NASHVILLE, Tenn. (OSBORNE)  --  The State of Tennessee is offering a new tool to protect survivors of domestic abuse, human trafficking, stalking, and rape from further harm.

The Tennessee Safe at Home program shields survivors by making their current address and personal information confidential. The state gives residents who qualify a substitute address that can be used legally for any state or local government business.

The new shield program is being administered by Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett.

NASHVILLE, Tenn (OSBORNE)  --  Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee is offering some hard numbers to go along with his policy proposals for the year.

During his first State of the State speech to lawmakers Monday night, Lee proposed an 11 percent increase in spending for the budget year that begins in July.

Education dominated Lee’s presentation. The governor prop  osed $25 million new dollars for vocational education, $35 million for higher education, $12 million for student financial aid, $30 million for school safety and $71 million to fund a 2.5 percent pay raise for teachers.

FRANKLIN, Tenn. (OSBORNE)  --  The City of Franklin will place new historical markers next to the city’s Confederate monument, even though a lawsuit to determine who owns the town square property the statue stands on remains unresolved.

The Daughters of the Confederacy erected the monument in 1899 to honor the more than 1700 Confederate soldiers who died during the 1864 Battle of Franklin.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (OSBORNE)  --  The personal finance website Wallethub.com is out with a study that points out some of Music City’s growing challenges.

The report compares Nashville to the capital cities of the other 49 states using 54 metrics, including affordability, economic well-being, quality of education and quality of life.

Nashville scored better than most of its neighboring states, but still only ranked 18th in the nation.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (OSBORNE)  --  Several controversial bills are moving steadily through the Tennessee General Assembly.

On Tuesday Republican Rep. Micah Van Huss presented a bill to the House Health Committee that would ban all abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected.

Amid gasps, jeers and applause Van Huss defended the measure during questioning by Democratic lawmakers, including Memphis Rep. Barbara Cooper. 

Cooper asked "Are you stating that even in the case of rape, (or) incest, that you are banning or prohibiting an abortion?”