TUESDAY, JUNE 19, 2012 Governor to sign youth bill in Blount (Daily Times)

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam will visit Blount County today for a ceremonial bill signing of HB 2337/SB 2199, which authorizes the Department of Children Services (DCS) to continue Tennessees Transitional Youth Empowerment Act of 2010 and removes the programs termination date of June 30, 2012. Sixty percent of DCS foster youth are teenagers, and 813 turned 18 last year without a permanent family, according to a media advisory from the governors office. These are some of Tennessees most vulnerable citizens, and they are at much higher risk than the general population for homelessness, incarceration, dropping out of school, unemployment, unintended pregnancy and lack of access to health care. http://www.thedailytimes.com/Local_News/story/Governor-to-sign-youth-bill-in-Blount-id-024850

GOP Lawmakers Lament Feds Regs (TNReport)

The path to boosting job growth in Tennessee is obstructed by federal regulations, a handful of state and federal GOP lawmakers told members of Congress at a field hearing in Murfreesboro Monday. State officials are paving the way for job growth at the state level, but theres nothing more they can do when the federal government issues piles of regulations that discourage economic development, Commissioner Bill Hagerty told the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Many companies told us through a regulatory review that the regulations have become so unduly burdensome that they have very great concern about their ability to expand and grow, Hagerty told the committee at Middle Tennessee State University Monday, adding he has faith that Tennessees great entrepreneurial spirit could still lead to job expansions. Last summer, Hagerty and Gov. Bill Haslam toured the state to learn what issues business owners and executives have operating in Tennessee, repeatedly reporting that companies were intimidated by regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Labor Relations Board, the Dodd-Frank financial reform law, and most recently, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care http://tnreport.com/blog/2012/06/18/gop-lawmakers-lament-fedAct. regs/

Congressional hearing slams federal regulations (Tennessean/Sisk)

Republican lawmakers took aim at federal environmental, labor and financial regulations, blaming them for the nations slow job growth, at a congressional hearing Monday in Murfreesboro that blurred politics with policy. Gov. Bill Haslam, the states two senators and Middle Tennessees Republican members of Congress led a morning-long attack on federal regulations that they said have created uncertainty in the business world, leading many companies to cut staff and avoid hiring. The Environmental Protection Agency, the National Labor Relations Board, the Dodd-Frank financial reform law, and the Affordable Care and Patient Protection Act came in for the most criticism. U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa, who chaired the hearing, framed it as a preview of regulations that could be scaled back if Republicans take control of the Congress and the W hite House in the fall. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120619/NEWS02/306190037/Congressional-hearing-slams-federalregulations?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE&nclick_check=1 (SUBSCRIPTION)

TN Republicans offer broad condemnation of Feds (Nashville Business Journal)

Tennessee Republicans assailed federal regulations in congressional testimony Monday, saying legislation and administrative rule making is choking business on countless fronts. "As a country, we need to be moving in exactly the opposite direction," U.S. Sen. Bob Corker told members of the House Oversight and Government Reform CommitteeCorker was joined by fellow U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, Gov. Bill Haslam and Commissioner Bill Hagerty of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. Each has

his own list of ways federal regulation is stifling economic activity. Alexander, though, walked a finer line than the rest. http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2012/06/18/tennessee-republicans-haslam-alexander.html

Tennessee Republican officials blast U.S. rules over jobs (Times Free-Press/Sher)
Top Tennessee Republican elected officials tore into federal environmental, financial and other regulations Monday, charging they are creating uncertainty for business and slowing private-sector job growth. The setting was a congressional field hearing in Murfreesboro convened by U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa, chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais, R-Tenn., pushed for the hearing in Tennessee, Issa said At MTSU, a number of business leaders along with Gov. Bill Haslam, U.S. Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker and two Middle Tennessee congressmen, Reps. Diane Black and Marsha Blackburn, all Republicans, complained about excessive regulation in areas ranging from small banking to farming. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/jun/19/12-619-gop-blasts-us-rules-over-jobs/?businesstnvalley

Alexander Defends EPA Rule At Event Blasting Federal Regulations (W PLN-Radio)

Several Republicans from Tennessees Congressional delegation took shots at big government today at an event in Murfreesboro. It was billed as a field hearing of the U.S. House Oversight Committee, although Chairman Darrell Issa of California and Tennessee Representative Scott DesJarlais were the only committee members there. Several of the Republicans present used the event to hone their attacks on cumbersome federal regulation. Representative Diane Black laid into rules from the Environmental Protection Agency, saying they can cost billions, without much benefit. Rolling back the costly and unnecessary regulations is imperative to jumpstart our economy and provide certainty for our job creators. That put Senator Lamar Alexander in an awkward spot. Lately Alexander hasnt gone along with colleagues trying to undo new clean-air rules for coal plants. He argues keeping Tennessees air clean is vital to recruiting jobs, even though hes not a huge fan of the EPA either. http://wpln.org/?p=38362

