NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Republican Gov. Bill Haslam said Thursday he will revive a limited school voucher bill this legislative session, even though other GOP lawmakers say they’d like to see something a little broader.
The governor told reporters that his proposal once again will be limited to students from low-income families attending failing schools. Haslam had that measure withdrawn when Senate Republicans sought to expand to a larger number of children.
Haslam said it’s important to have a measured approach.
“I think it lets us walk into vouchers,” he said. “We want to have an approach that says, let’s see what the impact is both on students, and on districts and on overall education progress in Tennessee.”
Haslam’s bill last year would have set the income limit to about $43,000 for a child from a family of four, while Senate Republicans sought to expand eligibility to families with an income of $75,000.
And the governor’s plan would have capped the program at 5,000 students in the first year, with a gradual expansion to 20,000 children by 2016. The Senate version would have set no limit.
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Gov. Bill Haslam on Thursday proposed legislation that would require a prescription to obtain more than a 20-day supply of cold medicines used to make methamphetamine.
The Republican governor said the bill is meant to target illegal drug production with medicines such as Sudafed, which contain pseudoephedrine, while also maintaining access for people who need it.
“You’ve got to remember that 97 percent of people buying pseudoephedrine are buying it for legitimate reasons,” Haslam said. “They’re out there with real cold and sinus problems.”
Under the governor’s plan, people could buy up to 2.4 grams each month of products used to make meth. That’s about 10 days’ worth of the maximum dose. Pharmacists could allow another 10 days’ worth, but anyone needing any more would have to get a doctor’s prescription.
The monthly amount of cold medicines containing pseudoephedrine that could be purchased without a prescription under Haslam’s proposal is the equivalent to the average annual total purchased by Tennesseans.
The Consumer Healthcare Products Association, a pharmaceutical industry group, said it opposes what it called “severe restrictions” on cold and allergy medications.
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MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - The FBI has told Shelby County Election Administrator Richard Holden it wants to speak with him and six other election workers about how they complete their job responsibilities, an official said Thursday.
Election Commission Chairman Robert Meyers said Holden told him about the FBI’s interest in interviewing him and other workers. Meyers said he did not know exactly why the FBI would want to speak with Holden, the subject of criticism from elected officials.
Meyers said he assumes the FBI believes it has some basis to investigate. FBI officials visited the county election offices Wednesday, Meyers said.
“To my knowledge, no employee or Mr. Holden has done anything illegal that certainly I’m aware of and I would expect any investigation would confirm that,” Meyers said.
Holden did not return calls seeking comment. The FBI declined comment.
The Commercial Appeal first reported about the FBI seeking to interview Holden earlier Thursday.
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SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - An East Tennessee sheriff says a man wanted on a murder charge in Florida has been apprehended at an abandoned cabin.
Sevier County Sheriff Ron Seals told the Knoxville News Sentinel (https://bit.ly/1dwYnkThttps://bit.ly/1dwYnkT ) on Thursday that 40-year-old James Quilliams was found at a cabin in Wears Valley after a citizen called in a tip. He was taken into custody without incident. He had been the subject of a manhunt since Tuesday when a warrant was issued for his arrest.
He is charged in the slaying of 48-year-old Teresa Compton in Pinellas County, Fla.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether Quilliams had an attorney.
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Information from: Knoxville News Sentinel, https://www.knoxnews.comhttps://www.knoxnews.com
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