Politics

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander is scheduled to make four public appearances this week in Tennessee.

Alexander's office in Washington says he is the keynote speaker at the Better Business Bureau's annual lunch in Chattanooga on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, Alexander is scheduled to appear at an economic and community development event in Kingsport.

Later that day, the Republican senator will discuss four principles for a competitive energy future at the Tennessee Valley Corridor Summit in Oak Ridge.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Governor Bill Haslam has signed two bills that received a lot of attention in the most recent legislative session.

Haslam announced today that he's signed the latest revision to Tennessee's ignition interlock law. It will now apply to more drunken drivers.

Currently, ignition-locking devices, which force drivers to pass breath tests to start vehicles and keep them running, are required for DUI offenders whose blood alcohol level topped 0.15 percent.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee’s attorney general says legislation requiring anyone recording images of animal abuse to submit unedited footage or photos to law enforcement within 48 hours is constitutionally suspect.<?xml:namespace prefix = o />

Attorney General Robert Cooper says in an opinion issued yesterday that the bill is questionable on three grounds, including that its "reporting requirement could be found to constitute an unconstitutional burden on news gathering. "

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP/WMOT) — Longtime state senator Doug Henry will not seek re-election next year.

The Tennessean reports that Henry's political ally attorney Nick Bailey sent an email to Henry's supporters yesterday announcing the 86-year-old Nashville Democrat's decision. Bailey says Henry will serve the remainder of his term.

Henry was the longtime chairman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee until Republicans took control of the upper chamber in 2007 and party spokesman Brandon Puttbrese says his decades of public service are deeply appreciated.