SUNDAY, JANUARY 8, 2012

Haslam Admin’s Report Focuses on ‘Streamlining and Modernizing’ (TN Report) Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bill Hagerty today released the Regulatory Reform Report, an ECD-led review of federal and state rules and regulations impacting businesses. One of the key strategies of the governor’s Jobs4TN economic development plan was to conduct this review with the goal of identifying obstacles to investment. “To reach our goal of becoming the No. 1 state in the Southeast for high quality jobs, we must always be focused on strengthening our attractive business climate to attract and grow Tennessee jobs,” Haslam said. “This regulatory review process was important to identify areas for improvement both through internal and external evaluations.” In conducting the review, ECD surveyed Tennessee business leaders, advocacy groups and state departments to identify federal and state laws, regulations and processes that could have a negative impact on economic development and job creation in the state. http://www.tnreport.com/2012/01/haslam-administrations-new-regulatory-reform-report-focuses-on-streamlining- and-modernizing/

Amazon’s Chattanooga distribution center plans to expand (Times Free- Press/Pare) Already the size of 17 football fields, Amazon’s Chattanooga distribution center is about to get bigger. Fresh off a successful holiday season in which the site became one of Amazon’s busiest in terms of volume of items handled, company officials said plans are to expand operations inside the massive Enterprise South industrial park facility. Work will start this month on an expansion that will add onto an existing second-level mezzanine and boost floor space to about 28 football fields, said Sanjay Shah, the Chattanooga center’s general manager. The space is expected to be ready by midsummer. Cost of the work wasn’t disclosed. “We’re doing the expansion to meet demand,” Shah said in an interview last week that gave the Chattanooga Times Free Press an exclusive first media look inside Amazon’s Chattanooga center. Eventually the expansion will translate to hundreds more jobs, said the UTC graduate who joined Amazon about a year ago and moved back to Chattanooga to run the local facility after working in Texas and India. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/jan/08/amazons-chattanooga-distribution-center-plans-expa/?local

Governor unveils proposal for lowering crime rate (Tennessean) Gov. Bill Haslam on Thursday released a plan to increase penalties for certain violent crimes, tamp down on drug offenses and revamp how felons are supervised in the state. The plan focuses on reducing prescription and methamphetamine drug abuse, decreasing violent crime and cutting the rate at which criminals commit new crimes. It aims to do so through new legislation calling for tougher penalties for gang and drug-related crimes, new administrative moves and an increasing reliance on alternatives to prison. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120108/NEWS01/301080064/Week-review-New-TN-redistricting-maps- would-give-GOP-advantage

Tennessee education board losing staff (Associated Press) Tennessee Board of Education Executive Director Gary Nixon says employees are starting to leave for jobs that pay more. Nixon told The Tennessean that his staff's salary hasn't been adjusted since at least 2004 and now their pay just isn't competitivehttp://tnne.ws/AnboS1 ( ). Nixon says state board of education members tried to approve raises last fall, but the Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration turned down the request. "We had money to cover it and submitted some adjustments," Nixon said. "We got a Post-it Note saying it was denied." The board's former general counsel, Rich Haglund, left his position last year. He was making about $60,000 a year and now makes about $80,000 leading the state Department of Education's charter school office. "I was making less (at the state board) than most of my law school classmates did right out of law school," he said. http://www.tennessean.com/usatoday/article/38289161?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|News|s

New engineering building at UT to open (Associated Press) The is set to open the first new engineering building on its campus in almost 50 years. Faculty began moving into the Min H. Kao Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Building last week. The state-of-the-art, environmentally friendly facility is named after the co-founder of Garmin, a UT alum who gave $12.5 million for the project. The $37.5 million building, which was under construction for nearly three years, will open this week to students, the Knoxville News Sentinel reported (http://bit.ly/ACyQH4 ). College of Engineering associate dean Bill Dunne said some of the features of the 150,000-square-foot building include 11 teaching laboratories, 19 research labs, nine classrooms, more than 100 offices for faculty and graduate students and an auditorium that has network and electric outlets at each of its 135 seats. Officials at the school showed off the brick collegiate gothic building that sits on the corner of Cumberland Avenue and Estabrook Road last week. The building was designed by Bullock, Smith & Partners with Lindsay and Maples Architects. Blaine Construction built the facility.http://www.tennessean.com/usatoday/article/38289137?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|News|s

