The Tennessean outlines five examples of bills the legislature approved this year that will alter or reverse their earlier actions. Legislative topics include wine in supermarkets, spiritual treatment and horse racing in Tennessee. 

Gov. Bill Haslam said today that he will allow the guns-on-campus bill – which permits full-time faculty and staff of state public colleges and universities with handgun-carry permits to carry their guns on campus – to become a law without his signature. Under the bill, employees are required to notify the local law enforcement agency with primary responsibility for security on their campus. Read more from The Tennessean. 

Gov. Bill Haslam has signed the Fantasy Sports Tax Act, which legalizes and regulates fantasy sports betting, The Times Free Press reports. The legislation (SB 2109) will create an exemption from state anti-gambling provisions. Attorney General Hebert Slatery issued a legal opinion in April declaring that fantasy sports were illegal gambling in Tennessee under existing law. Fantasy sports giants DraftKings and FanDuel hired a Nashville lobbying firm and former House Democratic Caucus Chairman Mike Turner to lobby for the legislation on their behalf. 

Gov. Bill Haslam today signed into a law a bill that allows licensed counselors and therapists to deny service to clients whose "goals, outcomes or behaviors" conflict with the counselor’s “sincerely held principles.” The bill (SB 1556) shields counselors from civil lawsuits, criminal prosecution and sanctions by the state licensing board. The Tennessean reports Haslam said he felt comfortable signing the law, which as passed, requires a counselor to take a client who has an emergency and life threatening situation. The American Counseling Association condemned the measure, calling it a “hate bill.” 

A new legislate task force focused on expanding Tennessee’s health coverage held its inaugural meeting Tuesday. “The 3-Star Healthy Project” was established earlier this month by House Speaker Beth Harwell, R-Nashville. The task force estimates there’s between 200,000 and 400,000 uninsured individuals in the state, largely consisting of employees in food service and construction industries, as well as veterans. Read more from The Tennessean. 

The Times Free Press outlines four recently passed bills that may be targets for vetoes from Gov. Bill Haslam. The list includes one bill that would allow mental health counselors to reject clients based on counselors’ personal principles and a resolution ordering the state to file suit against the Obama administration over the federal government's refugee resettlement program in Tennessee. The article notes last week Haslam became the first governor since 1998 to survive a veto override attempt, this time coming on a bill that sought to make the Bible the state’s official book.

The state legislature adjourned for the year earlier this afternoon. The Associated Press shares some of the winning and losing legislation from this year’s session. Winners include: permitting counselors to turn away patients based on counselors’ religious beliefs; calling for a national convention on amending the U.S. Constitution regarding federal power limits; and TBA-opposed legislation requiring people who sue the state to pay legal feels if they lose their lawsuits. Among the measures that didn't make it were designating the Bible as Tennessee’s official book; blocking the implementation of U.S. Supreme Court’s gay marriage ruling in Tennessee; and eliminating the requirement to have a permit to carry handguns in public.

Following a heated debate, the state legislature last night passed a bill stripping state funds from the University of Tennessee’s Office for Diversity and Inclusion of funding for one year. The Associated Press reports the funds – a total of nearly $337,000 – will be used for minority scholarships instead. 

WKRN reports the state Legislative Black Caucus and other lawmakers today called for a Department of Justice investigation into the handcuffing of students at Murfreesboro's Hobgood Elementary for allegedly not stopping a fight that happened off-campus. “The action by the police is an example of the over disciplining of children of color,” said caucus member Rep. Brenda Gilmore, D-Nashville. 

The Fantasy Sports Tax Act, which would legalize, regulate and tax fantasy sports betting, is on its way to Gov. Bill Haslam. The Senate signed off on the measure (SB 2109) yesterday. The legislation follows a legal opinion issued by Attorney General Hebert Slatery that said fantasy sports contests are illegal gambling. The fiscal analysis of the legislation estimates $42 million is spent annually in Tennessee on fantasy sports, The Associated Press reports.