Haslam to serve as national co-chair for Tim Scott’s presidential bid
Former Gov. Bill Haslam is slated to serve as national co-chair for U.S. Sen. Tim Scott’s imminent presidential campaign, according to Politico reporter Natalie Allison (a former Tennessee statehouse reporter The Tennessean).
Scott, of South Carolina, is expected to formally launch his campaign next week.
“One of the things I learned from being in elected office is it really does matter who we elect,” Haslam told Allison. “The more I talked to Tim, the more I became convinced that he’s got a message that the country really needs to hear right now.”
Major League Baseball lobbies up in Nashville
Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred’s office has signed up a team of five lobbyists at the Tennessee Capitol. They include Catie Lane Bailey, Annie Beckstrom, Mack Cooper, and Nicole Osborne Watson of Holland & Knight (the former Waller Lansden), which successfully advocated for $500 million in bonds for a new Tennessee Titans stadium in Nashville last year. Also hired last week was Tony Thompson, the son of the late actor and politician Fred Thompson (R-Lawrenceburg).
The registration forms don’t indicate what Manfred’s office wants from Nashville lawmakers, but the commissioner has publicly speculated about the Tennessee capital being in the mix for an eventual expansion team. A more mundane explanation might be pending legislation to remove a requirement for sportsbooks to use official league data under Tennessee’s sports gaming program.
Former Oakland A’s pitcher Dave Stewart has been leading an effort to bring a major league franchise to Nashville, with hopes of building a stadium near Tennessee State University. But while the group has gained celebrity backing and media attention over the last few years, it hasn’t included the sort of multi-billionaire investor that be able to cover the huge cost of landing and operating a team. The Tennessee Lookout reported in 2020 that former Gov. Bill Haslam had held serious talks with Manfred about leading a separate effort. But Haslam has since bought into the NHL’s Nashville Predators and is scheduled to become the majority owner in 2025.
In another twist, the Holland & Knight lobbying team landed another major sports client last week — the National Basketball Association.
New TNJ edition alert: Not dancing with who brung ya, House GOP nominee bucks GOP leaders, and delays in lawmakers’ trials
The latest print edition of The Tennessee Journal is out. Here is what’s in it:
— Education advocacy group breaks with former governor it was founded to help.
— Trouble in paradise: House GOP nominees not down with governor, speaker, majority leader, caucus chair . . .
— Party organs? Not-so-new trend of politics mixing with journalism.
— From the courts: Casada and Cothren join Kelsey in getting yearlong delay for trials.
Also: Getting the kids out of their parents’ basements, what it would take for Mark Green to drop his support for Donald Trump, suspended NBA owner’s company has given heavily to Tennessee candidates, and Bill and Phil’s excellent podcast.
As always, access the your copy of the TNJ here.
Or subscribe here.
Supreme Court formally lifts injunction on voucher program
The state Supreme Court has formally lifted the injunction in place on Gov. Bill Lee’s signature school voucher law since 2019. Lee’s office says it will immediately begin implementing the Education Savings Account program.
According to a statement from Lee:
Today the court removed the final roadblock to getting Memphis and Nashville families additional options for high-quality education. Starting today, we will work to help eligible parents enroll this school year, as we ensure Tennessee families have the opportunity to choose the school that they believe is best for their child.
The case now heads back to Chancery Court for further proceedings, but Nashville Chancellor Anne Martin, who issued to the original ruling, will be joined by two further jurists under a new law requiring a panel of three elected judges to preside over cases challenging state laws. The other two are Circuit Judges Tammy Harrington of Blount County and Valerie Smith of Shelby County. Both were first appointed to the bench by Republican Gov. Bill Haslam.
Slatery tells colleagues he won’t seek another term as Tennessee Attorney General
Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery has informed his staff he won’t seek a second eight-year term this fall, The Tennessee Journal has learned.
Slatery was the chief legal counsel to then-Gov. Bill Haslam when he was named attorney general in 2014. Tennessee is the only state where the state’s top lawyer is appointed by Supreme Court.
Slatery surprised observers last year by taking a vocal stand against a legislative effort to to insert state lawmakers into the selection process by giving them power to approve or reject the high court’s nominees. The constitutional amendment sponsored by Sen. Ken Yager (R-Kingston), the General Assembly cleared all but the final hurdle to making it onto the ballot this year. But the measure failed in the House Civil Justice Subcommittee in March.
Speaking at Nashville Rotary in October, Slatery said the change would contribute to the attorney general becoming a “political office.” Lawmakers already have the power to turn back executive decisions via the simple majority needed to override gubernatorial vetoes, Slatery said, and now “they want to control this, too.”
UPDATE: Slatery spokeswoman Samantha Fisher confirms Slatery informed colleagues of plans to retire.
UPDATE 2: Here’s the note Slatery wrote to staff:
Hello Everybody, I want you to know that after much thought, discussion, prayer and seeking of advice, I sent a letter to the Supreme Court today advising them that I do not plan on applying to be re-appointed. I wish I could tell all of you in person, but there will be a better time for that and communicating my gratitude to you for helping us continue to build a fine AG Office. You are a very special group of people. It has been an honor to be the Attorney General and Reporter, one I could never fully describe. Words just would not do it justice. Some of you have seen a number of AG transitions (and I may need your coaching 😊) but I can assure you that come September 1 someone of the highest caliber will step into this role. Our Court knows how to do this. Until then let’s keep a steady hand on the wheel. With great respect, Herbert
Who did ‘America at Its Best’ better?
For longtime State of the State watchers, Gov. Bill Lee’s speech on Monday night had something of a familiar ring to it. A recurring theme was the state slogan “Tennessee — America at Its Best.” Lee’s predecessor, Bill Haslam, also made the phrase the focus of the final State of the State address of his first term in office back in 2014.