How did ETSU use stimulus money? (Johnson City Press) Of the roughly $30 million in federal stimulus money East Tennessee State University received, about half was used for facility improvements and half was used to alleviate the impact of budget reversions. ETSU Vice President for Finance and Administration David Collins said the facility improvements made possible by stimulus dollars included the major renovation of Ross Hall, HVAC replacements in 12 buildings, vinyl window replacements in 11 buildings, chemistry lab renovations in Brown Hall and the digital upgrade for the campus radio station WETS-FM 89.5. “The Ross Hall renovation was a dorm we were taking offline,” Collins said. “And we had been working for a year or two trying to figure out how we could accumulate the money, because we knew we wanted it for academic space. And then that (stimulus money) came along and it gave us the money that we needed, so, of course, that created academic space.” Ross Hall is now home to the department of geosciences, the Roan Scholars Leadership Program and the office of research and sponsored programs. The $4 million renovations to the building, which included the installation of an elevator, smart labs, a digital mapmaking room and classrooms, were completed this past summer. http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Living/article.php?id=97327#ixzz1irypu0t7

TN lawmakers gear up for fast session, re-election (Tennessean/Sisk) Lawmakers return to Nashville this week for a legislative session that should be shaped by election-year politics. Republicans hope to build on their nearly two-thirds majority in the General Assembly, but their strategy on how to do that is still being hashed out. Gov. Bill Haslam and leaders in the Senate and House of Representatives have each presented slightly different plans for the year ahead. Meanwhile, less-senior lawmakers are pushing ahead with bills that the Republican leadership might not favor. Lobbyists are trying to force their favored bills onto the agenda, and Democrats are hoping to shake up the political order and score a few legislative victories, despite being deep in the minority. Republican leaders will attempt to strike a balance among these competing interests during a session that could be among the shortest in recent years. “I know there’s been a lot of questions about, ‘Well, the governor says this and somebody in the legislature says something that seems to be at odds with it,’ ” said House Majority Leader Gerald McCormick, R-Chattanooga. “But that’s OK. I think a little creative tension is a good thing.” The legislative session will kick off with a once-in-a-decade scrum over redistricting. Republicans control the process for the first time ever, but with an ample majority in both chambers of the legislature, their biggest challenge will be not spreading themselves too thin in an attempt to pick up more seats. Democrats are believed to have done just that when district lines were last drawn in 2002, setting the stage for the Republican landslide eight years later. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120108/NEWS0201/301080039/TN-lawmakers-gear-up-fast-session-re- election?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

College funds, taxes top Tennessee legislature's agenda (C. Appeal/Locker) Lawmakers face array of issues as session starts The Tennessee legislature reconvenes Tuesday for four months of debate over cutting Hope Scholarships, cutting taxes, altering the public meetings and records laws for local government, broadening gun laws and selling wine in grocery stores. Other top agenda items will include a new $7 million anti-crime initiative proposed last week by Gov. Bill Haslam, how to expand and contract

2 different programs in a $32 billion state budget, and whether to revise some of last year's major actions on evaluating teachers and requiring photo identification to vote. Students and their parents will be watching a plan to require both a 3.0 high school grade-point average and a 21 ACT score to qualify for a full lottery-funded Hope Scholarship. The policy in place since the program began in 2004 requires one or the other but not both. A Senate task force has recommended the tighter standard to deal with annual deficits in the program. But the program's reserves are adequate until at least 2024, and soon after the panel's action, the Tennessee Lottery reported record sales. State officials increased projections of how much money the lottery will generate, calling into question the need for any action this year. But the first order this week is the decennial redrawing of district boundaries for the state Senate, House of Representatives and Tennessee's nine congressional districts. That highly partisan process is to be completed by the end of the week, putting new electoral maps in place for this year's elections that will favor even more gains for Republicans who seized full control of the statehouse in 2010. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/jan/08/college-funds-taxes-top-agenda/ (SUBSCRIPTION)

