TBA Director of Public Policy & Government Affairs Berkley Schwarz and Adams and Reese attorneys and TBA lobbyists, Brad Lampley and Ashley Harbin, tackle this week’s news from the General Assembly on the latest episode of the TBA’s Legislative Updates. New this week: a meeting with House Speaker Cameron Sexton regarding elimination of the Professional Privilege Tax and the committee passage of two of TBA’s legislative initiatives, HB2357/SB2385 and HB2070/SB2056. To see a list of all of TBA’s bills, visit our online bill tracker. Legislative Updates airs every Thursday on the TBA’s Facebook page. It is also released as a podcast on the same day and can be found on the TBA’s website or wherever you listen to podcasts.

The Shelby County Commission yesterday voted to approve state Rep. London Lamar, D-Memphis, as the new interim state senator for District 33. Lamar will fill the seat formerly held by Katrina Robinson and serve until the Nov. 8 election, the Commercial Appeal reports. Robinson had endorsed Rep. Torrey Harris to replace her but the commission eliminated him from consideration after candidate interviews and initial rounds of voting, Tennessee Lookout reports. The news outlet also is reporting that Lamar has indicated she will run for a full Senate term.

Legislation to place residency requirements on Tennessee candidates in congressional primaries advanced yesterday with a House amendment to delay the requirements until after the November election, Knox News reports. The amendment would require eligible candidates to live in the state and district for at least three years prior to the election, but it would not apply to incumbents or new members elected before Nov. 9, 2022. A companion bill in the Senate received near-unanimous, bipartisan support on Monday and would take immediate effect if signed into law. The Senate version likely would disqualify at least one candidate from the Republican primary in the 5th Congressional District. Candidates seeking to run for Congress in the Aug. 4 primaries must qualify by April 7.

The group of students who integrated Memphis schools more than 60 years ago were honored with a resolution by the Tennessee House of Representatives today, the Commercial Appeal reports. “After six decades, the state legislature is now honoring the Memphis 13 for the challenges they willingly accepted and conquered as young children to advance the cause of civil rights in Tennessee education," said Rep. G. A. Hardaway, D-Memphis. The Memphis 13, a group of 13 Black first graders, integrated four schools in the Memphis city school system in 1961.

In his final year as a state senator, Mike Bell is ready to get rid of Tennessee’s affirmative action program, saying he will bring legislation this week to eliminate it from state and local governments, Tennessee Lookout reports. Bell's Senate Bill 2440 and House Bill 2569, sponsored by Rep. John Ragan, R-Oak Ridge, prohibits the state from discriminating against or granting preferential treatment to an individual or group based on race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin for public employment, education or contracting.

Gov. Bill Lee’s office on Monday said Tennessee does not have state investments with Russian companies after previously asking treasurer officials to investigate, according to the AP. Senate Speaker Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, introduced a resolution calling on the U.S. to limit Russian banking, expel Russian diplomats and ban Russian imports. Meanwhile, starting today, Tennessee’s Capitol will be lit with the blue and yellow colors of Ukraine’s flag.

Shelby County Commissioners are set to fill the vacant District 33 state Senate seat during a special meeting on March 3, the Daily Memphian reports. The vacancy was created after former Democratic Sen. Katrina Robinson was expelled by the Senate following her conviction on four counts of wire fraud. Commissioners had debated whether to fill the empty seat given the General Assembly’s short election-year session, but decided to move forward after Sen. Raumesh Akbari, D-Memphis, told commissioners that filling the vacancy was urgent. The deadline to submit an application to the commission for the vacant seat ended today at noon CST.

Three state residents have filed a lawsuit over the new House and Senate redistricting maps, the Tennessean reports. The complaint, backed by the Tennessee Democratic Party, alleges the General Assembly unconstitutionally divided more counties than necessary in the House map and numbered Senate districts nonconsecutively. The suit does not challenge the state’s new congressional map. "Tennesseans should pick their own representatives and not the other way around," Tennessee Democratic Party Chair Hendrell Remus said in a statement. According to WPLN, the state Democratic Party has agreed to pay all fees associated with litigation in the case. Republicans have maintained the maps are constitutional and meet all legal requirements. The Tennessee Attorney General’s Office said it is “ready to defend an open and fair process.”

TBA Director of Public Policy & Government Affairs Berkley Schwarz and Adams and Reese attorney and TBA lobbyist tackle this week’s news from the General Assembly on the latest episode of the TBA’s Legislative Updates. New this week: a hopeful meeting with Lt. Gov. Randy McNally regarding elimination of the Professional Privilege Tax. Legislative Updates airs every Thursday on the TBA’s Facebook page. It is also released as a podcast on the same day and can be found on the TBA’s website or wherever you listen to podcasts.  

A bipartisan bill that would make Juneteenth an official state holiday in Tennessee has stalled, WKRN reports. The measure, which would legally commemorate the emancipation of slaves, passed a Senate committee this morning and was headed for a full Senate vote but a House panel took the bill “off notice,” essentially stalling it for the remainder of the session. The legislation, backed by Gov. Bill Lee, was being carried in the House by Democratic Minority Leader Karen Camper. “I was really appreciative of him deciding it was important to not only observe the holiday but to make it an official day off and actually fund it in the budget,” Camper said.