[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6643964,"mediaKeyId","2531493-f2d837012495443372c2da177f242eed","parentId",2531493,"title","Committee advances a slate of bills on licensing, bank authority, school safety and grants in brief votes","audioSeconds",4470,"startMs",797000,"endMs",5267000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2531493-f2d837012495443372c2da177f242eed&start=797&end=5267","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2531493-f2d837012495443372c2da177f242eed/thumbnail_797000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6643964/Tennessee/Committee-advances-a-slate-of-bills-on-licensing-bank-authority-school-safety-and-grants-in-brief-votes","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6643964-7e1e1a86ff956a4edc46d418ba9b4de5/orig.mp4?Expires=1774897511&Signature=Nn9oj1smWnDnW0VBXRasNn8b33vXYbEZnihoLWM0qP2IBaKFwOxzynhj8fSm4Qabemhc9G-PCM2WRGA06wrpAfRS6SK4H7SJKZcGSyCuxr-YO~hMhKok9pLgDux~Obgqicu937Odmtby~BWP1G2BzyxelKcYerIhLgUAs4pbeONZ-MzX~8-UbZv9scefRVbDk-zN9qNDb1dIc8ZfORXFUbnnZvLz349WKduJ6QxUbFQoLE5UxCyHGscCeujcXWiEywOLQBwlXyW9gyIPdn5PBQ5q7wi-UlZDC3gYD0SLCbmssqABRRDzPRTlX44cTtIpqzIb4vMwlGC2WgsVK-YyHg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","TN House of Representatives","date","2025-03-10T17:40:15.473Z","article","NASHVILLE — The House Government Operations Committee advanced several bills on March 10 by recorded votes. Committee members processed many calendar items with limited debate and recorded the following committee actions:

- House Bill 683 (Leader Lambert): Establishes an enhanced armed-guard license option. Committee vote reported as 11 ayes, 1 no; the clerk recorded the tally and the item moved forward for additional committee consideration.

- House Bill 110 (Leader Cochran): Gives the Commissioner of Financial Institutions statutory authority to require Tennessee state‑chartered banks to maintain deposit insurance and sets standards for deposit requirements. The clerk reported 13 ayes; the bill received a positive recommendation and was advanced to Calendar and Rules.

- House Bill 242 (Chairman Lafferty): Sunset extension for the Department of Financial Institutions to June 30, 2029. The committee recorded a 12‑0 vote to give a positive recommendation.

- House Bill 329 (Representative Martin): Allows Tennessee banks to access a multiple employer welfare arrangement (MEWA) to pool for cost‑effective health insurance; committee vote reported as 14 ayes and advanced to Finance, Ways and Means.

- House Bill 760 (Representative Darby): Allows schools to keep an emergency stock of inhalers for students experiencing asthma attacks. Committee vote reported as 13 ayes; the bill was forwarded to Finance, Ways and Means.

- House Bill 16 (Representative Clemens): Creates the Student Pedestrian Protection Grant Fund housed in the Tennessee Department of Transportation for sidewalk infrastructure near public schools; committee vote reported as 14 ayes and the bill was forwarded to Calendar and Rules.

