Gov. Bill Haslam recently received a 64 percent approval rating in a survey of 1,442 registered Tennessee voters, the Daily News Journal reports. Morning Consult, an online polling publication, says the Republican governor ranks 7th among all governors. “Haslam is one of the most popular governors in the country, which in this day and age is quite a feat for someone who's run twice for statewide office,” James Wyatt, Morning Consult's director of polling, said in a statement. 

NPR reports on Tennessee’s new “fetal assault” law, which punishes pregnant women who abuse drugs. The article features two mothers: one who sought help for her addiction because of the law and another who says the law scared her away from seeking pre-natal care.

Tennessee has the country's 16th best tax code for business, according to the 2016 State Business Tax Climate Index released today by Tax Foundation. "Increasingly, elected officials and economic development offices are using their states' index scores to promote business relocation because they recognize that a good score on the index is a valuable proxy for the state's overall competitiveness,” Jared Walczak, Tax Foundation policy analyst, said. Read more from Nooga.

U.S. Sen. Bob Corker today received the Chattanooga History Center’s 2015 History Makers Award, Nooga reports. The award included a portrait bust of the Republican senator. "I loved my days at Chattanooga City High School … and being mayor of this city was the greatest honor of my life. I loved it more than you can imagine,” Corker said.

The Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) is asking organizations to join TIRRC and the ACLU in sending a letter to Gov. Bill Haslam in support of resettlement programs. "Tennessee and the United States have a critical and historic role to play in our current global refugee crisis, the largest displacement of people since World War II," TIRRC writes in its letter to the governor. Haslam announced yesterday he is asking the federal government to suspend the placement of Syrian refugees in Tennessee. The Republican governor also announced, according to the Murfreesboro Post, that the state’s Department of Safety and Homeland Security has been working with the FBI and U.S. Department of Homeland Security and sharing information since the attacks in Paris on Friday.

The 2015-2016 edition of the Tennessee Blue Book will be dedicated to the late U.S. Sen. Howard H. Baker Jr.  After being elected to the Senate in 1966, Baker served as Senate majority leader and later served as President Reagan's chief of staff. "Senator Baker set the highest of standards for excellence in public service to our great state and nation,” Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett said. 

State comptroller Justin Wilson has raised concerns about Gov. Bill Haslam's proposed privatization plan, The Commercial Appeal reports. Wilson, who wrote a letter to Haslam's administration last month, said the procurement process being used “is largely untested” in state government. “Is the process fair? Is the process transparent? Was there a level playing field? The answers to these questions should be clear, but I still have some questions ... that can only be answered by having seen the process work,” he wrote.

The Campaign for Accountability (CfA) is calling for an investigation of Sen. Bob Corker on possible insider trading actions, Nooga reports. The CfA claims Corker violated federal law and Senate rules by making false statements on his personal financial disclosure forms. A Corker spokesman called the accusations "baseless."

Federal authorities are still deciding on whether they will take over the investigation and possible prosecution in alleged vote buying cases from the 2014 elections in Monroe and Polk counties, The Advocate & Democrat reports. District Attorney General Steve Crump said he does not believe the Polk and Monroe County cases are directly related, but noted that the investigation is incomplete.

Tennessee scored a D in a new analysis of each state’s laws and practices aimed at deterring corruption and promoting transparency, the Knoxville News Sentinel reports. Despite the low grade, the state still ranked 15th in the nation in the report by the Center for Public Integrity and Global Integrity. The top rated state -- Alaska -- only recorded a C rating.