New TN Chief Medical Examiner from Quillen (Herald-Courier)

Tennessee's new Chief Medical Examiner is located right here in the Tri-Cities region. Doctor John Dreyzehner, Tennessee Health Commissioner, announced Monday that Doctor Karen Cline-Parhamovich will serve in that capacity, effective July 1st. Cline-Parhamovich currently works as the Director of Forensic Pathology for ETSU's Quillen College of Medicine. She served as the Interim Chief Medical Examiner and Deputy Chief Medical Examiner since December 2010. Cline-Parhamovich said she looks forward to making sure the state's autopsy process is as efficient as it can be. "It's going to expand my responsibilities to be more involved in developing initial education as well as continuing education for local county medical examiners and medical investigators," said Cline-Parhamovich. http://www2.tricities.com/news/2012/jun/18/new-tn-chief-medical-examiner-quillen-ar-1996817/

Cheyenne Cries Over TennCare Fraud Charges (Cannon Courier)

A Rutherford County woman is charged with TennCare fraud for selling prescription drugs paid for by TennCare. The Office of Inspector General (OIG) today announced the arrest of Cheyenne Felts, 31, of Smyrna, after a joint investigation with the Smyrna Police Department. Felts is charged with three counts of TennCare fraud and three counts of sale of a controlled substance. Charges accuse her of using TennCare benefits to obtain prescriptions for amphetamine and the painkiller Buprenorphine, while planning to unlawfully sell a portion of the prescriptions. The Office of Inspector General is partnering with law enforcement agencies across the state to stop TennCare fraud particularly as it applies to individuals who sell prescription drugs in our communities in Tennessee, Inspector General Deborah Y. Faulkner said. Local police are clearly committed to eliminating prescription drug abuse and we will continue to do all we can to support their efforts. http://www.cannoncourier.com/cheyenne-cries-over-tenncare-fraud-charges-cms-8490

Ramsey: All-Or-None Is Not How Government Works (WPLN-Radio Nashville)

Lieutenant Governor Ron Ramsey doesnt think Republicans couldve asked for much more from GOP lawmakers in the session that just ended. Ramsey sees that as one defense to tea partiers looking to unseat 2

incumbents this year. Ramsey was a tea party favorite when he ran for governor two years ago. He says this summer primary challengers should just look at the current slate of Republicans most recent work. They undid collective bargaining for teachers, overhauled how the state deals with its workers Doing away with the death tax, doing away with the gift tax, tort reform, loser pays, I could go on and on about things weve accomplished. I think Ronald Reagan said one time, I dont consider an 80 percent friend a 20 percent enemy. And there are some in the conservative movement and in the liberal movement for that matter that consider an 80 percent friend a 20 percent enemy. And Im not like that, and I hope thats where they are. http://wpln.org/?p=38277

Ramsey vows end to Hall Income Tax on seniors (Times-News)

Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey told a Realtors group Monday of his plans to eliminate the states Hall Income Tax on investment income for those 65 years old and older. If you think were retirement-friendly now, wait until we do that, Ramsey, R-Blountville, said of killing the Hall Income Tax at the annual Northeast Tennessee Association of Realtors (NETAR) legislative luncheon. The Hall Income Tax, enacted in 1929, has exemptions for people over 65 with total income less than $16,200 for a single filer or $27,000 for a joint filer. Ramsey, who owns and operates a real estate and auction company, said the 6 percent tax shocks retirees when they move to Tennessee. When they start drawing out their 401(k)s, they have to pay income tax on that. Thats wrong, Ramsey said. We want people to save for their retirement, put some money back ... be responsible and have this nest egg built up so they dont have to live on Social Security. http://www.timesnews.net/article/9048094/ramsey-vows-end-to-hall-income-tax-on-seniors

Tennessee Senate hopeful Brenda Lenard opens campaign office (Herald-Courier)

"Rather than talk about the problem, I decided to do something about it and that is run for U.S. Senate, says Brenda Lenard, a Conservative Republican running for Senate in the State of Tennessee. Lenard opened her campaign headquarters in Greeneville, Tennessee, Monday. Lenard is a single mother working toward a Doctorate in Political Science from the University of Tennessee. Now she's a republican candidate for the senate, running against an incumbent Republican Senator Bob Corker, who many believe will be tough competition. He is someone who has the trust of the people of the state. I think he's earned that trust and I think he's easily going to win another 6 years in the senate, says Jonesborough Mayor and Corkers Campaign CoChair in Washington County, Kelly W olfe. But Lenard has supporters of her own. "She's articulate, she's well educated, she's knowledgeable, and what she says is what she means, says supporter Robert Kent. http://www2.tricities.com/news/2012/jun/18/tennessee-senate-hopeful-brenda-lenard-opens-campa-ar-1997143/

TN voter histories dispute heads to arbitrator (Tennessean/W ilson)

