Jacob Baggett, most recently senior legislative adviser to state Sen. Ken Yager, R-Kingston, has joined the Nashville office of Bass, Berry & Sims, the Nashville Post reports. He will serve as a senior public policy counsel at the firm, representing clients before the legislature and executive branch on legislative and regulatory matters. Prior to joining Yager’s staff, Baggett was campaign manager for former House Speaker Beth Harwell’s 2018 gubernatorial campaign and a legal and legislative staffer at the state Department of the Treasury. He earned his law degree from the Duncan School of Law.

The State Building Commission voted 5-2 today to concur with earlier recommendations to move the busts of KKK leader Nathan Bedford Forrest and admirals David Farragut and Albert Gleaves from the state Capitol to the Tennessee State Museum. Gov. Bill Lee voted for the removal, which is slated to happen tomorrow. Tennessee House of Representatives Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, and Senate Speaker Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, were the two commission members to vote against removal. Both have repeatedly tried to stop any effort to take down the Forrest bust, Nashville Post reports.

The Tennessee legislature’s Joint Government Operations Committee met yesterday to discuss the recent firing of the state’s chief immunization officer and efforts to vaccinate children against COVID-19. At the center of the discussion was a statement drafted by committee co-chairs Sen. Kerry Roberts, R-Springfield, and Rep. John Ragan, R-Oak Ridge, that prior to her firing, Dr. Michelle “Shelley” Fiscus had confirmed it is not the policy of the state or county health departments to vaccinate children without parental consent. Fiscus also had detailed steps to stop marketing vaccinations to minors, according to the statement. The co-chairs also urged health departments and schools not to “bully,” “cajole” or “coerce” individuals to be vaccinated, and suggested that failing to disclose potential risks of vaccines could violate federal law. Democrats on the committee objected to the statement, Tennessee Lookout reports.

The State Building Commission is expected to make a final decision this week on whether to remove the Nathan Bedford Forrest bust from the State Capitol, the Tennessee Journal reports. The commission will take up the matter during its meeting on Thursday. If the group votes to concur with the State Capitol Commission’s decision, the bust of the early KKK leader and Confederate general, along with three other busts, would be relocated to the Tennessee State Museum.

State Rep. Karen D. Camper, D-Memphis, led a roundtable discussion Monday as part of the Southern Legislative Conference, which was held in Nashville this week. Camper, who is the Tennessee House Democratic Caucus leader and president of the National Organization of Black Elected Legislative (NOBEL) Women, was joined by other legislators of color, who discussed last year’s protests around the 2020 presidential election and this year’s protests around voter suppression. Camper noted the importance of capitalizing on the next generation’s interest in politics, and when opportunities come to pass bills, Black lawmakers should consider whether communities of color will benefit. Tennessee Lookout has the story.

State Rep. Bruce Griffey, R-Paris, says his constituents are split over legalizing marijuana so he is proposing legislation to ask Tennesseans for feedback, Fox Chattanooga reports. His bill, HB1634, would require county election commissions to include the following three non-binding questions on the 2022 November ballot: (1) Should the state legalize medical marijuana? (2) Should the state decriminalize possession of less than one ounce of marijuana? and (3) Should the state legalize and regulate commercial sales of recreational use marijuana?

Last Friday was the first day the bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest could have been removed from the Tennessee State Capitol but it was not, WREG reports. In March, the Historical Commission voted to authorize the removal after 120 days. But Lt. Gov. Randy McNally asserts the State Building Commission must concur in that action, citing an opinion by the state attorney general. A spokesperson for McNally's office said the issue will be considered at the building commission’s July 22 meeting. Sen. Brenda Gilmore, D-Nashville, a longtime opponent of the statue, says she is “hurt” and “sad” over the delay.

The Southern Legislative Conference is holding its annual meeting in Nashville this weekend, the Tennessee Journal reports. The group is chaired this year by Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville. Approximately 1,500 state legislators, legislative staff and government officials kicked off the 75th Annual Meeting of the group today. The event provides state officials the opportunity to engage with experts on policy issues and collaborate on state government solutions. Among the speakers are former Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, Rick Barnes, head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers, and chef Maneet Chauhan.

The state legislature passed the Jim Coley Protection for Rape Survivors Act in May to enhance protections for victims of sexual assault. The new law went into effect on July 1 but one of its key provisions — an electronic tracking system for sexual assault kits — may take a year to be up and running, Tennessee Lookout reports. To help expedite the process, state law enforcement officials are looking at a software system developed by the Portland, Oregon, Police Bureau to provide justice and accountability for assault survivors. The system will allow law enforcement, prosecutors and victims to monitor the status of rape kits with an assigned identification number. Portland had discovered more than 5,000 untested rape kits in 2015. Within three years, it had reduced the backlog to almost zero.

Democrat state Rep. Yusuf Hakeem is raising questions about suspension of the Baptiste Group’s license to operate a home for migrant children in Chattanooga, Tennessee Lookout reports. Hakeem, who represents the area, questioned the timing of the move, saying allegations of sexual abuse may have given the state an excuse to suspend the group's license. Hakeem also said it is unclear whether the state Department of Children’s Services, the federal government or the legislative committee on refugees is investigating the group.