State lawmakers have their running shoes on (Daily News Journal) Lawmakers return this week for a legislative session that should be shaped by election-year politics. The legislative session will kick off with a once-in-a-decade scrum over redistricting. Republicans control the process for the first time ever, but with an ample majority in both chambers of the legislature, their biggest challenge will be not spreading themselves too thin in an attempt to pick up more seats. Democrats are believed to have done just that when district lines were last drawn in 2002, setting the stage for the Republican landslide eight years later. The previous debate over redistricting was wrapped up by the end of January, with the two parties reaching an agreement that avoided litigation. Things may not go as smoothly this time. After getting their first look at Republican plans for new boundaries for the House and Senate, Democratic leaders began talking lawsuits immediately. The plan pits four pairs of incumbent Democrats against one another and draws several other Democrats into districts that diminish their chances of being re-elected. Responding that the plans are a fair response to population shifts in the last decade, Republican leaders have given no indication that the boundary lines are negotiable. Gov. Bill Haslam, Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey and House Speaker Beth Harwell have all said the legislative session will focus on job creation. With the national economy still weak, Tennessee's unemployment rate barely budged in 2011.http://www.dnj.com/article/20120108/NEWS05/201080319/State-lawmakers-their- running-shoes-on?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

TN redistricting plan would cut GOP seat (Tennessean/Cass) Springfield's Roberts may be odd man out in redrawn districts As none other than Gov. Bill Haslam co-hosted a campaign fundraiser for state Sen. in Green Hills on Tuesday, Haslam’s fellow Republicans in the General Assembly were getting ready to roll out a plan that could make all those kind words and big dollars meaningless. The GOP’s Senate redistricting proposal would leave Roberts, a first-term lawmaker from Springfield, with nowhere to go for the next couple of years. It would prevent him from running for his District 18 seat this year and pair him with fellow Sen. Jim Summerville in a redrawn District 25, where Summerville isn’t up for re-election until 2014. So much for all those muscular messages of praise on the emailed invitation to the $500-a-couple fundraiser, like this one from Sen. Jim Tracy, chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee: “Senator Roberts’ appointment to the Regional Transportation Planning Committee is a statement of our leadership’s confidence in him. I look forward to serving with Kerry the next four years.” The redistricting plan, unveiled less than 24 hours after the fundraiser, left some people wondering where Roberts had gone astray and whose bad side he had wound up on. But Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, speaker of the Senate, insisted Friday that it was legal necessity, not political grudges, that spawned the proposal. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120108/NEWS02/301070060/TN-redistricting-plan-would-cut-GOP-seat? odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

Five legislators to watch in 2012 (Knoxville News-Sentinel/Humphrey) Some East Tennessee legislators outside of official leadership who may play a noticeable role in shaping the course of events during the 2012 session of the 107th General Assembly: Sen. , R-Riceville. An outspoken critic of the state's judicial selection system as a "fraud on the voters," Bell is in a new position this year to put more power behind his voice. He has been named chairman of the Senate Government Operations Committee, which has first shot at deciding whether various state boards and commissions will die or be given new life and, if so, under what conditions. Up for "sunset" this year without favorable action by his committee is the Judicial Nominating Commission, a centerpiece of the judge selection system, along with the Court of the Judiciary, which disciplines judges and has been accused of laxity by some legislators. Sen. Andy Berke, D- Chattanooga. The only Democratic senator living in East Tennessee, Berke has been targeted for defeat in a 3 Republican Senate redistricting plan that takes Democrat-oriented voters in Marion County away from his Chattanooga-based district and adds Republican-oriented voters in Bradley County. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/jan/08/five-legislators-to-watch-in-2012/

Redistricting plan ignites campaign hopes of many (Tennessean/Cass) Steve Dickerson, a Nashville anesthesiologist who tried to unseat state Sen. Douglas Henry in 2010, announced his plans to run against another longtime senator — Joe Haynes — shortly after Senate Republicans unveiled proposed redistricting maps Wednesday. Dickerson said he’ll seek the GOP nomination this summer for the District 20 seat held by Haynes, a Democrat, since 1985. “As we enter the new year our state and nation face economic uncertainty, high unemployment and an increasing sense of distrust of government,” Dickerson said in a news release. “I have made the decision to enter this race for state Senate to confront these challenges head on. “With my background as a practicing physician, as well as my experience as a small business owner, I have a unique perspective to bring to the state Senate and I will use that to best represent the values of the 20th district.” Dickerson received more than 43 percent of the vote in his race against Henry, who won his 11th term in the Senate. Dickerson wasn’t the only one stepping up almost as soon as the redistricting maps came out. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120108/NEWS02/301080061/Political-Notebook-Redistricting-plan-ignites- campaign-hopes-many?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|News|s

