A bill that proposed allowing county legislative bodies to satisfy the public notice laws by posting notice of public meetings on a "social media platform" was amended this week in a House subcommittee to remove the mention of social media platforms.
A new law requires all law enforcement in Tennessee to make monthly reports to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation on the use of force. The data will include information from any police action resulting in death or serious bodily injury to a person or the discharge of a firearm at or in the direction of a person.
In the last redistricting a decade ago, citizens in Tennessee had about one week to review proposed new legislative maps before they were adopted. That's not enough time. The maps should be made available earlier so that citizens can review them and offer feedback before they are a done deal. [...]
A new law that went into effect in late April will allow government officials to seek relief in court from people who use the public records process with an intent to disrupt government operations. The bill was aimed at curbing public records requests from so-called "bad actors." [...]
Although lawmakers introduced several bills in the Tennessee Legislature this year to expand the ability of governing bodies to conduct electronic meetings without members having to be there in person, none passed. Of the nine bills tracked by TCOG, six failed or stalled. The other three were modified to keep the status quo on electronic participation and not expand it. The Open Meetings Act already allows members of state boards to participate in meetings electronically under certain conditions and rules. These rules are found in Section 108 of the Open Meetings Act. Members of school boards are also allowed to participate in meetings electronically within certain limits. Bill would have [...]
