What's New on the Hill - Feb 24, 2023
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The effort in the push to close primary elections in Tennessee has become the first Republican sponsored bill killed this session. The proposed change has long been a priority of the GOP’s state executive committee, and party chair Scott Golden spoke in favor of the bill before it cleared a subcommittee last week. But when the measure came up in the Local Government Committee on Tuesday, it was defeated on a voice vote.
National Political Conventions
in Nashville?
Mayor John Cooper sent letters to the Republican and Democratic national committees Thursday evening to say Nashville will bid on hosting a national political convention in 2028.
This happens after Metro Council had rejected a proposal for Nashville to host the RNC 2024 convention, leading to pushback from Republican legislators who have moved to cut the size of Metro Council in half.
Ardent launches innovation studio: 'The health care world is changing, we have to change too'
Last month, Ardent Health Services announced a partnership with fellow Nashville-based firm SwitchPoint Ventures to launch an innovation studio focused on using data to create products that improve health care delivery and administration.
Once products are developed, they will be deployed across Ardent’s system of 30 hospitals and 200 sites of care, with the goal of spinning them out as independent companies.
Ardent joins Brentwood-based LifePoint Health in a growing trend of hospital operators looking to develop their own solutions to inefficiencies and gaps in health care. LifePoint launched its in-house innovation studio, 25m Health, in 2021 with $20 million in seed money in a partnership with private equity firm Apollo Global Management.
Ardent’s studio builds on an existing relationship with SwitchPoint — which builds artificial intelligence platforms for businesses — that began two years ago, when the duo developed Winnow, an AI platform for clinician recruitment that uses predictive analytics to help Ardent source, recruit and retain health care workers.
We recently spoke with Ardent CEO Marty Bonick and SwitchPoint CEO Ray Guzman to learn how they plan to identify solvable problems and how they’ll test them inside Ardent hospitals.
TENNESSEE TALK
Senate Republican Caucus Chair Ken Yager of Kingston has been named Man of the Year by the Tennessee Men’s Health Network. The group cited Yager’s decision to publicly discuss his treatment for prostate cancer and his advocacy for early detection of the disease that kills about 600 people in the state every year.
Alice Rolli, the campaign manager for Republican U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander’s final re-election campaign in 2014, announced she will run for Nashville mayor this year.
Gov. Bill Lee raised $1.4 million for the inauguration celebrations for his second term. About $871,200 came from 167 companies and PACs, 93 of which gave maximum contributions of $7,500. They included HCA, FedEx, Amazon, Berretta, Eastman Chemical, Reynolds American, CoreCivic, Ryman Hospitality, the Tennessee Titans, Advance Financial, and Vanderbilt University. Also maxing out were the state associations representing road builders, Realtors, hospitals, nurses, railroads, doctors, rural communications cooperatives, bankers, liquor wholesalers, and insurors.
On February 6 as part of his State of the State address, Governor Bill Lee previewed a tax bill intended to reinforce Tennessee’s reputation as a business- and investment-friendly state. The full text of the governor’s tax bill has been released; linked below is a brief summary of what is included.
FLASHBACK FRIDAY
Meagan pictured with State Senator Becky Massey was awarded Legislator of the year 5 years ago
Estie and Senator Massey from 2012. Long-time friend of HFGR
In the News
Tennessee Awards Over $5 Million in Grow Your Own Subgrants for Teacher Apprenticeship Programs
The Tennessee Department of Education and the Tennessee Grow Your Own Center have announced the awarding of over $5 million in subgrant funding to five educator preparation providers (EPPs), in order to expand the state's Teacher Apprenticeship programs. These five EPPs are Austin Peay State University, Lincoln Memorial University, Arete Memphis Public Montessori, Lipscomb University, and the University of Memphis. This initial subgrant funding is to assist with the program launch, candidate enrollment, and institutional costs.
local3news.com - Feb. 21, 2023
Tennessee legislature passes ban on gender-transition health care for minors
Tennessee House Republicans on Thursday overwhelmingly passed a ban on gender-transition health care for minors, which will require transgender children to end their current medical treatment by March 2024.
The bill prohibits children from receiving puberty blockers, hormone therapies or surgical procedures.
tennessean.com - Feb.23, 2023
Business, nonprofit execs appeal to GOP leaders: reset 'increasingly adversarial relationship' with Metro
The letter is one of the few public signs of anyone in Nashville's business community defending the city to state lawmakers, though multiple sources tell the Business Journal that other conversations have been happening in private meetings. Less than a week ago, Mayor John Cooper and Butch Spyridon, CEO of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp., co-signed a letter signaling the city's intent to bid on hosting a political convention for the 2028 presidential election.
bizjournals.com - Feb.23, 2023
LIST: Former presidents who called Tennessee home
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — As the nation honors Presidents’ Day, we’re taking a closer look at the three U.S. presidents who once called Tennessee home.
wjhl.com - Feb. 20, 2023
Senate Advances Voucher Expansion
Despite Gov. Bill Lee’s original promise that school vouchers would be confined to Memphis and Nashville for the first five years of the program, the Tennessee State Senate advanced a proposal that would expand the voucher program into Hamilton County and pave the way for further expansion of school vouchers.Read more...
tnedreport.com - Feb. 21, 2023
Tennessee Republicans propose expanding concealed carry from handguns to all firearms
Legislation to expand enhanced and concealed carry laws in the state passed its first hurdle on Tuesday despite Tennessee Highway Patrol and the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security raising concerns about its implications for public safety and law enforcement.Read more..
tennessean.com - Feb. 22, 2023
‘Are we really going to fail those students?’: TN lawmakers hear from educators on revising third-grade retention law
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — On Wednesday, Tennessee lawmakers heard from current and former educators about the potential impacts of the recently passed third-grade retention law if it is not revised. For months, teachers and parents have been pushing state lawmakers to revoke or change the state law that would hold third graders back a year if they didn’t get a certain score on the state’s reading test. Read more..
www.wkrn.com - Feb. 22, 2023