Committee clerks recorded each vote on the record; most bills were advanced to Finance, Ways and Means or Calendar and Rules as noted above. The committee did not adopt floor amendments on these items during the brief votes and generally limited discussion to sponsor explanations and brief member questions.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Government Operations Committee- March 10, 2025- House Hearing Room 1","oneSentenceSummary","On March 10 the House Government Operations Committee recorded multiple unanimous or near‑unanimous committee votes on bills ranging from an enhanced armed‑guard license to school inhaler access and a student pedestrian protection grant program; most items were forwarded to Finance, Ways and Means or Calendar and Rules.","taxTitle","Government Operations, House of Representatives, Committees, Legislative, Tennessee","taxId",29773,"location","Tennessee","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6643967,"Committee reauthorizes Tennessee Bureau of Investigation until 2029; director outlines one‑year wastewater testing pilot and forensic progress",2857,2398000,5255000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2531493-f2d837012495443372c2da177f242eed&start=2398&end=5255","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2531493-f2d837012495443372c2da177f242eed/thumbnail_2398000.jpg","/articles/6643967/Tennessee/Committee-reauthorizes-Tennessee-Bureau-of-Investigation-until-2029-director-outlines-oneyear-wastewater-testing-pilot-and-forensic-progress","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6643967-5bdbd7d15efde74d09fb8a64056dedbf/orig.mp4?Expires=1774897511&Signature=Xki4ERq1Fen8wSnreEnTE8w2aMJBxSp4yOxijMl8rJpsKYVWcW2uvfdTDIxEc3QFmgZFzgjZa-Sy4UDgkElEqa5pM7vYSQEIUThPv9LDoT6j~AlZC423OcqFWhWHmEwmrtvcN5Pz6zUa47w-H~sXJGd9Y4vCG~Nd3tTfFTBMziAzQ8OE~BwcNhED~5aylQqeqKWobkBD~n4Wc9ppmyumMr8DY3eXAMPk77U0NqRCZU6pGzFv8mCt4ADAGhPnwaYGBgcLijpIplpKWIBUEw5ziXVL2V0WOzzOy-8vBy8Rn9XImOxHAFKMqCH1BLJ~cVrud94DzgyoLdHdc5GRwJ5Juw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","NASHVILLE — The House Government Operations Committee advanced the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's sunset bill to calendar and rules with a positive recommendation on March 10. Chairman Lafferty presented the bill to extend the TBI's authorization through 2029 and the committee heard extended testimony from TBI Director David Rausch and policy director Patrick Power about new operational initiatives.

Director Rausch described a planned one‑year pilot project to test wastewater in selected areas of East Tennessee (including Knoxville). He said the primary purpose is prevention: wastewater sampling can detect the presence and emergence of specific drugs at a neighborhood scale and direct public‑health partners to target education, prevention and treatment resources. \"The idea is what can be done is to determine ... give us advanced notice of drugs that are in systems that are flowing,\" Rausch said. He and Power emphasized that the testing is intended to identify general areas (not specific addresses) and that any limited enforcement use would be narrowly focused and follow legal process.

Power cited past instances where early detection might have helped public-health and first responders, referencing drugs such as xylazine and more recent compounds he described as \"nidazines.\" \"This kind of program would allow us to detect that and get ahead of it a lot sooner instead of waiting for those deaths and waiting for the back end and then responding,\" Power said.

Committee members pressed the TBI on rationale and oversight. Several members asked why local law enforcement could not provide similar information; Rausch said local police are essential partners but that wastewater testing can provide faster, earlier indicators than waiting for overdose data or autopsy results, which can arrive months later. Rausch said the pilot was selected for East Tennessee because of higher overdose and enforcement activity in that region.

Rausch also reported forensic-laboratory performance improvements since additional state funding and staffing. He said the inventory of evidence items awaiting processing fell from 15,940 items in February 2024 to 6,975 items at the time of the hearing. He provided turnaround figures for forensic DNA testing and assault-kit processing: kit-only turnaround times were reported as 5.4 weeks in Nashville, 11.9 weeks in Knoxville and 12.8 weeks in Jackson; for kits with additional items the times were longer, with Nashville at 24.6 weeks, Knoxville at 12.3 weeks and Jackson at 14.2 weeks. The bureau reported a statewide average of about 12.4 weeks across categories.

On funding for the wastewater pilot, Rausch said the project would use opioid‑abatement funds, not general‑fund money. The pilot is one year in duration.

After questions from members, the committee recorded a favorable recommendation to forward the TBI sunset bill. The clerk reported the committee tally as 9 ayes and 0 noes for the motion taken on the record.

