MONDAY, JUNE 4, 2012 Haslam hosting Southern Growth Policies Board 2012 Chairmans Conference (BC)

Make plans now to attend the Southern Growth Policies Board 2012 Chairmans Conference hosted by Gov. Bill Haslam on June 25-26, 2012 in Chattanooga, Tenn. at The Chattanoogan Hotel. The conference will examine job and workforce trends, with a view towards re-imagining tomorrows educated worker. This will include exploring tough questions, such as: How can we determine the skills needed for future jobs when were not sure what those jobs will be? How can we raise awareness of potential career paths and opportunities? What are the implications for P-16? W hat is the business perspective and what role will the business sector play in this preparation? And how do we connect the dots between different players-from K-12 to community colleges to universities to industry? The conference will also highlight new models and ideas in the areas of education and workforce skill development. http://businessclarksville.com/2012/06/03/governor-haslam-hosting-southern-growth-policies-board-2012chairmans-conference-44322/

Tennessee bills die by veto, summer study committee (Murfreesboro Post)

Throughout the 107th General Assembly, numerous bills made statewide even national headlines in newspapers, as well as some comments by television pundits and comedians. While some of these bills passed, not all of them did. Gov. Bill Haslam used his veto powers for the first time in his administration to kill one piece of legislation that passed after a long, arduous debate and discussion in the waning hours of the Tennessee House of Representatives final session, while others simply died in committees in the waning days of the session that ended last month. Gun legislation Although Sen. Mike Faulks two bills regarding guns made it to the Senate Rules Committee, which he chaired, neither made it to the floor for a vote, despite efforts by Democratic Leader Jim Kyle of Memphis to do so April 23 by suspending the rules. http://www.murfreesboropost.com/tennessee-bills-die-by-veto-summer-study-committee-cms-31391

Tennessee First Lady Crissy Haslam Launches Book Club (WKIM-Radio)

Tennessee First Lady Crissy Haslam launched a statewide book club on Friday, The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports. The Read20 Family Book Club encourages families to read 20 minutes per day this summer. A book will be featured monthly on the its website, where children and families can find reading ideas, activities and tips. The book club's goal is to encourage parents to engage in their children's academic lives and promote early child literacy. Haslam selected Frindle by Andrew Clements as June's featured "Book of the Month," the paper says. http://www.989kimfm.com/rssItem.asp?feedid=157&itemid=29857444

State seeks volunteers to fill special-needs gap (News-Sentinel/Garlington)

Twice a month, Kenny Thielemeyer and Danny Munson deliver meals for MIFA and glue newspaper articles on paper for the library. They and other volunteers like them may have Down syndrome, autism or other special needs, but they can give back to the community. That is the kind of voluntarism that state officials want to see replicated within the population as a whole. Both are clients at the Bartlett-based West Tennessee Family Solutions. They attend a day program the group runs at Good Shepherd United Methodist Church in Memphis. Jim Henry, who heads up the state's Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities office in Nashville, has been in Memphis visiting and highlighting those making a difference. He wants to see more people step up and help families with special-needs children and adults. "Government is never really going to be

able to supply all the needs of the people," Henry said. "We are struggling to maintain the services we have." Slightly more than 1,000 people who live in Shelby County and have intellectual or developmental disabilities receive some help or assistance from the state. The need, however, is much greater. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/jun/04/state-seeks-volunteers-to-fill-special-needs-gap/ (SUB)

New demands will hinder GED option (Tennessean/Giordano)

Additional costs plus computer knowledge to be part of process When Amelia Patterson was in 11th grade, the pressure to stay in high school, work and take care of her newborn baby became too much to handle. The Franklin resident ended up dropping out of school, unable to finish what she started until 14 years later, when she signed up for classes at the Williamson County Adult Education offices in Franklin. There were always obstacles in my way, Patterson said. I didnt give up, I just had a lot going on. Now with renewed faith and confidence in her abilities, she is on her way to receiving her General Educational Development certificate, or GED, at a time when adult education across the state is being transformed. Patterson says it was just her time and not the changes that encouraged her to act now. However, by January 2014, all adult education in Tennessee will look a little different than it does today. Among the changes will be an increase in cost for the tests, from $75 to $120, and they will no longer be given on paper, but via computer. Thats why adult education program organizers are encouraging people who never finished high school to take those steps now. Besides the increase in cost, the new tests will also require keyboard skills. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120604/W ILLIAMSON01/306040025/New-demands-will-hinder-GEDoption?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CNews&nclick_check=1 (SUBSCRIPTION)

Clarksville GED program offers lifeline for some (Leaf Chronicle)