Legislators earn A's for college act success (Times Gazette) Representatives of the state's community college system told legislators and other VIPs at Motlow State Community College's annual legislative breakfast that the Complete College Act passed in 2010 has given community colleges a new focus on student success. They also challenged local governments to consider offering "last-dollar scholarships" that would allow local students to attend community college or technology centers. Results pay off Dr. Warren Nichols, vice chancellor for community colleges of Tennesee Board of Regents, praised legislators for the act. He said that under old funding formulas, a school would be funded based on its student population on the 14th day of the school term. Now, funding is based on performance -- on how many of those students graduate each year. It's not a perfect formula -- a speaker during the question-and- answer period noted that he earned credits at community college which he later took to another school and applied towards graduation. But Nichols and other speakers said it helped make community colleges more focused on student success. "It has made a dynamic and dramatic change" in the way school personnel work with students, said Nichols. http://www.t-g.com/story/1802211.html

Clarksville charter changes spark flap (Gannett) Thursday night’s more than three-hour regular session of the Clarksville City Council was rife with debate over charters, budgets and garbage cans. The city charter, which was extensively discussed during a Jan. 3 executive session, was the main topic that council members wrangled with before and even after a resolution to revise the charter passed — but not by the two-thirds majority the state legislature requires to consider such a request. Clarksville Mayor Kim McMillan said the need to rewrite the charter stems from outdated language that in some instances puts the city in violation of its own charter as well as state law. The language has caused problems in resolving issues related to the city’s Parking Authority and, more recently, possible conflicts of interest pertaining to members of boards and commissions who wish to do business with the city. The mayor reiterated her stance that the only things that kept the charter revision from passing the first time it came before the General Assembly were sections pertaining to the veto powers of the mayor and city council, a list of enumerated powers of city officials, the procedure for removing elected officials, the authority to create and abolish city departments, and how city employees are employed at will. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120108/NEWS02/301080062/Clarksville-charter-changes-spark-flap? odyssey=tab|topnews|text|News

Knox commissioners look into Trustee's payments (Associated Press) The Knox County Commission is looking into incentive payments Trustee John Duncan III gave himself and some of his employees over the last two years for participating in a program most have yet to complete. Duncan, son of U.S. Rep. John J. Duncan Jr., says problems with the University of Tennessee County Technical

4 Assistance Services' computer system are the reason for the problems. But some commissioners wonder why the members of the trustee's office failed to finish the certified public administrator courses they were taking after Duncan and the employees received a combined $57,000 in bonuses. Duncan's explanation to the Knoxville News Sentinel has changed over time (http://bit.ly/xhhEYG). But he contends computer issues at UT were the main culprit, a statement UT and some commissioners contend isn't true. State law says bonuses should only go to those who attain certified public administrator designation. "It's really infuriated a lot of people," Commissioner R. Larry Smith said. "There are people who want questions answered, and the taxpayers are pretty upset." http://www.tennessean.com/usatoday/article/38290579?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|News|p

Knoxville's pension problems up for discussion (Knoxville News-Sentinel/Witt) The conundrum known as the city’s employee pension shortfall may be put before voters in November. The Great Recession left the pension with $460 million in funding, not enough to sustain future benefits the city has promised to its employees. In 2002-12 that gap was filled at an $11 million expense to taxpayers, and that amount is only expected to grow. “The big question out there,” said Mike Cherry, director of the Knoxville Pension Board, “is this sustainable or not? Yes or no? A ‘no’ would prompt many other things taking place.” He said that shortfall will swell to $13 million next year. If the city does nothing, the gap will balloon to an estimated $23.4 million in 2018. On Thursday the Knoxville Pension Board will meet for the first time this year and take up the issue. It’s not a problem that City Council alone can answer. The pension is set in the city’s charter, and state law mandates that voters can change their city’s charter only during state election years. The presidential election in November would suit. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/jan/08/knoxvilles-pension-problems-up-for-discussion/

Occupy Nashville enters housing fray (Tennessean/Cass) Occupy Nashville plans to start a new phase today by working to defend homeowners against foreclosure, the group announced in an email Friday. The housing campaign will start with a news conference at 2:30 p.m. at 3109 Stokers Lane in North Nashville, the home of 78-year-old Helen Bailey, who has fallen behind on mortgage payments “through no fault of her own,” Occupy Nashville said. The group said it will pressure Chase Bank to accept a short sale arranged by Bailey’s attorney and cancel the foreclosure sale on Bailey’s house, which is scheduled for Jan. 18. “There is no clearer example of the 1%’s dominion over the 99% than the control of our homes,” the group’s press packet says. “The banks, many of which are deemed ‘too big to fail’ and received multi-billion-dollar bailouts, foreclose on our homes in a predatory fashion, oftentimes without holding the original mortgage.”http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120108/NEWS02/301080061/Political-Notebook-Redistricting- plan-ignites-campaign-hopes-many?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|News|s