The removal of 11,000 voter histories from state voter rolls is either a routine cleansing for technical reasons or a sinister attempt to move voters off the rolls. It depends on whom you believe. Those wildly divergent interpretations will be put before a third-party arbitrator, which is about the only thing state election officials and Tennessee Democrats agree should happen to resolve a legal dispute over voter eligibility that played out before the state Election Commission on Monday. The state erased more than 11,000 voting histories, including 2,938 in Davidson County, which could leave those voters vulnerable to losing their eligibility, according to Democrats. The states election director, Mark Goins, said none of that was true. Both sides agreed to ask a federal judge to appoint a special master to investigate the situation after a court session Friday. The request was made in connection with a lawsuit by former Rep. Lincoln Davis after the Pall Mall Democrat was not allowed to vote at a certain precinct in Marchs primary elections. The dispute takes place against the backdrop of a nationwide debate over voting requirements. Tennessee is one of several Republican-controlled states with a new law requiring voters to show identification before casting a ballot, which Democrats have argued represents an attempt to suppress voter turnout. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120619/NEWS02/306190028/TN-voterhistories-dispute-heads-arbitrator?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE %7Cp&nclick_check=1 (SUBSCRIPTION)

McGuire's

alternative

budget

clears

committee,

heads

to

council

vote

(CP/Garrison)
A tweaked version of Mayor Karl Deans budget one that still includes a property tax cleared the increase Metro Councils Budget and Finance Committee Monday, giving it an edge at prevailing Tuesday for the full 3

councils final vote. The 17-member committee voted unanimously Monday to approve a Councilman Sean McGuire-sponsored $1.71 billion substitute budget that retains the mayors original 53-cent property tax hike, but makes cuts totaling $8.6 million from Deans plan that would be diverted to the citys rainy day funds. McGuire, who chairs the committee, introduced his alternative budget Friday. W e could potentially be heading into another fiscal year that is difficult, McGuire said. My intention with putting some money away into reserves is to first make it so we dont have to come back here again and ask for another property tax increase. Going into next year, well have an $8.6 million head start on our budget, and a head start on our debt obligations, he said, adding that it could also go a long way in improving Metros bond ratings. The committees vote for a budget for the 2012-13 fiscal year came after a series of council members amendments ranging from reducing Deans tax hike altogether, trimming it by 4.5 cents and cutting it by 12.5 cents all failed. http://nashvillecitypaper.com/content/city-news/mcguires-alternative-budget-clears-committee-heads-full-councilvote

Nashville property tax hike nears final vote (Tennessean/Cass)

A key Metro Council committee gave overwhelming support Monday to a budget plan and property tax increase that closely follow Mayor Karl Deans original proposals, setting the stage for a final vote by the full council tonight. The Budget & Finance Committee wound up agreeing unanimously by voice vote to Chairman Sean McGuires substitute budget after rejecting seven proposed amendments, none of which received more than two votes. McGuires plan would preserve the mayors recommendation to raise the property tax rate by 53 cents per $100 of assessed value, but it would put $8.6 million of the $100 million in new revenue into reserve funds. That amount would include $3.5 million of the $46 million increase Dean had recommended for the Metro Schools budget. Councilman Tim Garrett said McGuires plan is innovative because it would give the city some cushion against future financial trouble. McGuire said it also could help Metro improve its bond ratings, which would let the city borrow money at a lower interest rate. I think we could be potentially heading into another fiscal year (a year from now) that is difficult, he told the committee. My intention with putting this money away into reserves is to first make it so that we dont have to come back here again and ask for another property tax increase. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120619/NEWS0202/306190039/Nashville-property-tax-hike-nears-finalvote?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE&nclick_check=1 (SUBSCRIPTION)

Memphis City Council set to approve new budget (Commercial Appeal/Maki)

Mayor's tax call rebuffed by panel When the Memphis City Council convenes today and approves the minutes of its last meeting, the city's operating budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1 will be set. Two weeks ago, the council approved a roughly $609 million budget for city operations. Using a mix of one-time funds and budget cuts, the council set the city's tax rate at $3.11 per $100 of assessed value. The council rebuffed Memphis Mayor A C W harton's call for a 47-cent property tax hike, and set the city's overall tax rate 8 cents lower than the current $3.19. "I think it's a victory for the taxpayers and far superior to what the mayor originally proposed," said budget committee chairman Jim Strickland.In committee action today, the council is expected to discuss a referendum asking voters to levy a 1-cent tax on every gallon of gasoline purchased in Memphis. Councilman Edmund Ford Jr. said that if approved by voters in November, th e gasoline tax could bring in roughly $6 million a year for public transportation, with most going to Memphis Area Transit Authority and road paving. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/jun/19/city-council-set-to-approve-new-budget/ (SUBSCRIPTION)

Council Considers Sales Tax Increase (Memphis Daily News)

