The Maury County Chamber and Economic Alliance has an advocacy partnership with the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, Rutherford County Chamber, Hendersonville Area Chamber and the Dickson County Chamber. This advocacy partnership provides the means for an expanded and more influential effort to advocate on issues that are important to the business community of Middle Tennessee.
2023 Legislative Updates
Week of April 17th, 2023 – The legislature adjourned Friday evening after completing its business for the first half of the 113th General Assembly. Within hours of adjournment, Governor Lee announced that he will call a special session on public safety. He said the following in his announcement:
“After much input from members of the General Assembly and discussions with legislative leadership, we have decided to call a special session to continue our work to protect Tennessee communities and preserve constitutional rights.” Click here to read the full update.
Week of April 10th, 2023 – Governor Bill Lee signed Executive Order 100 this week aimed at strengthening background checks for gun purchases. The Governor also encouraged legislators to consider order of protection gun legislation to keep firearms out of the hands of potentially dangerous individuals.
Despite the calls from the Governor to consider legislation before the end of this legislative session, the legislature is working to adjourn by the end of this week. An adjournment this week would require the General Assembly to pass the state’s budget early this week, in addition to determining the fate of the active legislation that has not yet passed this session. Click here for an update on legislative items of interest.
Week of April 3rd, 2023 – Conversations about legislation this week were largely overshadowed by the resolutions to expel Representatives Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville), Justin Jones (D-Nashville), and Justin Pearson (D-Memphis) after they protested for gun reform from the well of the House floor last Thursday. This Thursday, Rep. Jones and Rep. Pearson, the two youngest members of the TN Black Caucus of State Legislators, were each expelled on 72 – 25 and 69 – 26 votes respectively. Rep. Johnson’s expulsion resolution failed 65 – 30, falling one vote short of the necessary two-thirds required for passage. Click here for an update on legislative items of interest.
Week of March 27th, 2023 – It was a somber week in Nashville and at the legislature following the horrific shootings at Nashville’s Covenant School. Legislators on Monday opted to forego its usual business at its floor sessions, instead using the time to pray and honor the victims of the tragedy. Regular business continued Tuesday, and the week ended Thursday with thousands gathered at the Capitol to protest gun violence.
Thursday’s legislative session came to a head when Representatives Justin Jones (D-Nashville), Justin Pearson (D-Memphis), and Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville) commandeered the legislative podium, chanting into bullhorns at protestors in the gallery above. After a 45-minute recess, both Democratic and Republican leadership worked to quell the situation, and the three legislators were eventually escorted from the podium. Punishment for Jones, Pearson, and Johnson is still to be determined, with options ranging from expulsion to committee removal.
Governor Lee announced Friday night that he will propose millions of dollars in spending on stronger school safety measures, including placing a school resource officer at every public school. Lt. Gov. Randy McNally has indicated he would support red flag gun laws, but specific proposals won’t be made clear until early next week. Click here to view the legislative items of interest that are being tracked this week.
Week of March 20th, 2023 – The legislature seems poised to adjourn at the end of April, leaving budget-related conversations for the last month of the legislative session. Lt. Gov. Randy McNally overwhelmingly survived a vote of confidence amongst his republican colleagues in the Senate this week, so the upper chamber will not see any leadership changes this year. Click here for information on the bills we are actively following.
Week of March 13, 2023 – Several committees in the Senate and House will hold their last meetings this week, and the Governor’s budget amendment is expected to arrive the first week of April. As legislators aim to finish the legislative session by May, there are still several major legislative issues that are sure to dominate committee conversations, including bills to change the composition of several of Nashville’s authority boards, legislation related to the possession of firearms, and compromises on abortion legislation. Read the full update here.
Week of March 6th, 2023 – The state legislature is at the halfway point of the first session of the 113th Tennessee General Assembly. Several headline-drawing pieces of legislation, including the bill to cut the size of Nashville’s Metro Council, have been signed by the Governor, leaving room for final budget discussions. Click here for information on the bills we are actively following.
