Tagged: 2013 TN General Assembly

The Tennessee House has passed a bill banning most warrantless surveillance by unmanned drones, but added a last-minute exemption for events featuring large crowds.

The chamber voted 91-0 Thursday in favor of the bill sponsored by Republican Rep. James "Micah" Van Huss, who is a former Marine with experience piloting drones.

A proposal to freeze Tennessee's beer tax is headed to Gov. Bill Haslam for his consideration.

The measure was approved in the House Wednesday. The Senate passed it earlier this week.

Tennessee's beer taxes outstrip any other state's because the bulk of the levy is based on price rather than volume. The more a beer costs, the higher the taxes that must be paid to buy it.

A proposal that would create a special panel to authorize charter schools in several Tennessee counties is advancing in the House.

The measure sponsored by Republican Rep. Mark White was approved on a voice vote in the House Finance Committee Wednesday and will now be scheduled for a vote by the full House. 

A bill seeking to ban cameras in polling places has died for the year amid concerns that voters wouldn't be able to document problems.

Republican Rep. Terri Lynn Weaver withdrew the bill Tuesday after lengthy debate spanning several meetings of the House State Government Committee. 

State Election Coordinator Mark Goins suggested at an earlier meeting that the bill would prevent people from presenting photographs of their votes for pay. He later acknowledged he had no evidence of such schemes occurring in Tennessee. 

A proposal that would create a special panel to authorize charter schools in five of the Tennessee's lowest performing counties appears to be struggling in the legislature.

The measure was delayed in the Senate Finance Committee Tuesday after members expressed concerns about the need for a new entity that will pay its executive director more than $100,000.  Currently local school boards decide whether to authorize a charter application.