GED graduate relied on program's support It took one year for Jessica Mikanna Davis, 18, to complete her GED, but on Saturday, she was one of 85 recipients of the academic achievement from the Clarksville/Montgomery County School System. Davis said she had dropped out of school and was living in Alabama with her father. Life was proving to be very difficult for her. I did not like school and was not doing well in school either, she said. I was getting in trouble and that made things even worse. Davis returned to Clarksville in an attempt to restart her life. My father encouraged me to return to school and focus just on that, she said. Getting into this GED program is the best decision I made. It hasnt been easy and there were times I wanted to give up, but I didnt. About the program The GED program at the Greenwood Complex has served 695 students since June 30, 2011. Within that group are 111 students in the English as Second Language program. There were 85 graduates in the June commencement and 133 in the December 2011 commencement. Betty Cook, Adult Education Director for Clarksville/Montgomery County, is very proud of these numbers. This program is a lifeline for people, she said. Because of our program, students of various ages leave here better prepared for their future. http://www.theleafchronicle.com/article/20120603/NEWS01/306030058/Clarksville-GED-program-offers-lifelinesome?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE&nclick_check=1

Ill Tennessee veteran claimed VA negligence too late (Associated Press/Hall)

TN man blames hepatitis B on 2006 colonoscopy at Murfreesboro VA hospital Years after thousands of veterans learned they may have been exposed to infections at government-run hospitals, many are still mired in legal battles seeking compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs. In the latest legal setback, a federal appeals court has ruled against a Tennessee veteran who claims he contracted hepatitis B after employees at the Murfreesboro VA hospital negligently failed to properly clean colonoscopy equipment. The ruling could have an impact on similar lawsuits against the VA. The court found that Carl Huddlestons claim, filed more than three years after the procedure, came too late, even though he acted within months after he learned his health could have been endangered. The three-judge panel of the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last week. Huddleston was one of more than 10,000 veterans notified in 2009 that they needed to be tested for hepatitis B and C and HIV infection because of endoscopic cleaning mistakes at VA facilities in Murfreesboro, Tenn., Augusta, Ga., and Miami. http://www.tennessean.com/viewart/20120604/NEWS21/306040032/Ill-Tennessee-veteran-claimed-VAnegligence-too-late?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|News

I-75 lanes in Campbell County set to reopen this morning (News-Sentinel)

One lane of Interstate 75 South and both lanes of Interstate 75 North are due to reopen at 8 o'clock this morning in Campbell County. Since March 8 the section of I-75 near the Stinking Creek Road interchange has been 2

proving troublesome for the Tennessee Department of Transportation and the more than 28,000 drivers who daily use that portion of road. First, the southbound lanes were obliterated by a slope slide that ate away at a 180-foot drop in the hillside. Then authorities had to close one of the two northbound lanes because of continued deterioration of the slope. A second "slide within the slide" occurred May 7, disrupting the already limited flow of traffic for which crossover lanes had been constructed following the original slide. The entire $9.3 million project to stabilize and rebuild all lanes of I-75 in the impacted area is slated for completion by Sept. 28. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/jun/04/i-75-lanes-in-campbell-county-set-to-reopen-this/

District 34 House candidates hope youth wins out (Tennessean/W ilson)

23- and 28-year-old Democrats don't feel age hurts them As Luke E. Dickerson introduces himself to supporters at a local Democratic fundraiser, it only gradually becomes apparent that the 28-year-old is not just an aide or campaign volunteer doing legwork for someone else. Hes the candidate. W hile Dickerson may be green in terms of experience compared with other candidates statewide, he is the oldest candidate in the primary election for a Murfreesboro state House district set for August. His opponent, Spencer Douglas, is a 23-year-old Rockvale resident who just graduated from Middle Tennessee State University in May. Douglas and Dickerson are trying to unseat first-term lawmaker Rep. Rick Womick, R-Rockvale. If either were to win the southwestern Rutherford County district, he would be one of the youngest lawmakers in the state House and the first Democrat to win that district in recent memory. As Douglas sees it, his eligibility to run for the state House is all the requirement he needs to succeed if elected. At 21, you can run. I dont see how not having much personal experience can be a disadvantage, he said. That youth can bring new angles and energy to issues not always considered by state lawmakers, where only three of 99 House members are younger than 30. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120604/NEWS0201/306040022/District-34-House-candidates-hope-youthwins-out?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CNews&nclick_check=1 (SUBSCRIPTION)

New new Knox-area House race about personalities (News-Sentinel/Humphrey)