At their first meeting since approving a city budget and city tax rate for the fiscal year that starts next month, Memphis City Council members have a full agenda Tuesday, June 19. It includes three proposed city charter changes for the Nov. 6 election ballot and lots of land use resolutions. The council meeting begins at 3:30 p.m. at City Hall, 125 N. Main St. The council votes on two ballot questions that would amend the city charter if voters approve them in the November elections. Up for the first of three readings is a referendum ordinance on the onehalf of 1 percent local option sales tax increase proposed by council member Shea Flinn. This is about planning for the future, Flinn said earlier this month as he outlined three options to meet the citys fiscal challenges in coming years. We can raise our sales tax. We can raise our property tax or we can have cuts in government. That would impact public safety. Thats not a scare tactic. Thats fact. http://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2012/jun/19/council-considers-sales-tax-increase/

Red Bank, Lookout Mountain ready for tax increases (Times Free-Press/Harrison)
4

At least two Hamilton County cities are on the verge of passing tax hikes as budget season draws to a head this month. Red Bank will vote tonight on a 25 cent property tax increase, while Lookout Mountain, Tenn., is poised to approve a 20 cent property tax bump in July. "We've put it off to the point where we can't put it off anymore," said Lookout Mountain consultant Dwight Montague. He added that the town had not had a tax increase for eight years and, in that time, operating expenses have increased 20 percent. Red Bank also has foregone a tax hike since 2004. Though city leaders say most of the additional revenue will be steered toward $2 million in secondary road-paving projects, it also will help foot 2 percent across-the-board pay raises for city employees. Lookout Mountain plans to give a 3 percent raise to its employees in the new budget, one year after granting a 2 percent raise. Both town commissions have had only one vote each against the proposed tax increases -Commissioner Ansley Moses in Lookout Mountain and Commissioner Floy Pierce in Red Bank. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/jun/19/619-b5-red-bank-lookout-mountain-ready-for-tax/?local

Tax hike on table as budget process grinds on in Sullivan County (Times-News)

Theres not much movement yet on development of a budget for Sullivan County government for the fiscal year that begins July 1. But county commissioners involved in the process have for the first time at least mentioned a property tax increase. A three-hour called meeting of the Sullivan County Commissions Budget Committee on Monday ended with a 20-minute discussion about when to meet next. The group appeared to have concluded to meet again W ednesday at 6 p.m. As a collective summary of points discussed, longtime committee Chairman Eddie Williams said it would take a 35 cent increase to the countys property tax rate to fund everything laid on the table during the meeting. Fifteen cents of that is needed to cover the county school systems proposed budget, Williams said. We could start at 35 cents and see where you want to go ... see how far we come down until we get enough votes, Williams said. No one responded. http://www.timesnews.net/article/9048090/tax-hike-on-table-as-budget-process-grinds-on-in-sullivan-county

Public hearing on county budget draws no audience as taxes left alone (DNJ)
Zero residents showed up at Mondays nights public hearing to gripe about the countys $442.5 million spending plans in the coming fiscal year without a property tax increase. We are looking forward to not to have to raises taxes, Rutherford County Commissioner Carol Cook said at the end of the meeting. Next year, though, could be different when officials will need up to an estimated $4 million more to operate the new Stewarts Creek High when it opens by August 2013 in southwest Smyrna. We hope sales taxes and other revenues will increase to cover it, new Rutherford County Schools Director Don Odom said after the meeting. Im not pessimistic. Things are turning around slowly. The 21-member commission will vote on a budget that starts July 1, during a meeting that starts at 9 a.m. June 29 in the second-floor courtroom of the County Courthouse in Murfreesboros Public Square. http://www.dnj.com/article/20120619/NEW S/306190015/Public-hearing-county-budget-draws-no-audience-taxesleft-alone?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE&nclick_check=1 (SUBSCRIPTION)

Panel votes not to raise tax rate (Jackson Sun)

Madison County commissioners on Monday voted not to raise the countys property tax rate. The commission has not raised county residential property tax rates in 20 years. Commissioners voted 24-0 Monday to maintain next fiscal years county property tax rate at $2.15 per $100 of assessed value. Also on Monday, commission members held a moment of silence and prayer to remember Commissioner Dale Morton, who died suddenly over the weekend. Commissioners Mark Johnstone and Gary Deaton made brief remarks on the man who served his district for 10 years. He was a Godly man and very obedient man, Deaton said. He was very generous with his finances and his time. Thats who he was and how I saw him. Thats what I thought of him, but I never told him that. The property tax rate has not been raised in two decades because residential, commercial and industrial construction has increased at a pace that allowed for higher tax collections without the need to increase infrastructure spending dramatically over that time, said Mike Nichols, director of Madison County finance. http://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20120619/NEWS01/306190010/Panel-votes-not-raise-tax-rate? nclick_check=1 (SUBSCRIPTION)

Clarksville budget passes 7-6 (Leaf Chronicle)