Grants may be harder to come by (Daily News Journal) U.S. Rep. Black stresses needs over wish lists Folks here love federally funded assets such as the Stones River Greenway, but future grants may be harder to obtain as Congress confronts a $15 trillion debt and competition for funding becomes fiercer. And that's how it should be, according to U.S. Rep. Diane Black, the Gallatin Republican who represents Rutherford County. "We should be living within our means, which we have not been doing in a long time," Black said in a recent interview with The DNJ. "From my experience, I do think the grant application process needs to be re-evaluated. I think every grant program, every dollar that we spend at the federal level, should be scrutinized. Every penny should be looked at." Government department authorities should always have a competitive process to choose which communities demonstrate the greatest need for federal funding, and congress should not be directly involved in those decisions, Black said. "Earmarks are bad," said Black, who takes pride that the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives led the charge to ban members of congress from deciding where federal funding should be spent in their districts and states. "We're not going to do pet projects. They ended entirely." http://www.dnj.com/article/20120108/NEWS05/201080318/Grants-may-harder-come-by?odyssey=tab|topnews| text|FRONTPAGE

Tennessee just might become relevant in GOP presidential primary (NS/Humphrey) Mitt Romney, who finished third in Tennessee's 2008 Republican presidential primary, has established a solid lead in organizing to win the state this year — if that will still matter on March 6. And some of the state's leading Republicans think that the political dust to be stirred in New Hampshire, South Carolina, Florida and elsewhere

5 will not be settled on that "Super Tuesday" two months from now. If so, Tennessee just might be in the national limelight for a moment. Three other Southern states — Georgia, Texas and Virginia — also have primaries scheduled on March 6. But Tennessee could be far more competitive than the contest in those states. In Virginia, only Romney and Ron Paul qualified to appear on the ballot, though Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum have legal challenges pending. Texas is seen as a certain win for its governor, Rick Perry, should he still be in the race. And Georgia is the home state of Gingrich and a recent poll showed him the state's favorite. The consensus of national political pundits seems to be that Romney, former governor of Massachusetts, is certain to still be in contention and the question is whether Paul, Sanatorum, Gingrich, Perry, Jon Huntsman or some combination will keep him from having a lock on the nomination. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/jan/08/tennessee-just-might-become-relevant-in-gop/

Duncan, Roe like Romney; other Tennessee congressmen not saying (NS/Collins) U.S. Rep. John J. Duncan Jr. likes all of the Republican candidates for president and says he would have no problem supporting any of them. But he has made his choice: He is endorsing former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. "I've been very, very impressed with Gov. Romney as a person," the Knoxville Republican said. "I've met with him personally three or four times, and each time I've been impressed. He seems to me to be a good man, a good family man, and just a really nice man. "He has good business experience, and I think with the economy and jobs and so forth being among the top considerations in the election this year, I think it would be a good thing to have a successful businessman as our nominee." U.S. Rep. Phil Roe, who also has endorsed Romney, said he was drawn to the former governor because of his business background and his experience in dealing with an onerous legislature. "I said from the very beginning that I wanted a governor to represent my party as the nominee," Roe, R-Johnson City, said recently. "I wanted somebody who had dealt with a legislature that had been tough to deal with — a governor, and someone who can win the election." http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/jan/08/duncan-roe-like-romney-other-tennessee-not/

Fort Campbell troops return to big welcome (Gannett) The first of nearly 3,000 159th Combat Aviation Brigade soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division returned to Fort Campbell on Friday from a yearlong deployment to southern Afghanistan. Early Friday morning, families and friends waited anxiously on the flight line at Campbell Army Airfield as their soldiers descended the ladder of a commercial airliner. Jonathan Webb waited patiently to see his fiancee, Sgt. Jillian Lopez, a human resources NCO for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Task Force Thunder. He said the wait was definitely worth it. “She’s the most amazing woman in the world,” Webb said. After 75 soldiers disembarked the aircraft only minutes after 3 a.m., they rapidly moved into Hangar 3 for a welcome-home ceremony during which they were given 15 minutes to reunite with family members before forming up and heading to their unit area to turn in equipment. Mission praised During the ceremony, Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Colt, deputy commander of the 101st Airborne Division, welcomed the soldiers home and congratulated them on a job well done. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120108/NEWS01/301080060/Fort-Campbell-troops-return-big-welcome? odyssey=tab|topnews|text|News

