Republican Attorney General Herbert Slatery III will not seek another term — NASHVILLE — With news of Attorney General Herbert Slatery’s imminent departure as the state’s top lawyer, Senate minority leader Jeff Yarbro says the next person to fill the role should ditch the partisanship that’s clouded the office. Here’s the full statement from Sen. Jeff Yarbro, D-Nashville: During General Slatery’s tenure…

Senate Dems celebrate passage of more than 40 new laws — NASHVILLE — The 112th Tennessee General Assembly has closed for legislative business. You may have heard about the record-setting $52.8 billion budget or the one-month grocery tax holiday coming in August, but you probably have not heard about these Democratic bills that passed the Senate. In between extreme partisan attacks…

Saturday event seeks to get Memphians back on the job — MEMPHIS — Memphians looking for work or access to job training could find new opportunities Saturday at the Shelby County Resource Fair hosted by Sen. London Lamar, D-Memphis, and Olympic Career Training Institute. The public fair will feature community partners who are looking for workers and offering job training. …

Sen. Jeff Yarbro aimed to increase school funding by $1 billion this year, match annual pay raise to inflation — NASHVILLE — Before approving next year’s nearly $53 billion state budget today, Republicans rejected amendments from Sen. Jeff Yarbro to increase K-12 school funding by a billion more dollars and match state employee and teacher pay raises to inflation. “It turns out the most important part of a funding formula…

Measure prohibiting discrimination against natural hairstyles could soon move to the governor’s desk for a signature — NASHVILLE — The House of Representatives today passed The CROWN Act, making Tennessee’s statehouse the first in the deep South to approve legislation prohibiting discrimination against natural hairstyles. Senate Bill 136, sponsored by Sen. Raumesh Akbari and Rep. Karen Camper, passed the House Monday on a vote of 50–25. …

Longtime Nashville leader won’t seek re-election after decades of public service — NASHVILLE — Tennessee Sen. Brenda Gilmore — a long-time community advocate and member of the state legislature — will not seek reelection to state Senate District 19 in Nashville. Sen. Gilmore, who has served in the Tennessee General Assembly since 2006, announced her decision this weekend. “After much thought and…

Anti-shackling reform will improve outcomes for babies, Sen. Raumesh Akbari says — NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Senate approved a reform Thursday to improve health outcomes for babies born to moms who are incarcerated. If signed into law, Senate Bill 2769 by Sen. Raumesh Akbari, D-Memphis, would limit the use of restraints on pregnant women, who are incarcerated, during child labor, while in…

Sen. Raumesh Akbari: ‘A richer, more complete story of America’ — NASHVILLE — Tennessee Sen. Raumesh Akbari, D-Memphis, is celebrating passage of the Black History Act. The legislation, which requires school districts to integrate black history and culture lessons into curriculum for students in grades five through eight, passed the Senate today on a vote of 27–3. “Today, the Tennessee General…

Memphis police Chief Cerelyn Davis, community leaders will join discussion — MEMPHIS — Gun violence prevention will be the focus of a town hall hosted Saturday by Tennessee Sen. London Lamar, D-Memphis, who is encouraging the public attend and share their concerns. To enhance the community discussion, the District 33 senator is bringing together Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis; DeAndre Brown…