5

Clarksvilles budget for the 2013 fiscal year was approved on a narrow 7-6 vote in a special session of the City Council Monday night after three hours of discussion. Council members were divided over the general fund budget of $81,045,568, which is up by nearly $5.8 million over 2012. Mayor Kim McMillan broke the tie. Council members who voted for the general fund budget were Mayor McMillan, Candy Johnson, Marc Harris, Geno Grubbs, Joel Wallace, Jeff Burkhart and James Lewis. Those are the same members who voted for the 2012 fiscal year budget. Nick Steward, Deanna McLaughlin, Wallace Redd, David Allen, Kaye Jones and Bill Summers voted against the general fund budget. McMillan said the budget focuses on public safety and infrastructure needs. While we continue to consider and plan capital building projects and developing the Clarksville area, our main goals are to make sure that our citizens are safe and that they have the very best in services, she said. Street conditions, public safety personnel and equipment and other basic needs are the priority, and this budget addresses those concerns. http://www.theleafchronicle.com/article/20120618/NEWS01/306180019/Clarksville-budget-passes-7-6? nclick_check=1 (SUBSCRIPTION)

Illness stalls Senate bid of Park Overall (Chattanooga Times Free-Press/Carroll)

A Democrat challenging U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., says she's still campaigning despite a week-old internal memo describing her as "extremely ill." Park Overall, the actress and environmental activist best known for playing nurse Laverne Todd in the NBC sitcom "Empty Nest," confirmed Monday that an inner ear infection and diabetes have sidelined her for three weeks. Overall, 55, described the inner ear infection as a chronic problem she "was putting off." She said political travel and a longtime bout with Type 1 diabetes worsened the dizziness, fatigue and other symptoms she was feeling. "I called the Democrats and I said, 'I'm too unwell to continue, take me off the ballot,'" the Greeneville, Tenn., resident said in a phone interview. "They said that wasn't possible, so that settled that." Overall then decided on surgery. "They operated on my eardrum Thursday, and I'm on the mend," she said. "We weren't sure it would even work, but it seems to be." http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/jun/19/chattano-illness-stalls-senate-bid-of-park-overall/?local

Eric Stewart calls U.S. Rep. DesJarlais taxpayer-funded "Junk Mail King (TFP/Sher)
Democratic congressional candidate Eric Stewart is accusing U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais, R-Tenn., of competing to become the "Junk Mail King" by taking the No. 2 spot in the 107th Congress when it comes to taxpayer-funded mass mailings and communications. Stewart's campaign says DesJarlais, a Jasper physician, spent $455,308 in taxpayer funds so far in his first term of office representing the 4th District. "W ashington is broken, Congressman DesJarlais isn't part of the solution, he's part of the problem," said Stewart, a state senator from Winchester, in a news release. "We have a lot to be proud of in this district but having the Junk Mail King for our congressman, probably isn't one of them." Citing House records, Stewart's campaign says DesJarlais spent $370,977.75 on mass mailings, which are defined as substantially identical mailings to 500 or more individuals. They include newsletters, surveys and questionnaires. The remainder was for mass communications, which can include emails with nonsubcribers, handouts and radio, television and newspaper advertisements for town hall meetings or personal appearances at an official event. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/jun/19/eric-stewart-scolds-scott-desjarlais-over-taxpayer/?local

Candidate for Senate indicted (Johnson City Press)

A Johnson City man who is running in all 95 counties in Tennessee for the Democratic Party nomination for the United States Senate seat currently held by Bob Corker is also facing a felony charge in one of those counties. Thomas Kenneth Owens, 36, was indicted by a Carter County grand jury on May 14 on a charge of solicitation of a minor. Owens was arraigned in Criminal Court on May 31. When asked about his employment and financial status, Owens informed the court that he was a candidate for the U.S. Senate. He then filed an affidavit of indigency and Judge Robert Cupp appointed a public defender for Owens. Cupp also ordered a mental evaluation. When he was contacted Monday afternoon about the criminal charge against him and what impact it would have on his candidacy, Owens said Those charges are false charges and there should not be any publication. The telephone call was then disconnected. The charge stems from an investigation by the Carter County Sheriffs Department into allegations that a 7-year-old girl was riding her bicycle in front of the apartment where Owens lived on May 21, 2011. http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/News/article.php? id=100908#ixzz1yEhQHCpg 6

Conference in Nashville to focus on health care (Associated Press)

Former Sens. Bill Frist and Tom Daschle and ex- Gov. Phil Bredesen will discuss information technology in health care at a conference Tuesday in Nashville. Frist, of Nashville, is a former heart and lung surgeon. Bredesen was an executive with a health care management company before entering politics. The Forum on Transformation Through Innovation is sponsored by the Nashville Health Care Council and the Bipartisan Policy Center. The focus will be on policy in promoting greater coordination, efficiency and cost savings in health care. Also represented at the Embassy Suites South will be Healthways, MissionPoint Health Partners/Saint Thomas Health, PharmMD Solutions, Sumner Regional Medical Center and Vanderbilt University Medical Center. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/jun/19/conference-in-nashville-to-focus-on-health-care/