Education law's promise falls short after 10 years (Associated Press/Hefling) The No Child Left Behind education law was cast as a symbol of possibility, offering the promise of improved schools for the nation’s poor and minority children and better prepared students in a competitive world. Yet after a decade on the books, President George W. Bush’s most hyped domestic accomplishment has become a symbol to many of federal overreach and Congress’ inability to fix something that’s clearly flawed. The law forced schools to confront the uncomfortable reality that many kids simply weren’t learning, but it’s primarily known for its emphasis on standardized tests and the labeling of thousands of schools as “failures.” Today marks the 10- year anniversary of the day Bush signed it into law in Hamilton, Ohio. By his side were the leaders of the education committees in Congress, Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass. The bipartisanship that made the achievement possible in the months after the Sept. 11 attacks is long gone. The same Senate committee approved a revamped education bill last year, but deep-rooted partisanship stalled the measure in the full Congress. In this election year, there appears little political will for compromise despite widespread agreement that changes are needed. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120108/NEWS08/301080076/Education-law-s-promise-falls-short-after-10- years?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|News|s

6 Jim Brexler severance on tap Monday (Chattanooga Times Free-Press/Martin) Trustees of Chattanooga's only public hospital still appear deeply divided on paying a large sum of money to outgoing CEO Jim Brexler while Erlanger Health System is struggling financially. Board members will meet Monday morning to discuss details of a severance package for Brexler. Trustees rejected a severance package in a 4-4 vote last month. But experts on executive compensation say a contract providing a golden parachute is essential to attract competent managers in a field that is becoming increasing complex. Even as public sentiment balks at lavish executive compensation, particularly to the leader of an organization that had losses, most departing hospital CEOs still are paid severance, said the executive director of the Corporate Governance Center at the University of Tennessee. "The requirements [for executives] have become far more sophisticated in regard to the sea change we are seeing in health care," C. Warren Neel said. Craig Becker, president of the Tennessee Hospital Association, agreed. The complexity of running a hospital, particularly a public hospital like Erlanger, means a CEO has to make unpopular decisions, Becker said. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/jan/08/brexler-severance-on-tap-monday/?local

TPC seeks public input on Memphis-Shelby County schools merger (CA/McMillin) Tuesday's 'listening session' first of many When members of Shelby County's schools merger Transition Planning Commission meet with the public in Collierville on Tuesday night, it will be six days ahead of an important deadline for suburban residents interested in opting out of a consolidated Memphis-Shelby school district. The TPC is calling Tuesday's meeting at Collierville United Methodist Church the first of many "listening sessions" it plans to hold throughout the county. It comes ahead of the promised Jan. 16 delivery to Memphis' six suburban cities of a study on the feasibility of establishing and running municipal school districts. The TPC, created by state legislation last year aimed at guiding schools consolidation here, wants to begin making key decisions by late next month toward a goal of delivering its final plan for the county's public education system by this summer. Most TPC members have insisted they must focus on designing the best plan for merging Memphis City Schools with suburban Shelby County Schools by 2012-13, regardless of whether the suburban municipalities decide that breaking out smaller independent school systems would be worth the higher taxes and administrative challenges. The public meetings are a vital part of that process. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/jan/08/panel-seeks-public-input-on-schools-merger/ (SUB)

Florida: In Florida, Lawmakers Consider Gambling Bill (New York Times) As the Florida Legislature sprints into action on Tuesday for its annual two-month session, lawmakers will face the politically volatile task of redrawing the electoral map (sure to attract a court challenge) and devising new ways to plug a $2 billion deficit in the state budget. But it is the “do we, don’t we” battle over whether to allow resort casinos into the state that has the state capital’s adrenaline pumping. The bill, which proposes opening the door to three large casinos in Florida, is expected to be one of the few major nonbudget-related pieces of legislation to be voted on this busy session. With a few powerful Republican lawmakers either opposed to the bill or skeptical of its benefits and the session packed with other business, odds that resort casinos will be setting down stakes this year in South Florida, where major casino companies have shown the most interest, are getting longer. Some lawmakers worry that casinos will do more harm than good by tarnishing Florida’s wholesome beach-and-theme-park image, a position espoused by the influential Florida Chamber of Commerce, the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association and Walt Disney World. The first test will be on Monday, a day before the session’s official opening, when the bill, which was revamped last week to try to garner more support, is scheduled to face an initial Senate committee vote. The biggest change made to the bill involves giving voters a say on the casino issue, a tactic that could make it more difficult for lawmakers to oppose it. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/us/politics/in-florida-lawmakers-consider-gambling-bill.html? _r=1&ref=todayspaper