Here are some excerpts of the respective governor’s rhetorical flourishes about state slogan:
| Haslam in 2014 | Lee in 2022 |
| As I begin my fourth year in office, I am convinced that Tennessee – America at Its Best is not just a 50-year-old slogan. | Over the years, leaders have reminded Tennesseans that America at Its Best is more than our slogan – it’s our north star. However, America at Its Best means something different today than it did in 1965 or even in the last decade. |
| Expecting great outcomes will ensure that Tennessee is America at its best. | Tennessee fulfills America at Its Best because of our optimism. |
| For Tennessee to be America at its best, we must get health care right – for those who need health care coverage and for the long-term fiscal health of our state. | I am proposing a budget and America-at-its-best policies that reinforce freedom, innovation, exceptionalism, and optimism. |
| Tennessee is America at its best because we employ one of the best tax strategies of all time – common sense. | If we are to embody America at Its Best, that starts with acknowledging that it is our creator who endows us with freedom, and the government merely maintains that freedom. |
| Being America at its best means not doing government business the way we’ve always done it before. | Tennessee – America at Its Best embraces both sides of the coin: we acknowledge our shortcomings but build on our best. |
| In the year 2025, 55 percent of Tennesseans will need a certificate or degree beyond high school to get a job. Today, only 32 percent of Tennesseans qualify. To truly be America at its best, that’s not good enough. | In Tennessee, there’s no reason why our institutions of higher learning can’t be an exceptional part of America at Its Best. |
| I want to take this opportunity to thank Randy Boyd for taking a leave of absence from his company and dedicating a year of his life – at no cost to the state – to work on this. He did it because he loves our state, and he wants Tennessee to be America at its best. | We are also proud to propose a series of research investments to ensure we stay on track to be America at Its Best. |
| In Tennessee, we truly are America at its best. | May we ensure that the beacon that is Tennessee – America at Its Best – shines brighter than ever before. |
Celebration for ex-Haslam adviser hosted by Haslam at Haslam Center
Bill Haslam is hosting a reception for state Attorney General Herbert Slatery, the former governor’s onetime legal adviser, at the Tennessee State Museum on Wednesday. The event celebrates an award Slatery has received from the National Association of Attorneys General. The museum building, incidentally, was recently named the Haslam Center.
Cohosting the event is Gif Thornton, a lobbyist and managing partner of the Adams & Reese law firm. He also chairs the Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments, which recently submitted a slate of three state Supreme Court finalists for Gov. Bill Lee to choose from.
Tennessee is the country’s only state where the attorney general is chosen by the Supreme Court. Slatery’s eight-year term is up this fall, but he has declined to say whether he will seek another appointment to the job.
Here’s the invite to the reception:
So who was at that Pence luncheon at the governor’s mansion?
With no press invited or informed about Gov. Bill Lee’s hosting of former Vice President Mike Pence’s visit to the governor’s mansion in Nashville, we’re left to our own devices to try to figure out who attended. Helpfully, Pence posted a photo of the luncheon on Twitter.
Here’s who we think we’ve identified from the photo:
- Gov. Bill Lee
- First lady Maria Lee
- Construction contractor Turney Talley
- Finance Commissioner Butch Eley
- Tennessee Titans President Burke Nihill
- Former Vice President Mike Pence
- Philanthropist Scott Niswonger
- Nancy Dishner of the Niswonger Foundation
- Adam Lister of Tennesseans for Student Success
- House Speaker Cameron Sexton
- Developer Steve Smith
- Political consultant Chip Saltsman
- Advance Financial lobbyist Cullen Earnest
- Construction contractor Steve Kirby
- Former Gov. Bill Haslam
- Karen Pence, wife of Mike Pence.
- Construction contractor Cal Turner
Recognize anyone else? Drop us a line and we’ll update.
Sponsoring it to kill it? Opponent of making Bible official state book takes control of resolution
Senate Speaker Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) has taken over sponsorship of a resolution seeking to declare the Bible the official book of Tennessee. The move could effectively kill the measure, The Tennessean’s Natalie Allison reports.
The sponsor of a bill or resolution decides when — or whether — it should be discussed in committee.
McNally has long argued that putting the Bible would be trivialized by placing it alongside other symbols like the state amphibian or flower. Then-Gov. Bill Haslam, a Republican, vetoed a similar Bible measure in 2016 on similar grounds. The House ended up voting against an ovrride.
The House last week passed the perennial measure sponsored by Rep. Jerry Sexton (R-Bean Station) on 55-28 vote. This year’s version is a joint resolution, which goes through the entire process in its originating chamber before being shipped over to the other (unlike bills, which are usually debated concurrently and usually have like-minded sponsors at the helm).
“The first senator to sign on to a House Joint Resolution received by the Senate becomes the prime sponsor,” McNally spokesman Adam Kleinheider told the paper.
It just so happened to be the Senate speaker.
UPDATED: What consistency? Seven who opposed Bible bill override vote for latest version
When then-Gov. Bill Haslam vetoed a 2016 bill to make the Bible the official state book, 15 Republicans who still remain in the chamber today voted against an override. On Monday night, seven of those representatives switched their positions to support the latest version that passed by just five votes more than the minimum needed to clear the chamber.
The GOP members who essentially voted to sustain Haslam’s veto five years ago while approving the renewed measure were Majority Leader William Lamberth of Portland, Caucus Chair Jeremy Faison of Cosby, Andrew Farmer of Sevierville, Curtis Johnson of Clarksville, John Ragan of Oak Ridge, Mark White of Memphis, and Ryan Williams of Cookeville.
While 55 members approved of the bill on Monday, 28 voted against. Another nine didn’t vote, including Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville).
The measure now heads to the Senate, where Speaker Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) has spoken out in opposition.