No Clear Script If Health Law Falls (W all Street Journal)

Nothing has ever been simple in the great health-care debate, and there's no reason to think the coming Supreme Court decision on the topic, or the political repercussions from it, will be simple either. When the court rules sometime in the next two weeks, the waves it sets off will be tricky for both parties to navigate. A ruling striking down all or part of the lawwhich is what conventional wisdom anticipateswould be bad news for the Democrats who championed the legislation. What's less appreciated is that a negative ruling also would create new and distinct challenges for Republicans. Having their president's signature domestic initiative invalidated five months before an election can't be a good thing for Democrats. Even now, they have trouble figuring out what to say about a plan party regulars believe in deeply, but one that has never proven broadly popular and is becoming less so. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303379204577474470164027122.html?mod=ITP_pageone_1 (SUBSCRIPTION)

Grim job prospects could scar today's college graduates (USA Today)
Megan Silsby earned a biology degree last month from Virginia Tech, and she considers herself a full-time worker even though she hasn't landed a job in this rough economy. Every day at 8 a.m., Silsby, 22, heads to a basement office in her parents' home in Chantilly, Va. All day, she searches the Internet for openings, applies for jobs, follows up with phone calls. She has applied for more than 80 jobs, with no luck so far. "I've definitely kind of had to sit down sometimes and keep myself from getting discouraged, because honestly I feel if I get that interview " and her voice trails, youthful optimism diluted by the fallout of the Great Recession. For the moment, Silsby finds compensation elsewhere, especially in the reconnection with her parents and two younger siblings. Her father has jokingly told her that he hopes she will never move out. She yearns for independence, but the job hunt has been a forced primer of how competitive the world is and a reaffirmation that being close to her family is important to her. Meanwhile, almost $30,000 in college loans wait to be repaid. http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-06-04/millennials-lack-of-jobs/55676024/1?loc=interstitialskip

Unified school board not unified on some points (Commercial Appeal/Roberts)

Transition planners run into reluctance to accept closings, staff cuts, hard choices The school districts agree on dozens of the Transition Planning Commission recommendations for the new system. But at a briefing for unified school board members Monday, the ones color-coded red -- for hot disagreement -- could cut at the heart of the merger plan. Board members love the universal prekindergarten, plans to double the number of Advanced Placement courses and plenty of school choice in every neighborhood. But they also are going to have to agree to wholesale school closings, major cuts in central office staff, higher insurance costs for city school employees and perhaps larger class sizes. "And frankly, they just don't compute; they don't reconcile," Memphis City Schools Supt. Kriner Cash told board members and city and county school staff in the all-day workshop. "Therefore, they put in our minds a significant threat to realizing this really inspirational and impressive plan." While most of the consternation is over money and perceived slights to one or both districts, the TPC also recommends a lottery to fill coveted seats in high-demand schools and proposes the new district make up lost revenue by selling services to outside schools. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/jun/19/board-not-unified-on-some-points/ (SUBSCRIPTION)

Countywide School Board To Discuss Future Supt. (Memphis Daily News)

When countywide school board members resume a still-preliminary discussion Tuesday, June 19, about who should be superintendent of the merged public school system to come, they will have another opinion to 7

consider. In approving the first draft of a merger plan last week, the schools consolidation planning commission recommended the board pick a merger superintendent as soon as possible no later than the end of the fall. In adopting the position, the planning commission had its own debate about how the school board should go about making the choice before ultimately deciding it is up to the school board. The planning commission sidestepped the volatile question of how that the school board is likely to begin discussing publicly in detail starting Tuesday. http://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2012/jun/19/countywide-school-board-to-discuss-future-supt/

Knox County to survey teachers on new budget, ideas for future (N-S/Donila)
Knox County to survey teachers on new budget, ideas for future Knox County commissioners want to know what local teachers think about the recently approved school spending plan and what they'd like to see in future years. "Politicians, a lot of times, think they know what's best for education," Commission Chairman Mike Hammond said. "But if we're going to affect test scores it will be the teachers who do it." Hammond said he wants teachers to weigh in on how the county spends money to improve schools and education. He said he's looking for "suggestions, recommendations, and we want to know what roadblocks they're encountering in the classrooms." The issue was mentioned briefly during Monday's commission work session. Officials, though, are expected to spend more time talking about it during next week's commission luncheon. At that point they'll likely give county purchasing director Hugh Holt approval to start the bidding process, looking for a company to conduct a comprehensive survey. Officials said they don't know how much it will cost. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/jun/19/knox-county-to-survey-teachers-on-new-budget-for/

