At the Statehouse: House members slapped with subpoenas, pipeline bill slides through Senate, education overhaul inches forward

Spring is finally here, and the weather isn’t the only thing heating up. There’s drama at the Capitol.

This week, several state lawmakers, including House Speaker Cameron Sexton, were subpoenaed in relation to a scheme to defraud the state. The scandal has already led to one guilty plea from a (now) former House member, and it’s likely more could face the same fate.

Subpoenas served to House Speaker and others

Earlier this month, news came down that Rep. Robin Smith, R-Hixson, had been charged with wire fraud. She pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with investigators. Authorities are looking into a ring of lawmakers who tried to funnel state tax dollars through a shadowy consulting firm set up by Cade Cothren, an aide and close confidante of former Speaker of the House Glen Casada, who is still a member of the House. Without identifying them by name, the indictment alleges Cothren and Casada were also involved in the scheme, though they haven’t been formally charged.

In the latest fallout this week, current House Speaker Cameron Sexton was subpoenaed to testify. And he isn’t the only one. Several news reports say Rep. Jason Zachary, R-Knoxville, and Rep. Bud Hulsey, R-Sullivan received subpoenas as well.

Local governments could lose power to stop fossil fuel projects

Legislation drafted by Sen. Ken Yager, R-Kingston, would prevent local authorities from having a say in where new pipelines are built. The idea has garnered opposition from many in Memphis, who recently fought off an oil company that planned to build a 49-mile pipeline to carry oil through mostly Black neighborhoods in the city.

The House version is expected to have amendments that differ slightly from the Senate’s. The amendment may give locals a little more power, but still not enough to fully prevent a pipeline from being built. Memphis lawmakers have been vocally opposed to the bill, calling it overreach by the state.

Education package gets a few mark-ups in its first test before vote

Lawmakers tacked on five amendments to Gov. Bill Lee’s proposed education funding formula. One would cut additional funding for charter schools, a victory for public school advocates who don’t want cities helping fund charters. Now, the state will have to foot the entire bill for charter schools.

Another tweak would allow cities to retain discretion over which method they use to calculate fiscal capacity — that basically means how much money they can kick in toward education. There are two current models for making this calculation — one from the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, or TACIR, and the other created by the University of Tennessee’s Center for Business and Economic Research, or CBER. Critics complained that the CBER method, which the state proposed switching over to, would drive up costs for some counties, including Davidson.

Backers of the bill haven’t said what other changes may be needed to win passage, but the bill has a ways to go before getting to the governor’s desk. It next heads to the House Education Administration Committee on Wednesday, March 30.

Coming up at the statehouse: Lawmakers crack down on Delta-8 (after learning what it is)

Republican members of the General Assembly are moving to regulate Delta-8 THC, a legal cannabis product that’s gained popularity.  

The product is derived from hemp, which is legal in Tennessee, though its effects are similar to marijuana. A bill sponsored by Rep. William Lamberth, R-Portland, looks to amend state code to make it illegal.  

“[T]here’s two statutes in the books right now,” he said. “One of which that makes it clear that anything that’s one analog off, one molecule change from something that’s illegal is illegal, that’s Delta-8. There’s another section of the code that deals with hemp, that seems to leave some gray area and that’s why folks are selling very high potency Delta-8.”

The proposed law would change the definition of marijuana to include any hemp derivative with a concentration higher than .3%.

Lamberth says the product has become dangerous to kids since it is being sold in edible form, such as gummies. He says there have been reports of kids overdosing and being hospitalized from Delta-8.  

Regulation could prove difficult for the state as shops selling Delta-8, and its by-products, have sprung up across Middle Tennessee, including gas stations and mobile kiosks.