Politics

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP/WMOT) — Is the section of the federal Defense of Marriage Act that says marriage is between only a man and a woman constitutional?

The United States Supreme Court will be taking up that issue Wednesday.

Justices are looking at the case of a New York woman who sued to challenge a $363,000 federal estate tax bill after the woman she married died in 2009. Had Edith Windsor married a man, the estate tax bill would have been zero.

The case is being followed closely by Tennesseans on both sides of the issue.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam has announced that he will not pursue expanding the state's Medicaid program to help cover the uninsured as part of the federal Affordable Care Act.

Haslam says he made the decision knowing that it will have serious consequences for the state’s uninsured citizens, and some of the state’s smaller hospitals.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) —  The Tennessee House has passed an updated version of the state’s controversial voter photo ID bill.

The House approved the new measure on a 65-30 vote Monday evening. Last week a House committee removed public university student photo ID from the measure’s list of approved voter ID.

Rep. Glen Casada of Franklin says he worries about the integrity of student documents.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP/WMOT) — This may be the week that Governor Haslam announces whether he will support expanding Medicaid in Tennessee.

Proponents say the money for expanding Medicaid on offer from the federal government is too good a deal to pass up. But detractors point to Tennessee’s failed experiment to expand TennCare in the 1990s as evidence that Washington is an unreliable partner.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) —  An effort is under way again this legislative session to change Tennessee's Open Meetings Law.

Local officials complain the current law is so restrictive, they can’t even get together for a barbecue. Some officials say they’d like to be able to meet in small groups as long as a quorum isn’t present.

Frank Gibson directs the Tennessee Open Meetings Association. He says the current law doesn’t need to be changed, officials just need to be educated about its requirements.