Williamson

County

board

says

home

school,

sports

teams

can't

mix

(TN/Giordano)
The Williamson County School Board voted Monday not to allow home-schooled students to participate in interscholastic sports on high school teams. The decision came after nearly a year of discussion and a work session last week where more than half of the 12-member board voiced their opposition or said they were torn on the issue. Still, board members discussed the topic for more than 45 minutes before voting 8-3 against allowing students educated outside the system to join teams at their zoned high schools. The issue arose late in 2010, when the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association changed its bylaws to allow home-schooled students to participate in public school sports if they met certain eligibility requirements. Since then, Metro Nashville Public Schools and Sumner County Schools moved to allow home-schooled students to play for what would be their zoned school. Rutherford County Schools and Robertson County Schools decided against it. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120619/W ILLIAMSON/306190034/Williamson-County-board-says-homeschool-sports-teams-can-t-mix?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE&nclick_check=1 (SUB)

Car given away at last year's fair quarantined for meth (State Gazette)
The car given away at last year's Dyer County Fair was recently quarantined and its occupants arrested after a Dyer County Sheriff's Department investigator located a meth lab in it during a traffic stop. On Friday afternoon, Inv. Stoney Hughes had received information of people possibly cooking meth in the Tennemo community near the Mississippi River. After arriving in the area he reportedly stopped a 2011 Toyota Yaris on Highway 103 after observing a traffic violation. Driving the Yaris was Todd Clanton, 45, of Dyersburg, Tenn., and his passengers were Brent McNeely, 30, and Brian McNeely, 32, both of Dyersburg. After removing the occupants of the car, Hughes found an alleged meth lab under the front seat of the car, along with common items used to make the drug. Clanton and the McNeelys were arrested and taken to the Dyer County Jail. http://www.stategazette.com/story/1861593.html

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OPINION Editorial: Haslam can lead way to improving higher ed (Jackson Sun)
As chairman of the Southern Growth Policies Board, Gov. Bill Haslam will be bringing together leaders from Southern states to talk about re-imagining workforce development in the South. They are set to meet in Chattanooga June 25 and 26. Few items should rank higher on Haslams to-do list for Tennessee than getting higher education professionals to rethink post-secondary education programs and how they meet the needs of business and industry. Haslams focus is to better align higher education with workforce development. This could create a higher quality workforce, which is a key factor in economic development and job creation. This months meeting in Chattanooga will feature national education experts who have studied this issue. While it is important to hear from educators, it also is important to hear from business leaders on this subject. Certainly, educators have talked extensively with business people to help those in higher education understand the needs of business. But when do we get to hear directly from business and industry leaders themselves on the issue? Conferences such as the one in Chattanooga tend toward having educators talk to other educators and politicians. http://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20120619/OPINION/306190003/Our-View-Haslam-can-lead-way-improvinghigher-ed?nclick_check=1 (SUBSCRIPTION)

Editorial: SCORE on the state's education slipping (Daily News Journal)

We believe Gov. Bill Haslam was on the right track when he commissioned an education foundation to study the states current teacher evaluation system. Now that SCORE, or the State Collaborative on Reforming Education, is back with recommendations for improvement, we just hope adjustments are made quickly before we lose any more good educators. Last year was the first in which Tennessee teachers were subjected to an evaluation system rushed through the legislature as the state vied for federal Race to the Top funds for schools. States had to submit plans for education reform to qualify for the grant. Tennessee and Delaware were the first two to receive the funding. But the money wasnt worth what were going through now. After undergoing training required for the new system, several local principals retired last fall. This summer, even more have handed in their notices after conducting six observations each during the past school year for new teachers, four for returning. It was a pace that left principals little time after the paperwork to run their schools. http://www.dnj.com/article/20120619/OPINION/306170064/Our-View-SCORE-state-s-education-slipping? odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE&nclick_check=1 (SUBSCRIPTION)

Sam Stockard: Congressional hearing smells like campaign stop (DNJ)

The field congressional hearing held Monday at MTSU was missing one thing: There was hardly a Democrat in the joint, unless you count the one sitting by himself in the corner of S102 of the Business and Aerospace Building. Blame it on the dramatic shift in Tennessee and Rutherford County politics over the last decade. Republicans control the state Legislature, governors office and congressional delegation. Or, you could sense the possibility that this was a political event. Considering that Republican U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa of California included a jab at President Barack Obama in the press release for the official event, it might have been a partisan affair. Were going to Tennessee to hear directly from those on the ground who are surviving in this stifling regulatory environment because the private sector is not doing fine, Issa stated last week. Congressman Scott DesJarlais office said last week it was a bipartisan event and that U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper was invited but couldnt attend. U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, a Memphis liberal, probably couldnt come either. That left Issa, who was flanked on the dais by 4th Congressional District U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais and 6th Congressional District Rep. Diane Black. http://www.dnj.com/article/20120619/OPINION/306180044/Stockard-column-Congressional-hearing-smells-likecampaign-stop?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE&nclick_check=1 (SUBSCRIPTION)

Charlie Daniel Political Cartoon: Least We Can Do (Knoxville News-Sentinel)

http://media.knoxnews.com/media/img/photos/2012/06/18/061912charlie_t607.jpg

Editorial: Council should pass Metro budget (Tennessean)