The TBI directors asked for continued legislative cooperation on lab capacity, training and staffing; members indicated interest in follow‑up and said lab siting in Memphis/Shelby County and continued improvements in turnaround times were priorities for the committee.","Lawmakers voted to advance the TBI sunset bill with a positive recommendation and heard testimony about a one‑year wastewater testing pilot funded by opioid-abatement dollars to detect emerging drugs earlier; TBI reported shorter forensic turnaround times and a lower evidence backlog after state investments.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6643971,"House committee advances bill to create state directory for vape products amid debate over impacts on retailers and youth access",1836,1720000,3556000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2531493-f2d837012495443372c2da177f242eed&start=1720&end=3556","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2531493-f2d837012495443372c2da177f242eed/thumbnail_1720000.jpg","/articles/6643971/Tennessee/House-committee-advances-bill-to-create-state-directory-for-vape-products-amid-debate-over-impacts-on-retailers-and-youth-access","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6643971-fc07dc78cee65a17ea529bb6a73d38d6/orig.mp4?Expires=1774897511&Signature=KknR28QckzSXGguzu0-SKNyj8DAn7WK5EdBhexOkUMI-7Cw7-HvJ49OJsL9zJnYzL4Mp-VfczLn7uFS4AbaJ~hls6~92GeFwl~2AKQDRyJKRxxgPaZTYGH6FW6Jvuwecc1TifIBPBQXGdTWbWr1mT6jf7pVbEQCOG0xmbw0kiouuIgLpEGm~vDDdrpDJmmBrYNqOdDmUjbk7xyL6B4CNnci7EOMDPPJbAp~AGJQgghebNx66Y5FubpyM~DQuN8IyUAZ7QRa4BVTzH3gIpXtrPY-2F1VuUMHwwuqyTzA91s967~iAM~Fj-PiZ1w2W7smFRnDjiZo479MYl9pN9TNuXA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","NASHVILLE — The House Government Operations Committee voted 12-1 on March 10 to give House Bill 968 a positive recommendation to the Finance, Ways and Means Committee. Sponsor Representative Hawk said the bill \"essentially sets up a directory for vape products\" that would limit retail sales to products the Food and Drug Administration has either authorized or placed on a regulatory pathway, and would require universal age verification.

Committee members debated the bill for more than an hour, focusing on whether the measure would reduce the flow of unregulated disposable vapes into schools and whether it would inadvertently restrict products sold in independent vape shops. \"House bill 968 attempts to stop the influx of illegal Chinese vape products that are addicting our kids and wreaking havoc on our schools,\" Hawk said during his opening remarks.

The bill's sponsor described the measure as a public-health tool intended to remove illegal imports and require retailers to sell only items that have undergone FDA review or are in the agency's review pipeline. \"The universal carding aspect of it is helpful,\" Hawk said, adding that he wants to reduce the inventory of illegal products in the state.

Vape-shop owners and an industry representative testified in opposition during the public-comment period. Terry Livesey, identified as communications director for the Tennessee Smoke Free Association and owner of two stores (Knoxville Vapor and a Sevierville location), said the bill was drafted \"by Big Tobacco\" and would remove most products from independent shelves. \"This bill would put it would remove all of the products from my shelves. It would close my stores,\" Livesey said, and said the majority of products sold in licensed vape shops are U.S.-made open-system e-liquids produced in FDA‑inspected facilities. Livesey also disputed an earlier committee assertion about the size of the FDA list, saying, \"We've seen that list and actually only about 40,\" while others in committee earlier referenced larger lists and different counts.

Committee members questioned how the bill would be implemented in practice. Representative Clemens and others asked whether retailers would be able to identify which products are permitted and whether states would publish a list for retailers. Representative Hawk and members said other states publicly publish products on their lists and that Tennessee would likely do the same.

Lawmakers also raised enforcement and policy questions: whether the bill would meaningfully keep vapes out of students' hands when older individuals can purchase products for minors, and whether revenues or fees created by the measure would be directed toward enforcement or treatment programs. Representative Hardaway asked whether revenues could be directed to substance-abuse programs; Hawk said enforcement would be a substantial portion and said he would work with colleagues and the Department of Mental Health on spending decisions.

The committee recorded the final vote as 12 ayes and 1 no. The clerk reported the outcome and the chair announced that House Bill 968 will proceed to the Finance, Ways and Means Committee for further consideration.

The committee record shows substantial disagreement among witnesses and members on how many products are on the FDA lists and on whether most illegal disposables come from China. The transcript contains both claims that \"90% of these products are coming from China\" and testimony from the industry witness that most products sold in licensed vape shops are U.S.-made open-system products.

Lawmakers did not adopt additional amendments on the committee floor. The committee's action was a positive recommendation; final legislative effect will depend on subsequent committee work and any amendments in later stages.","Lawmakers gave House Bill 968 a positive recommendation to the Finance, Ways and Means Committee after extended debate about whether a state registry tied to the FDA pathway would curb illicit disposables and keep nicotine products away from children; vape shop owners testified the measure could close stores and push users to a black market.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee advances a slate of bills on licensing, bank authority, school safety and grants in brief votes

Committee reauthorizes Tennessee Bureau of Investigation until 2029; director outlines one‑year wastewater testing pilot and forensic progress

House committee advances bill to create state directory for vape products amid debate over impacts on retailers and youth access