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7 OPINION

Guest columnist: Education reform gaining momentum in Tennessee (N-S) As a public school parent, I'm keeping an especially close eye on the efforts being made here to transform our education system. And, as a parent and someone who thinks about education policy daily for a living, I am so encouraged by the steps taken so far. When Tennessee won the Obama administration's Race to the Top Grant — setting it apart from other states for its deep commitment to transformational change in education — the rest of the nation stood up and took notice. But Tennesseans, led by Gov. Bill Haslam, went beyond what was expected and enacted a broad swath of reforms in the last legislative session that will vastly improve our schools. I'm often asked how Tennessee has managed to set itself so far apart from the pack, and the answer seems clear. Tennesseans have come together, in a bipartisan manner, with a laser-like focus on establishing policies that are clearly in the best interest of children. It sounds simple, but sadly too often, other interests dictate the decisions made in our schools. It was that basic shift in thinking that led reform-minded legislators, like state Sen. and Reps. John DeBerry and Debra Maggart, to work to modernize and improve teacher tenure rules last year. Legislators also scrapped an antiquated and harmful policy that required seniority, rather than job performance, to be the determining factor when teacher layoffs unfortunately arose. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/jan/08/michelle-rhee-education-reform-gaining-momentum/

Editorial: Lawmakers should amend, delay voter ID (Tennessean) Law as written has no upside The first chance for Tennesseans to vote in 2012 is less than two months away, and the heat is on for election officials, sitting legislators and, of all things, driver’s license centers. Driver’s license centers are where Tennesseans who are registered to vote, but do not have “acceptable” photo identification under a flawed new state law, must go to take a number and wait for hours to receive said photo ID. Tennessee’s understaffed driver’s license centers already had a deserved reputation as a place you couldn’t go without losing a day of your life. Now, they also must ask college students, seniors who don’t drive and many others frustrated by the new law to queue up, as well. That seems to be the source of Gov. Bill Haslam’s ambivalence about the voter ID law. Unfortunately, the law took effect Jan. 1, but it’s not too late to remedy the situation before an election outcome is unfairly influenced. Lawmakers who introduced this legislation last year continue to insist that it will root out voter fraud. Modern-day cases of vote fraud have been scarce to nonexistent in Tennessee and across the U.S., a fact that has been well-documented. And many critics of the law have noted that the handful of fraud cases that did occur would not have been deterred under the new law. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120108/OPINION01/301080032/Lawmakers-should-amend-delay-voter- ID?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Opinion|p

Mark Goins: Best course is for everyone to learn new law (Tennessean) As we approach the first elections under Tennessee’s voter photo ID law, I am spending my time implementing the new law. I continue to work with election officials across the state to inform the public about the new law. I am

8 not distracted by the threat of a lawsuit. Opponents have filed lawsuits in other states, as well. Although opponents have claimed individuals will be disenfranchised by the requirement, they have not been able to produce a single eligible voter who’s been disenfranchised. That’s one reason courts have upheld the laws. The other is the state’s interest in detecting and deterring voter fraud. What bothers me is that opponents have used scare tactics to convince voters they don’t have valid IDs when, in fact, they do. Or that they would be covered by safeguards in the law, which opponents never mention. Misinformation the opponents are spreading could result in fewer voters going to the polls this year. If you keep telling eligible voters they are ineligible, at some point they will believe it. Opponents have fed stories to the media about voters who supposedly will be disenfranchised, when in fact the individuals had acceptable photo IDs. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120108/OPINION03/301080033/Best-course-everyone-learn-new-law? odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Opinion|p