The Metro Council should approve a budget that will invest in our public schools and public safety, even though an unpopular rate hike will result. The council is down to the vote that counts tonight on the 2012-13 budget after its two mandated, though perfunctory, votes over the past several weeks. Mayor Karl Dean and his supporters have worked hard to sell a budget that invests heavily in Metro Nashville Public Schools, maintains an increased police presence and gives Metro employees a wage increase. A hard sell has been necessary, because the investments will require a 13 percent tax increase. What will a proposed increase of 53 cents in property taxes address? Schools. Nashvilles core problem, its public schools, must step up the pace of improvement. Getting our schools to perform, and for that performance to be widely perceived, is essential for the long-term health of the community. Economic development, expanded tax base and continued growth are dependent on a school system that attracts a diverse range of families to live, work, shop and play in the county. And while the school system is making progress on performance, there are miles to go. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120619/OPINION01/306190017/Council-should-pass-Metro-budget? odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7COpinion%7Cp&nclick_check=1 (SUBSCRIPTION)

Karl Dean: School, safety needs too great for growing city to cut back (Tennessean)
I have taken time over the last several weeks to visit places in our city that will directly benefit from my proposed 10

budget plan. I went to Stratford High School and several elementary and middle schools in Southeast Davidson County that greatly need expansions and renovations. I visited the Madison Police Precinct, which opened this past January and allowed us to reduce the North Precinct coverage area by one-third. Creating this precinct was only possible because of 50 officer positions we added under a federal COPS grant positions we will need to fund starting with this budget if we want to keep the precinct open. I walked a stretch of road along Baptist World Center Drive in much need of sidewalks and structural repairs just one of many such roads throughout Nashville. And I visited the Bellevue Branch Library, a woefully undersized facility for that growing community, which we plan to replace with a modern, much larger building. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120619/OPINION03/306190014/School-safety-needs-too-great-growingcity-cut-back?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7COpinion%7Cp&nclick_check=1 (SUBSCRIPTION)

Times Editorial: Positive step on immigration (Chattanooga Times Free-Press)

President Barack Obama's announcement that his administration will halt deportations and start granting work permits to certain younger illegal immigrants who arrived in the United States as young children is a sensible response to a festering national issue. Predictably, no everyone agrees with the decision that could affect as many as 800,000 individuals. Predictably, the loudest protests about the executive order that establishes the policy came from the far right and from Republican stalwarts. Almost uniformly, those opposed to the decision say it is an unacceptable use of administrative authority, that it circumvents the will and wishes of Congress, that it rewards what remains an illegal act and that it is a blatant political act to win favor with a voting bloc vital to the president's re-election. A closer examination of the new policy suggests that it is hardly as draconian as those opposed to it would have the public believe. The new rules do not provide blanket amnesty to any group of illegal immigrants as some have charged. It, in fact, strictly limits those covered to individuals whose lives, actions and achievements identify them as highly likely to serve the short- and long-term interests of the nation. That's certainly a fair and useful measuring-stick. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/jun/19/chattanooga-positive-step-on-immigration/?opiniontimes

Free-Press Editorial: Immigration is a state issue, too (Times Free-Press)

It's more than a tad galling for Alberto Gonzales, the former attorney general of the United States, to lecture Southeastern states on the fact that America's "immigration process is broken, and our immigration strategy is at best outdated and at worst ineffective." Of course, his statement is of the no-duh variety. But it's galling because even as Gonzales, who served under President George W. Bush, and other officials at an immigration forum in Atlanta were acknowledging the sorry state of the federally run immigration system, they were telling the states to butt out of the issue. In their dreams. Washington's, shall we say, drowsy approach to illegal immigration is what saddled the United States with an estimated 11 million to 20 million illegal aliens -- quite a few of whom take jobs that otherwise might be filled by U.S. citizens or by lawful immigrants. But of perhaps greater direct concern to state governments are the billions of dollars they have spent on health care and other social services for those who are in this country illegally. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/jun/19/immigration-a-state-issue-too-chattanooga/?opinionfreepress

Editorial: Obama's order was right step (Commercial Appeal)

American immigration policy has become skewed toward concentrating on the immigrants we don't want at the expense of concentrating on those we do. One example: The best and the brightest from all over the world come here to study, especially in fields like engineering and the hard sciences where there's a dearth of young Americans. The foreign students perform admirably and then, instead of making it easy for them to stay and put their talents to work here, we send them home, and then our bureaucracy makes it hard for them to return as permanent residents. Here's a more down-to-earth example: Some young Hispanic adults, who have graduated from college with specialty degrees such as accounting, are opting to work in low-wage jobs or in construction, where background checks are not as stringent. Some high school graduates are bypassing college for the same reason. President Barack Obama took a small but important step last week by offering some young illegal immigrants a means of staying in the country. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/jun/19/editorial-obamas-order-was-right-step/ (SUBSCRIPTION)

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