Speaking Politically (through Jan. 30, 2022)
While this session of the State Legislature has just started, representatives for Giles and surrounding continues have been busy filing proposed bills.
State Sen. Joey Hensley R-Hohenwald from the 28th District and 70th District State Rep. Clay Doggett R-Pulaski also will see changes in district boundaries, assuming Doggett is re-elected in November. Hensley’s term does not expire for two more years.
Both have filed legislation dealing with requiring hospitals, clinics and persons, including doctors and nurses, who aid a person suffering from a drug overdose to report the incident to the appropriate chief of police or sheriff and district attorney general.
The house bill is 1905. No number was available for the senate bill.
A member of the Senate Education Committee, Hensley filed several bills that would come before the committee.
Several bills, mostly introduced by Hensley and passed on first consideration, follow. Information is on the Tennessee Legislative website.
• SB 1775 authorizes the state board of education to revise or reject, instead of only adopt, standards recommended for adoption by the Standards Recommendation Committee.
• SB 1829 requires the state board of education, in consultation with the state department of education, to develop an alternative graduation pathway for high school students interested in pursuing technical training or a technical career after graduation; authorizes the commissioner of education to waive graduation requirements if compliance would delay or impair a student’s ability to pursue technical training or technical career goals.
• SB 1830 requires local boards of education to allow up to 10 people to speak on any topic related to the board for at least three minutes per person at each public meeting and to allow people to submit written comments.
• SB 1831 requires the state education commissioner to employ three assistant commissioners to provide specialized support to local education agencies.
• SB 1833 changes the grades from 9-12 to kindergarten through grade 12 that an eligible professor of higher education may teach pursuant to a special license issued by the state department of education.
• SB 1834 requires TCAP tests to be administered in a paper format for students un grades three through eight; allows the commissioner of education to determine whether end-of-course assessments must be administered in a computerized, online or paper format; allow an LEA or public charter school to administer end-of-course assessments on paper if it objects to administering end-of-course assessments by computer or on-line.
• SB 1835 requires a person appointed by the governor to serve as the commissioner of education to be confirmed by the general assembly by joint resolution to serve as the chief executive officer of the department; requires the commissioner to submit his strategic plan for the department to the state board of education fo approval.
• SB 1836 requires authorization for students in grades seven and eight to enroll in couse access program courses; removes the authority of the state board of education to approve and adopt more enrollment requirements for program courses; authorizes the state board to establish more grounds and requirements for excluding courses from the course access catalog.
• SB 1838 divides the appointment authority for nine state board of education members representing as many congressional districts to allow the governor, speaker of the senate and speaker of the house to appoint three each, starting July 1, 2022.
• SB 1861 requires the commissioner of education to withhold part of the state education funds that a local education agency is otherwise eligible to receive if the LEA fails or refuses a student’s gender, to participate in school sports, by the student’s sex at birth; exempts an LEA that fails or refuses to determine a student’s gender to participate in school sports, by the student’s sex at the time of birth, if the LEA’s failure is required by a court or other legally binding order.
• SB 1862 prohibits males from participating in public education sports that are designated for females; creates a cause of action for violations that deprive a student of an athletic opportunity or that cause direct or indirect harm to middle school, high school and post secondary school students.
• SB 1863 authorizes beyond the 2021-22 school year, the commissioner of education to issue temporary endorsement exemptions and temporary endorsement exemptions and temporary teaching permits for individuals to teach certain courses and subjects.
• SB 1864 authorizes a teacher with a valid temporary teaching permit to receive a practioner license for the course or subject areas for which the temporary permit was issued if the teacher satisfies certain requirements.
Announcement
Kip Capley, who moderated a recent panel discussion on COVID 19 vaccines in Giles County, is running for the state republican party state representative nomination for District 71, right next to District 70, represented by Doggett.
A get together at which Capley announced his candidacy was held in Columbia. One cohost was Dr. Manny Sethi, who ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate seat held by Bill Haggerty.