U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen plans to propose two bills that focus on deadly force by law enforcement, LocalMemphis reports. One bill would require officers to report detailed information to a national database and the other would call for an independent commission to review deadly force and decide if it was justified. Currently, that job falls to the district attorney.

Rep. Susan Lynn, R-Mt. Juliet, said that three separate bills tightening abortion laws are in the works, although she’s not sure which one she will file. According to Lynn, Tennessee Right to Life is working with outside legal counsel to draft bills that would re-instate laws struck down by the Tennessee Supreme Court in 2000. Rep. Rick Womick, R-Rockvale, has already pre-filed an abortion-related bill, but Tennessee Right to Life, which lobbied heavily in favor of Tennessee’s recently passed constitutional amendment, is not lending its support to the bill. The Daily Herald has more.

Tennessee high school students would be required to pass the same civics test to get their high school degrees that immigrants must pass to become U.S. citizens under legislation sponsored for the upcoming session of the General Assembly by legislative leaders, Nashville Public Radio reports. House Majority Leader Gerald McCormick says he decided to push the measure after reading reports on the “pathetic” lack of knowledge about basic principles behind American government and citizenship, especially among younger people. Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris will sponsor the legislation in the Senate.

A personal tragedy inspired Rep. Bud Hulsey to push for stiffer penalties for people who kill someone while driving impaired, WCYB reports. Hulsey’s friend and former state Rep. Mike Locke died in June when he was hit by a man charged with drunk driving along Fort Henry Drive in Kingsport. According to Hulsey, the sentence for vehicular homicide while impaired is 3-12 years. He wants to consider a fixed sentence with a specific amount of time served for those who kill someone while driving impaired.

The TBA's legislative initiative to revise the timeline for when divorce filings become public is explored in today's Tennessean. The newspaper interviewed TBA President Jonathan Steen and Executive Director Allan Ramsaur, quoting Ramsaur as saying that sometimes court filings become public before a responding spouse has been notified and served with a protective order. That can raise safety issues for the filing spouse who may not have time to put plans in place to protect against retribution. “We think a targeted solution to this problem is that information about the filing of divorce should be delayed until the respondent is served,” Steen told the paper.

Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey is weighing the appointment of Democratic members to the state Senate’s nine committees -- an especially difficult task given the small size of the caucus. Ramsey also told the Tennessean that he is looking at whether to reward those elected to leadership positions or those with seniority with plum positions. He also predicted that though the Democratic caucus is small, it would be a "little more lively" than in the past.

The Tennessee General Assembly last week launched a redesigned website that features upgrades to bill tracking and video streaming functions. The updated site also has a new theme and layout that is meant to make it easier to find information about lawmakers and legislation and to display and stream video to all major mobile devices. Republican Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey says the redesign is meant to make state government "more open, more transparent and customer-friendly." The Nashville Ledger has more.

State Sen. Bill Ketron, R-Murfreesboro, has been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and will be receiving treatment, the Tennessean reports. A statement from the Senate Republican Caucus Chairman said in part, “I will be receiving chemotherapy in the coming weeks and my doctors are optimistic the treatment will be effective.”

Despite Republicans’ overwhelming majority in the state legislature, some in the party believe it is time to force voters to identify their party affiliation when voting in a primary election, Nashville Public Radio reports. At a Republican Executive Committee meeting this month, it was clear there is disagreement in the party about whether to support such a move with party chairman Chris Devaney pledging to continue discussing the matter. Rep. Sheila Butt, R-Columbia, has asked the committee for a recommendation before filing a bill.

Most bills being proposed to regulate abortions in Tennessee probably won’t succeed, Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey said today. Ramsey told reporters that despite passage of  a constitutional amendment giving the legislature more power to regulate abortions, the General Assembly will likely just focus only on restoring laws on mandatory counseling, waiting periods and clinic regulations that were struck down as part of a 2000 state Supreme Court decision. The Tennessean has more.