Four immigration bills sponsored by House Republicans are sparking outrage among supporters of immigrants and immigrant rights, Tennessee Lookout reports. The first bill, HB1648, would allow schools to deny enrollment to students based on their immigration status. Sponsored by Rep. Bruce Griffey, R-Paris, the bill would also deny state education funding for children who cannot prove their legal status. Opponents point out that the U.S. Supreme Court has already ruled it is unconstitutional to discriminate against students on the basis of immigration status. The second bill, HB1994, also by Griffey, seeks to develop and implement a system to relocate undocumented people to somewhere outside the state. A third proposal from Griffey, HB1636, seeks to expand the state’s current mandatory e-verify program, which requires employers to verify their workers' identifications. Finally, HJR0652, from Rep. Dennis Powers, R-Jacksboro, urges the U.S. Congress to complete a wall between the U.S. and Mexico.

Health care executive Caleb Hemmer has announced his candidacy for state House District 59, the Nashville Post reports. Hemmer works at American Health Partners and serves on the Metro Board of Fair Commissioners. He previously was an aide to former Gov. Phil Bredesen. He will face public defender Jeff Preptit in the Democratic primary. Michelle Foreman is the only Republican in the race so far. The seat is currently held by Rep. Jason Potts, D-Nashville, who is retiring. The district was altered during redistricting, and now encompasses some of the most affluent neighborhoods in Davidson County, including Belle Meade, Forest Hills and Oak Hill as well as communities along the southern border of the county. Hemmer said his priorities in office would be affordable health care, sound fiscal management and high-paying jobs.

Germantown resident Brandon Toney yesterday pulled a petition to challenge state Sen. Brian Kelsey, R-Germantown, in the Republican primary, the Daily Memphian reports. Toney says Kelsey’s federal indictment on campaign finance charges fueled his decision to run. “He is embarrassing our party,” Toney said. “He’s embarrassing our state legislature. He is embarrassing all of us.” Toney owns Collierville small business First Fruit Collection and is a nurse practitioner. He wants to see the state put a better emphasis on health, noting Tennessee is consistently ranked among the unhealthiest of states. Toney currently serves on Germantown’s Economic Development Commission. “I’m not a politician. I’m just an everyday guy that wants to go and serve his community,” he said.

Shelby County commissioners yesterday agreed to delay making decisions about filling the seat of former state Sen. Katrina Robinson, D-Memphis, the Daily Memphian reports. The Senate last week expelled Robinson following her October conviction on four counts of federal wire fraud. U.S. Judge Sheryl Lipman later threw out two of those convictions. The county commission is responsible for appointing someone to finish Robinson’s term, but whether they will is an open question. Commissioner Van Turner said appointing someone would “give credence to what we think would be a grave injustice.” According to the Tennessee Lookout, federal prosecutors have asked a judge to impose a two-and-a-half-year sentence on Robinson, claiming she has shown a “defiant refusal to accept responsibility” for the convictions. They are also appealing Lipman’s decision to toss of the convictions. Robinson is appealing her conviction.

A Tennessee senator wants to transfer the bust of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest, an early Ku Klux Klan leader from the state, to the Sons of Confederate Veterans, the Tennessean reports. Sen. Janice Bowling, R-Tullahoma, has filed a bill to transfer the bust to the Sons of Confederate Veterans General Headquarters in Columbia. The group commissioned and donated the bust to the state in 1977. The bust was removed from the state Capitol in July 2021. It is currently on display at the Tennessee State Museum.

Gov. Bill Lee signed into law a set of new Senate, House and congressional district maps yesterday, the Tennessean reports. In January, Lee told the Rotary Club of Nashville he believed state lawmakers "made every effort to follow the law" when crafting the new congressional districts. But Democrats have spoken out against what they call partisan gerrymandering designed to draw power away from booming Nashville. The Tennessee Democratic Party says it is "prepping a lawsuit."

State wildlife officials say they now plan to raze a different portion of forest on public land in White County after their original plan met with resistance from local residents, a threatened lawsuit and demands from lawmakers to “stop all action on the plan immediately.” In a letter sent to members of the General Assembly, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency now says it will clear other parts of the Bridgestone Firestone Centennial Wilderness Area, Tennessee Lookout reports. Opponents of the original plan were surprised by the move after the agency indicated it was backing away from the effort. “TWRA informed a member of our community that they were stopping the entire project. Less than 48 hours later, they have changed their story again,” said attorney Austin Warehime, who has been retained to represent the county’s interests in the matter.

The state Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday unanimously recommended that Gov. Bill Lee’s Tennessee Supreme Court nominee, Sarah Campbell, be confirmed to the bench, the Daily Memphian reports.  Campbell, 39, is a lawyer in the state attorney general’s office where she has defended the executive branch in lawsuits since she took the job in 2015. She was appointed to the high court by Lee in January and would replace the late Justice Cornelia A. Clark, who died in September. When asked what she would do when the state attorney general argues cases before the Supreme Court, Campbell replied that she would recuse herself if it was a case in which she had “substantial personal involvement.” She said her ethical decisions about conflicts of interest would be guided by the Tennessee Code of Judicial Conduct. 

TBA Director of Public Policy & Government Affairs Berkley Schwarz and Adams and Reese attorneys and TBA lobbyists Brad Lampley and Ashley Harbin are back for another episode of TBA Legislative Updates. In this edition, Schwarz and Lampley review the governor’s State of the State address and give an update on the professional privilege tax. Harbin also details Tuesday’s Senate Judiciary Committee meeting at which Tennessee Supreme Court nominee Sarah Campbell was interviewed by state lawmakers. 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 Tennessee State Senate today voted 27-5 to expel Sen. Katrina Robinson, D-Memphis, the Tennessean reports. The move, a first for the chamber, comes after Robinson was convicted on federal wire fraud charges. Robinson has decried the effort as racist and misogynistic. She called the expulsion a "procedural lynching" today. In a statement after the vote, Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, said, “While the expulsion of a Senator for the first time in history was not something any of us wished to see, it was a necessary action. The integrity of the Senate is of paramount importance. Senator Robinson was given every consideration and due process."