(NASHVILLE, TN), May 21, 2011 -- Tennessee will add juveniles convicted of the most violent sexual offenses to the state sex offender registry under legislation unanimously approved by the full Senate today. The bill is sponsored by Senator Brian Kelsey (R-Germantown).

NASHVILLE - Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today applauded the state House of Representative's final approval of his Tennessee Civil Justice Act of 2011, sending it to his desk for signature.

(NASHVILLE, TN), May 18, 2011 - A "No State Income Tax" constitutional amendment passed the Senate today by a vote of 26 to 4. Senate Joint Resolution 221, sponsored by Senator Brian Kelsey (R-Germantown) would clarify a prohibition in the Tennessee Constitution against an income tax and a payroll tax. The Senate action marks the first victory for the resolution in a series of approvals required under Tennessee's Constitution before the proposed amendment can be considered by voters on the ballot. The resolution will be taken up tomorrow morning by the state House for the first of three successive readings, and it could pass the House as early as Saturday.

(NASHVILLE, TN), May 12, 2011 - The Tennessee Civil Justice Act of 2011, sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris (R-Collierville) and Senator Brian Kelsey (R-Germantown), was approved in the State Senate today by a vote of 21 to 12. The legislation is designed to provide certainty and predictability for businesses, while ensuring that injured plaintiffs receive all of the economic, quantifiable damages they suffer.

(NASHVILLE, TN), May 4, 2011 -- The full Senate has unanimously passed legislation sponsored by Senator Brian Kelsey (R-Germantown) to help address Tennessee's high infant mortality rate. The bill directs the Department of Health's Perinatal Advisory Committee to study issues and policy options relating to hospital discharge and follow-up care procedures for premature infants born less than 37 weeks gestational age.

(NASHVILLE, TN), April 21, 2011 -- Legislation giving low income students an opportunity to receive an "Equal Opportunity Scholarship" to attend the school of their choice has received final approval in the full Senate. The bill applies to students who are eligible for free and reduced-price lunch in Memphis, Shelby County, Nashville, Chattanooga, and Knoxville schools.

(NASHVILLE, TN), April 18, 2011 -- The State Senate voted 24 to 8 today to give Tennesseans the opportunity to restore their voice in determining what state law should be regarding abortions. The supermajority is two more votes than needed by the Senate to put the constitutional resolution on the ballot. The measure, Senate Joint Resolution 127 sponsored by Senator Mae Beavers (R-Mt. Juliet), addresses a State Supreme Court decision in 2000 that struck down provisions in Tennessee law calling for women to receive "informed consent" information about the surgery and to wait 48 hours before they receive an abortion.

The Senate Education Committee voted 5-2-2 to approve legislation giving parents of low income students attending persistently failing schools an opportunity to receive an "Equal Opportunity Scholarship" to attend the school of their choice. The bill applies to students who are eligible for free and reduced-price lunch in Memphis, Shelby County, Nashville, Chattanooga, and Knoxville schools.

"Equal Opportunity Scholarships provide impoverished children with hope and choice: Hope for a better education and Choice in the school they attend," said Senator Brian Kelsey (R-Germantown), sponsor of the bill. "With this bill, children need no longer be victims of their own geography. Children will not be forced to attend a failing school just because they live in a certain neighborhood. Equal Opportunity Scholarships will allow all children to receive the quality education they deserve." The scholarships would be in the amount of half the money that state and local school systems spend on each child, which amounts to $5,400 per year in Memphis City Schools, $4,200 in Shelby County Schools, $5,400 in Nashville Schools, $4,600 in Chattanooga Schools, and $4,300 in Knoxville Schools. The scholarship money could be used to attend any school that parents choose, including public charter schools, private schools, or other public schools if space is available.

Nine of the ten "random-assignment" studies on opportunity scholarships have concluded that reading and math scores of students with opportunity scholarships increased 6-12 percentage points after the first few years compared to low-income students who lost the lottery to receive a scholarship. In the newly reinstated D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, students receiving the scholarship graduated at a rate 12% higher than those low-income students who lost the lottery to receive a scholarship.

(NASHVILLE, TN), March 24, 2011 (video included at end of release) -- This week lawmakers received the final in a series of reports assessing the effectiveness of Tennessee's Pre-Kindergarten, which continues to show disappointing results regarding the long term effects of the program. The purpose of the study was to assess whether children who attended a Tennessee-funded Pre-K program perform better academically than a comparable group of peers who did not attend.

(NASHVILLE, TN), March 9, 2011 - The Senate voted 28 to 5 this morning to approve the "No State Income Tax" amendment to the Tennessee constitution. The bipartisan proposal, sponsored by State Senator Brian Kelsey (R-Germantown), would clarify that an income tax and a payroll tax are prohibited by the Tennessee Constitution.

(NASHVILLE, TN), January 13, 2011 — State Senator Brian Kelsey (R-Germantown) and Representative Glen Casada (R-College Grove) filed a "No State Income Tax" constitutional amendment in the legislature today. The amendment would clarify a prohibition in the Tennessee Constitution against an income tax and a payroll tax. The bipartisan resolutions, Senate Joint Resolution 18 and House Joint Resolution 10, were sponsored by a total of 71 legislators.