Week of February 27th, 2023 – Click here to view the legislative items of interest that are being tracked this week.
Week of February 20th, 2023 – Legislation continues to move through committees, with some committee chairmen announcing that their last calendars will be taken up in the next two weeks. Departments and agencies continue to present their budget proposals to committees, and budget discussions will soon dominate conversations at Cordell Hull Building. Click here to read the full update.
Week of February 13th, 2023 – The legislature had a busy week on Capitol Hill as committees addressed major legislative items and departments presented their budgets. President’s Day will create a short week for the legislature, but the week will not be short on the action due to the high volume of bills that are scheduled to be heard in two days. Click here to view the legislative items of interest.
Week of February 6th, 2023 – Governor Bill Lee held his fifth State of the State address on Monday, unveiling his budget and legislative priorities for the year. His $55.6 billion proposed budget included major investments in transportation and infrastructure, education, and economic development and tax relief. Read more here.
Week of January 30th, 2023 – Both the House and the Senate began in earnest this week, as each chamber’s committees met to conduct business. Governor Bill Lee’s 5th State of the State Address will take place Monday, which will provide insight into the Governor’s budgetary priorities this fiscal year. Click here for legislative budget information, dates of importance, and legislation that we are actively monitoring.
Week of January 23rd, 2023 – The amount of filed bills and resolutions nearly doubled this week in anticipation of the bill-filing deadline. As a result, plenty of caption bills are expected to accommodate the January 31 deadline, which will result in more amendments during the active legislative session. Click here to read the full update.
Week of January 16th, 2023 – Following last week’s organizational session, the legislature remained largely quiet in preparation for Governor Bill Lee’s Inaugural ceremonies. The House Finance Committee began departmental budget hearings this week, and bills continued to be filed by legislators in anticipation of the rapidly approaching filing deadlines. The House will not meet next week, but Senate Committees will briefly meet to address organizational matters. Click here to read the full update.
Week of January 9th, 2023 – The first week of the 113th Tennessee General Assembly has concluded! Members of the House and Senate gathered with their families at the Capitol on Tuesday for their swearing in and spent the rest of the week on organizational matters to start the year. Constitutional officers and legislative leadership were elected, and new legislative committees were announced. Click here to view the weekly legislative update for more information about the organizational session, dates of importance, and the legislative items of interest we are watching.
Maury County State & Local Legislative Agenda
Members from all partnering chambers were given the opportunity to participate in an annual policy survey at the end of 2022 which helped shape the Legislative Agenda below.
AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE BUSINESS CAN PROSPER
- Support state and local business incentives and tools that make Tennessee competitive with other states while emphasizing transparency, accountability, and a return on investment.
- Support the prioritization of the rights of private property owners when changes to zoning are proposed.
- Support legislation that allows businesses to make their own decision on how they regulate employees and customers.
- Support a state-specific solution to provide more access and affordability to healthcare to provide a healthier, more productive workforce and to alleviate healthcare costs to businesses.
TALENT DEVELOPMENT OF THE REGION’S WORKFORCE
- Support the collaboration of the Alliance with Maury County Schools, Columbia State, and TCATs to develop region-specific programs to meet workforce needs.
- Support the state holding local school districts accountable for turning around low performing schools and reaching student achievement goals.
- Support strategies to reach the state’s college completion goal of 55 percent of Tennesseans with postsecondary credentials by prioritizing funding for early postsecondary opportunities such as dual enrollment, apprenticeships, and industry certification.
- Support common-sense changes to provide opportunities for individuals leaving incarceration to return to the workforce and be productive citizens.
QUALITY OF LIFE THAT ATTRACTS AND RETAILS RESIDENTS AND WORKERS
- Support the collaboration of the local governments within Maury County to address the challenges that citizens face every day.
- Support planning and new funding sources to adequately account for growth, including regional and local infrastructure.
- Support programs and policies that promote housing affordability
- Support policies to provide more access to quality, affordable childcare.
Approved by the Maury Alliance Board of Directors on November 10th, 2022. Click here to download.