Tom Humphrey

• Tom Humphrey: State's business is the media's business, despite Haslam's ire Published 05/19/2013 at 3 a.m.

  Things haven’t been go ing all that well for Gov. Bill Haslam’s administration lately on the media attention front, so maybe it was understandable that he expressed irritation last week when asked about ties to an East Tennessee developer who ...

• Tom Humphrey: Tensions might be because of speakers looking to future Published 05/12/2013 at 3 a.m.

  House-Senate hostility is nothing new in Legislatorland, but the basis of tensions that led to the flare-up in the waning days of the first Republican supermajority session just might be more fundamental — and thus more enduring — than the ...

• Tom Humphrey: Amid tax-cutting boasts, new levies sneak out Published 05/06/2013 at 4 a.m.

  Most folks didn’t notice, but the Tennessee General Assembly imposed a new tax on some Tennessee businesses during its recently-completed 2013 session and raised taxes on a few others.

• Tom Humphrey: Legislators receive more awards for political pursuits Published 05/05/2013 at 3 a.m.

  More 2013 supermajority session superlatives:

• Tom Humphrey: It really wasn't an honor for politicians just to be nominated Published 04/28/2013 at 3 a.m.

  Some superlative legislative performances during the first supermajority session of Tennessee’s 108th General Assembly:

• Tom Humphrey: Does voucher issue show Haslam is too clever for legislators? Published 04/13/2013 at 2 p.m.

  A couple of observations scribbled in a notebook while lost in Legislatorland:

• Tom Humphrey: Casada plan gives caucuses spending, fundraising power Published 04/06/2013 at 6:46 p.m.

  While one bold plan to enhance to the political power of the Legislature’s partisan caucuses sank into the 2013 session sunset last week amid considerable media clamor and political rhetoric, a subtle plan with the same general goal was quietly ...

• Tom Humphrey: Coordination would make visits to Capitol much more productive Published 03/17/2013 at 3 a.m.

  A time-honored ritual for the lords and ladies of Legislatorland is welcoming various groups of common citizens to the state castle, um, Capitol for a Day On The Hill, wherein they are granted audiences with the elected nobility to present ...

• Tom Humphrey: Legislators make point in overruling local governments Published 03/10/2013 at 3 a.m.

  Local governments shouldn’t be allowed to play with knives, according to a bill pending before the General Assembly. And there are several pieces of legislation declaring, to one degree or another, that the federal government shouldn’t be trusted to handle ...

• Tom Humphrey: Legislative speed requires care by GOP supermajority Published 03/03/2013 at 3 a.m.

  By standards of legislative speed of the not-too-distant past, the so-called “guns in parking lots” bill roared through the General Assembly at a breakneck pace, crossing the finish line at just one month after starting.

• Carr picks up Fleischmann's former campaign director Published 05/24/2013 at 10:09 p.m.

  NASHVILLE — Former state Republican Chairman John “Chip” Saltsman, who ran the successful 2010 campaign of U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann in Tennessee’s 3rd Congressional District, has signed up for the same role in state Rep. Joe Carr’s campaign for the ...

• Dick Barry, former state House speaker and former journalist, dead at age 89 Published 05/23/2013 at 6:50 p.m.

  William Logan “Dick” Barry, who served as speaker of the state House of Representatives in the 1960s and then as executive assistant to Gov. Buford Ellington, has died in a Lexington, Tenn., nursing home at age 89, according to friends.

• Legislative panel OKs state's first set of 'fracking' regulations Published 05/22/2013 at 9:04 p.m.

  NASHVILLE — A legislative committee Wednesday approved Tennessee’s first regulations for the use of “fracking” to extract oil and natural gas from wells after hearing several environmentalist complain the rules don’t go far enough.

• Poll: Tennesseans favor Haslam, Medicaid expansion, against Internet tax, 'Obamacare' Updated 05/21/2013 at 9:28 p.m.

  NASHVILLE — A growing majority of Tennesseans support expansion of Medicaid within the state though most at the same time have an unfavorable impression of the federal law that authorizes expansion, according to a Vanderbilt University poll released Tuesday.

• Haslam to highlight bills during ceremonial signings in East Tennessee Published 05/19/2013 at 5:59 p.m.

  NASHVILLE — Gov. Bill Haslam officially signed scores of bills into law last week, ranging from a $32.8 billion state budget to an overhaul of liquor manufacturing laws, and this week he will take part in ceremonial signings on the ...

• Candidates failed to report 181 PAC, corporate contributions Published 05/19/2013 at 4 a.m.

  NASHVILLE — Some of the Legislature’s top leaders were among more than 50 candidates who failed to report 181 political contributions totaling $145,875 when the Registry of Election Finance conducted an annual “crosscheck” review mandated by a current state law.

• UT President Joe DiPietro, Stacey Campfield spar over 'Sex Week' Published 05/17/2013 at 4 a.m.

  NASHVILLE — University of Tennessee President Joe DiPietro defended the Knoxville campus’s spring “Sex Week” program under critical questioning Thursday from state Sen. Stacey Campfield in a legislative hearing.

• Rep. Faison says he'll push for lowering DUI level to 0.05 Published 05/15/2013 at 6:23 p.m.

  NASHVILLE — State Rep. Jeremy Faison says he will sponsor legislation next year to lower the legal standard for a presumption of drunken driving in Tennessee from 0.08 blood alcohol content to 0.05 as recommended by the National Transportation Safety ...

• 28 planning commissioners avoid Tennessee Ethics Commission penalty Published 05/14/2013 at 6:22 p.m.

  NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Ethics Commission has decided against penalizing 28 planning commissioners around the state who filed financial disclosures late, while voting to levy fines of $10,000 each against three who failed to file any report at all.

• Sponsors vow to revise, bring back vetoed 'Ag Gag' bill Published 05/13/2013 at 9:47 p.m.

  NASHVILLE — Sponsors of livestock surveillance legislation known as the “Ag Gag” bill say they will let stand Gov. Bill Haslam’s veto and instead seek passage of a revised version next year.

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