"If this amendment passes, Tennessee will never face an income tax battle again," said Senator Kelsey. "Not having a state income tax has already brought jobs to Tennessee, and clarifying this prohibition will help Tennessee become the number one state in the Southeast for high quality jobs."

Kelsey won passage of the resolution by a vote of 25-7 last year in the Senate, but the resolution stalled in a House Subcommittee during the waning days of the 2010 legislative session. Casada said he is very hopeful that the bill will be approved by the House of Representatives this session.

"In these tough economic times, Tennesseans needs jobs and don't need to be worrying about having to pay a state income tax," said Representative Casada. "It's time to let the people vote on the issue. This will show companies that move to Tennessee that we are serious about never imposing an income tax."

A state income tax was proposed from 1999-2002 and received 45 of the 50 votes necessary for passage in the House of Representatives in 2002. Last January, eight state lawmakers filed legislation to implement a state income tax. Lawmakers have several more weeks to file bills to be considered in the 2011 session.

The resolution specifies that the legislature as well as Tennessee counties and cities shall be prohibited from passing either an income tax or a payroll tax, which is a tax on employers that is measured by the wages they pay their workers. A payroll tax has been proposed as a way around an income tax, and a 2.5 percent payroll tax was proposed in recent years by elected officials in Shelby County.

Kelsey said that there have been three cases before the Tennessee Supreme Court that have declared an income tax to be unconstitutional. The most recent case was decided in 1964, and it has never been overturned. However, in 1999, the State Attorney General issued an opinion saying an income tax was constitutional. There is concern that a new State Supreme Court might agree with the Attorney General opinion.

Other Senate sponsors of the resolution include Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey (R-Blountville), Senator Andy Berke (D-Chattanooga), Senator Mae Beavers (R-Mt. Juliet), Senator Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge), Senator Mark Norris (R-Collierville), Senator Eric Stewart (D-Winchester), Senator Dolores Gresham (R-Somerville), Senator Jim Summerville (R-Dickson), Senator Stacey Campfield (R-Knoxville), Senator Jim Tracy (R-Shelbyville), Senator Ferrell Haile (R-Gallatin), Senator Rusty Crowe (R-Johnson City), Senator Mike Faulk (R-Church Hill), Senator Steve Southerland (R-Morristown), Senator Bill Ketron (R-Murfreesboro), Senator Ken Yager (R-Harriman), Senator Bo Watson (R-Hixson), Senator Jack Johnson (R-Franklin), and Senator Mike Bell (R-Riceville).

Other House sponsors of the resolution include Speaker Beth Harwell (R-Nashville), Rep. Steve McDaniel (R-Parker’s Crossroads), Rep. Kevin Brooks (R-Cleveland), Rep. David Alexander (R-Winchester), Rep. Mark White (R-Memphis), Rep. Barret Rich (R-Somerville), Rep. Gerald McCormick (R-Chattanooga), Rep. Curtis Halford (R-Dyer), Rep. Don Miller (R-Morristown), Rep. Dennis Powers (R-Jacksboro), Rep. Scotty Campbell (R-Mountain City), Rep. Jimmy Eldridge (R-Jackson), Rep. Rick Womick (R-Murfreesboro), Rep. Tim Wirgau (R-Buchanan), Rep. Joey Hensley (R-Hohenwald), Rep. Sheila Butt (R-Columbia), Rep. Steve Hall (R-Knoxville), Rep. Bill Sanderson (R-Kenton), Rep. Andy Holt (R-Dresden), Rep. Terri Lynn Weaver (R-Lancaster), Rep. Eddie Bass (D-Prospect), Rep. Vance Dennis (R-Savannah), Rep. John Forgety (R-Athens), Rep. Ryan Haynes (R-Knoxville), Rep. Frank Nicley (R-Strawberry Plains), Rep. Joshua Evans (R-Greenbriar), Rep. Jimmy Matlock (R-Lenoir City), Rep. Jim Cobb (R-Spring City), Rep. John D. Ragan (R-Oak Ridge), Rep. Phillip Johnson (R-Pegram), Rep. Pat Marsh (R-Shelbyville), Rep. Charles Sargent (R-Franklin), Rep. Julia Hurley (R-Lenoir City), Rep. Tony Shipley (R-Kingsport), Rep. Richard Floyd (R-Chattanooga), Rep. Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville), Rep. Ryan Williams (R-Cookeville), Rep. Jeremy Faison (R-Cosby), Rep. Debra Maggart (R-Hendersonville), Rep. Mike Sparks (R-Smyrna), Rep. Ron Lollar (R-Bartlett), Rep. Jim Coley (R-Bartlett), Rep. Jim Gotto (R-Hermitage), Rep. Matthew Hill (R-Johnson City), Rep. Eric Watson (R-Cleveland), Rep. Joe Carr (R-Lascassas), Rep. Mark Pody (R-Lebanon), Rep. Linda Elam (R-Mt. Juliet), Rep. Vince Dean (R-East Ridge), and Rep. Mike Harrison (R-Rogersville).