large scale attacks on their livelihoods. I also appreciate that the types of recordings this bill targets may be obtained at times under false pretenses, which I think is wrong,” Haslam said.
“Our office has spent a great deal of time considering this legislation. We’ve had a lot of input from people on all sides of the issue. After careful consideration, I am going to veto the legislation. Some vetoes are made solely on policy grounds. Other vetoes may be the result of wanting the General Assembly to reconsider the legislation for a number of reasons. My veto here is more along the lines of the latter. I have a number of concerns.
“First, the Attorney General says the law is constitutionally suspect. Second, it appears to repeal parts of Tennessee’s Shield Law without saying so. If that is the case, it should say so. Third, there are concerns from some district attorneys that the act actually makes it more difficult to prosecute animal cruelty cases, which would be an unintended consequence.
“For these reasons, I am vetoing HB1191/SB1248, and I respectfully encourage the General Assembly to reconsider this issue.”
Lamar wants to hear some splaining
Sen. Alexander thinks the HHS secretary should explain something:
"Secretary Sebelius' fundraising for and coordinating with private entities helping to implement the new health care law may be illegal, should cease immediately and should be fully investigated by Congress," Alexander said.
The ranking Republican on the Senate committee that oversees health care policy, Alexander likened Sebelius' actions to the 1980s Iran-Contra scandal.
That erupted when it was discovered that a Reagan administration official, Marine Lt. Col. Oliver North, sold arms to Iran and sent some of the money through private groups to arm Nicaraguan rebels after Congress refused to appropriate funds for that purpose.
"Only the Congress has the authority to appropriate money," Alexander told reporters in Nashville. "And when the secretary seeks to do things outside of the government, which Congress refuses to do, the Constitution doesn't permit [it] and the federal law makes it illegal."
