As of Jan. 1, most government building projects no longer have to pay workers the prevailing wage rate. Sen. Jack Johnson, R-Franklin, sponsored the repeal of Tennessee's prevailing wage law last year, saying the law stifled competition and made building projects too expensive. The prevailing wage still has to be paid on highway projects in order for the state to receive federal highway funds. The Memphis Daily News has more.

State Rep. Brenda Gilmore, D-Nashville, has been elected a state director within Women in Government, a group advocating for women serving in state legislatures. WDEF News 12 reports that Gilmore was elected by her female colleagues in the Tennessee General Assembly to identify key issues, policies and priorities on which the national group should focus. Gilmore said yesterday in a press release that she is humbled to have been chosen, and that she wants to work to ensure more women are elected to public office in Tennessee.

Proponents of revamping state education laws cite a recent report by the National Assessment of Education Progress, which shows Tennessee students rank highest in the nation in academic improvement, as proof that recent reforms are working and more should be considered. According to the Memphis Daily News, when the legislative session begins in January, lawmakers are expected to re-introduce several measures, including (1) a so-called "parent trigger" bill that lets parents decide the fate of a struggling school; (2) a proposal to allow the state to authorize charter schools in counties where there are failing schools; and (3) dueling plans to create a school voucher program.

The Tennessee Firearms Association (TFA) is slamming top Republican leaders for displaying insufficient enthusiasm for changing the “guns in parking lots” law enacted earlier this year to address the state attorney general's opinion that the bill does not protect employees from being fired for having guns in their cars. The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports that House Speaker Beth Harwell, R-Nashville, and Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey, R-Blountville, said they expect the issue to come up but do not intend to take the lead in introducing legislation. In a letter to members, TFA Executive Director John Harris called it “shameful” that Republican leaders “continue ignoring the constitutionally protected rights of law-abiding gun owners."

State Rep. Antonio Parkinson says he plans to introduce legislation making it mandatory to test all rape kits. Coming weeks after Memphis police admitted that 12,000 rape kits -- dating back to the early 1980s -- have not been tested, the bill requires that evidence be submitted within 10 days of collection to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) or to a TBI-authorized lab for testing, Parkinson said. Once those kits are submitted, whoever is testing them would then have six months to make sure they are processed. WREG News Channel 3 has more.

Oak Ridge Republican Randy McNally, first elected to the state Senate in 1986, says he has decided to seek re-election to another four-year term, believing “there are a number of things sort of left undone” including “reform of our state judiciary.” Humphrey on the Hill reports today that McNally says the system is “more for the protection of criminals and the enrichment of trial lawyers and not for protection of the public.” With respect to particular issues, McNally previously proposed drug testing of all judges. He now says he will revise his bill to allow either party in a case to request that the judge take a drug test before presiding. He also says he wants to push for new restrictions on state funding of criminal defense lawyers and hold attorneys financially responsible if a court later finds they provided inadequate counsel.

Memphis Mayor AC Wharton and Shelby County Mayor Mark Lutrell today presented Shelby County legislators with a joint list of requests, plus separate city and county requests, for the upcoming legislative action. The mayors asked for new authority from the state to attack blight in Memphis and Shelby County and for an increase in money for health, education, anti-crime and job-training programs. The Commercial Appeal has more.

Rep. Eric Watson represented Tennessee in a discussion on drug policy issues facing the nation, the Chattanoogan reports. Topics at the Washington, D.C. conference included opioid abuse and diversion, “smart on crime” initiatives, and intergovernmental strategies for states to partner with the Office of National Drug Control Policy. As chairman of the House Criminal Practice Committee, Rep. Watson oversees efforts to prevent illegal drug use in Tennessee communities, strengthen drug treatment services, disrupt domestic drug production and trafficking, and improve drug-related information systems.

House Speaker Beth Harwell says she expects the House in 2014 to revisit proposals requiring a prescription for pseudoephedrine, a cold drug also used to make methamphetamine. Police say past efforts to control the sale of the medicine through electronic systems in pharmacies haven’t done enough. According to Nashville Public Radio, House Majority Leader Gerald McCormick is in favor of the proposal, pointing to a Vanderbilt poll out last week saying two-thirds of Tennesseans favor requiring a prescription to get pseudoephedrine.

Speaker of the House Beth Harwell predicts that the bill to allow wine in grocery stores will pass in 2014. The bill to let supermarkets, pharmacies, convenience stores and other retailers with beer licenses place wine on their shelves — provided voters agree through local referendums — was sent to the Senate, but got tied up in a House committee during the 2013 legislative session by a single vote.