Tagged: governor haslam

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT)  --  The 38th annual Tennessee Prayer Breakfast was held Tuesday morning on the campus of Lipscomb University.

The state’s top leadership was scheduled to attend, including Governor Bill Haslam, Lieutenant Governor Ron Ramsey and Speaker of the House Beth Harwell.

The keynote speaker for this year’s breakfast was Phil Vischer, best known as the creator of the award-winning animated Christian video series VeggieTales.  Christian artist Lawrence Thomison was set to provide the musical entertainment along with the Nashville Choir.

FRANKLIN, Tenn. (AP) — Republican Gov. Bill Haslam is expressing exasperation at the flood of "crazy" measures flowing through the Tennessee General Assembly. But instead of taking lawmakers to task, the governor points the finger of blame squarely at the news media.

During a panel discussion this week, Haslam argued that an overhaul of standards in schools has failed to gain the proper attention, while reporters have focused on other matters like a measure to ban students from wearing revealing clothing at school

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A proposal designed to evict Occupy Nashville protesters is headed to the governor for his consideration.

The legislation passed the House 68-21 Monday evening after lawmakers agreed to a change by the Senate, which approved the bill 20-10 last week.

The measure makes it a crime to camp on any state-owned land that’s not specifically designated for camping.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP/WMOT) — Gov. Bill Haslam is abandoning his proposal to do away with average class size restrictions in Tennessee.

The Republican governor's decision Wednesday comes amid fears raised by educators and parents that the change would lead to more classrooms being filled to capacity. 

Here’s what Rutherford County Director of Schools Harry Gill told WMOT about the Governor's bill.

"To expect more, and at the same time increase the load on teachers is ludicrous, and I think that's pretty much the consensus among superintendents."

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee's top Republicans say they want to keep the current method of choosing judges and will introduce a constitutional amendment that would require voter approval.

Gov. Bill Haslam, Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey and House Speaker Beth Harwell announced Wednesday in Nashville that they oppose the popular election of Supreme Court justices and appellate court judges.

FRANKLIN, Tenn. (AP) - Gov. Bill Haslam says he’s working to speed up the environmental permitting system for poultry farms.

The governor noted in a speech to the Farm Bureau in Franklin yesterday that his goal is for the state to strike a balance between environmental stewardship and promoting jobs and production in the agricultural sector.

Poultry is Tennessee's third largest agricultural product, after cattle and soybeans.

(AP) Gov. Bill Haslam says he’ll hold public budget hearings outside the Capitol for the first time when he begins the annual review at the University of Memphis this coming Wednesday.

The governor says he’ll also hold hearings in Knoxville, as well as at the usual site at the state Capitol. Haslam announced the changes in a video posted on YouTube yesterday.

The Governor says his goal is to assemble a budget proposal that can pass unanimously in the General Assembly, just as his first annual spending plan did back in May.