Guest columnist: League working to ensure no voters left out (Tennessean) As our state prepares to implement its new voter ID law, the Tennessee League of Women Voters is active with plans to monitor and report its effects. While we hope state education efforts to ensure no voter is left behind are successful, we are aware of the hardship this law imposes on minorities, people with disabilities and those without transportation. The League did not support the law, because it does not address the stated purpose of voter fraud. According to our research, any recorded instances of voter fraud in Tennessee have been the result of deficiencies or errors in other areas not resolved with this new law, and election administrators have done their job well by identifying those cases in the past. Now, League efforts are focused on voter education and fact- gathering for the legislature as it faces this critical shift in election policy. League members from across the state gathered last summer to study the law, pose questions and consider its consequences. State Elections Coordinator Mark Goins attended and continues to respond to our queries and concerns. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120108/OPINION03/301080034/League-working-ensure-no-voters-left- out?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Opinion|p

Clay Bennett Political Cartoon: “Redistricting” (Chattanooga Times Free-Press) http://media.timesfreepress.com/img/photos/2012/01/06/120108_Redistricting_t618.jpg? ba5b5b122dd3d37cc13d83e92a6a0ec0d5bfa32a

Tom Humphrey: On paper, Republican redistrictin partisan triumph (NS/Humphrey) The Republican redistricting mantra, recited repeatedly before and during the unveiling of the official state House and Senate maps last week, was declaring the result of the party's first-ever Tennessee reapportionment would be "fair and legal." Whether the work product now on display and ready for rocketing through the Legislature this week meets that standard is as debatable as whether Fox News is "fair and balanced" as repeatedly proclaimed by the network — at least on the fairness front. Fairness is in the eyes of the beholder. Or maybe the beholder's political mindset. On an objective basis, it's reasonable to say the redistricting plans are fair enough to make their fairness debatable. Going beyond that is a matter of partisan opinion. On the legal front, the answer will be provided by the court system. Democrats say they are virtually certain to file a court challenge, barring some last- minute changes before enactment. Treatment of minorities in the House plan seems to be a particular source of Democratic hopes for courtroom success. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/jan/08/tom-humphrey-on-paper-republican-redistricting-a/

Otis L. Sanford: Let's trust Electrolux, but verify (Commercial Appeal) Let's face it, we were all smitten. We skipped the fine print and immediately went to the bottom line -- 1,250 direct jobs and 2,250 supplier jobs. And we envisioned a precipitous drop in our unemployment rate. Above all, we swooned over the notion that a major suitor with name recognition would choose us over other cities. It was, in essence, a high-stakes game of economic Deal or No Deal. Except there was just one briefcase and Electrolux owned it. Our only options were take it or leave it. So, without flinching, we slammed down the button and said, deal. Let me be clear. I still believe the effort to lure the Electrolux kitchen manufacturing plant to Memphis was the right move. And I don't doubt that everyone who had a hand in this deal was operating in our best interest. Still, members of the Memphis City Council, who basically rubber-stamped the deal last year, are right to question whether Electrolux is fully committed to ensuring that a racially diverse pool of Memphians share in the $80 million in construction costs for the 700,000-square-foot factory. For them, it's not enough to say that companies in the eight-county metro area will get more than half of the construction work. 9 http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/jan/08/lets-trust-electrolux-but-verify/ (SUBSCRIPTION)

Randy McClain: Southeast's economy on rise, but recovery will be slow (Tenn.) First, the good news: The U.S. unemployment rate is at a three-year low of 8.5 percent and a robust 200,000 non-farm jobs were created in December. Things are looking up, but it’s such a long journey to get back to where the economy once was before the recession of 2007 slapped all of us in the face. It was a deep hole, and the economy isn’t back in the sunlight yet. That particularly holds true for much of the Southeast, where states such as Florida and Georgia took some of the biggest hits nationally from the housing crisis that sent too many homes into foreclosure and mortgages into oblivion. As the newspaper headlines finally shout of economic recovery in 2012, it might be helpful to review how far down the nation and the South were financially — and how much farther we have to crawl to regain economic even keel. Julie Hotchkiss, Atlanta Fed senior economist, reminds us that the nation as a whole and the Southeast in particular aren’t back to pre-recession employment or tax revenue levels yet. Far from it, in fact. Consider these numbers: Hotchkiss says total employment during the 2001 recession fell 2 percent nationally, and that was considered a pretty stiff blow. In the 2007 recession, the nation saw a whopping 6 percent job loss. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120108/COLUMNIST03/301080049/Randy-McClain-Southeast-s- economy-rise-recovery-will-slow?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|News|s

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