The area designated by state law as House District 89, today geographically covering a part of urban Memphis and represented by one of the few acknowledged liberal Democrats remaining in Tennessee, will be transformed on Nov. 6. On that date, House District 89 will certainly become, geographically, a rural-suburban enclave within Knox County 300 miles away, thanks to the new state legislative redistricting plan enacted to change state law earlier this year by the General Assembly. And, almost certainly, House District 89 will be politically represented by one of four Republican men who based on recent interviews have few philosophical differences in adhering to basic conservative Republican principles and equal ambivalence on issues that have split sitting Republican legislators. The race to represent the relocated District 89, then, would seem to be largely a personality contest. The district was designed by the Legislature's Republican majority to have no incumbent and to favor the Republican candidate. Democrat Shelly Breeding filed to run as a Democrat in the new district, but her candidacy has been voided by a court decision finding that she is legally a resident of Anderson County and cannot run. That decision is on appeal. If it goes against Breeding, the seat will certainly go to the GOP nominee. If she wins on appeal, conventional political wisdom holds that it would still probably go to the Republican nominee. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/jun/04/new-new-knox-area-house-race-about-personalities/

Shelby County voter rolls shrinking amid purges (Associated Press)

Shelby County voter rolls have shrunk by about 180,000 names due to aggressive moves by the county Election Commission to move many voters to inactive status and purge others. The Commercial Appeal reports the spring cleaning of the publicly available voting rolls has shrunk from nearly 612,000 to just over 431,000. The commission said more than 151,000 voters were changed to inactive status because they hadnt voted in the last two federal elections. Those people remain eligible to vote, but are no longer included among active voters listed in county voting statistics. If a voter who is listed as inactive returns to vote anytime over the next four years in Shelby County, their names move back to active status. The election commission notifies voters by mail that their status has changed and voters can reply to stay on active voter rolls. But if a voter doesnt show up over an eight-year span and fails to contact the commission, they will be purged. http://www.tennessean.com/viewart/20120604/NEWS21/306040027/Shelby-County-voter-rolls-shrinking-amidpurges?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|News (SUBSCRIPTION)

Redistricting means changes for 45 percent of Anderson's voters (N-S/Fowler)

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While redistricting is going on statewide, its results including new precinct and district boundaries are having a particularly profound effect on Anderson County voters, administrator of elections Mark Stephens said. Some 45 percent of the county's more than 49,000 registered voters or 22,000 residents are getting letters notifying them of the changes. About half of the letters have gone out, and the rest will be mailed this week, Stephens said Friday. "It's been quite a process," he said. "We've had a number of calls regarding this," Stephens said. "People are curious, frustrated possibly, because of some of the changes." He said, for instance, that some residents in the Dutch Valley area who live within sight of the elementary school where they previously cast ballots must now drive several miles to Lake City Middle School to vote. It's all the result of redistricting approved by Anderson County Commission after the 2010 Census showed population shifts in the county. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/jun/04/redistricting-means-changes-for-45-percent-of/

Dean's proposed budget would expand bus rapid transit 'lite' (CP/Garrison)
In case you hadnt heard, Mayor Karl Dean occasionally rides the bus. Just W ednesday morning, the mayor made his way from his house in Green Hills to the nearest shelter on Hillsboro Pike, waited alongside other commuters and took the Metro Transit Authority bus to his downtown office. Every morning that I take the bus, I get to work in a better mood than when I dont, Dean told The City Paper. So, the staff encourages me to take the bus. Besides lifting his spirits, the mayors ritual reinforces his mass-transit preference, the mode he sees as the wave of the future for Nashville: buses more specifically, bus rapid transit. BRT can take on different forms, but it is generally defined as a bus service thats faster and more efficient than the traditional model, with enhanced infrastructure. Dean, his image plastered on various MTA bus advertisements, trumpeted the merits of BRT in a television spot during his initial run for office five years ago. That campaign pitch was a sign of things to come. Over the winter, Dean announced plans to move forward aggressively on a new $136 million BRT line, with buses occupying dedicated lanes of traffic, along a so-called east-west connector from East Nashville to Broadway, down West End Avenue. (Dean ruled out a possible modern streetcar line for this same stretch, largely due to price.) http://nashvillecitypaper.com/content/city-news/deans-proposed-budget-would-expand-bus-rapid-transit-lite

Knox County Commission faces several proposed tax hikes today (NS/Donila)
Knox County Commission faces several proposed tax hikes today Knox County officials haven't signed off on a property tax increase since June 1999. That could change today. The Knox County Commission this evening plans to vote on Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett's budget, although it may not look much like the $673.7 million plan he proposed in early May. Officials today will discuss other options, and almost all of them if approved would increase property taxes, something Burchett said he will veto. "Everything is going to be on the table," Commission Chairman Mike Hammond said. "There's no way to absorb (many of the proposals) in the general fund. The debate and discussion will be interesting." Every 1-cent increase per $100 of assessed value on a $150,000 house costs its owner an additional $3.75 a year in taxes. The penny raises $1 million in revenue. TARGETED HIKES SOUGHT Here's what's on the table: A plan to raise taxes by at least 31 cents to fund the school system's request for an additional $35 million for strategic improvements http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/jun/04/knox-county-commission-faces-several-proposed/

Senator seeks action to ease guitar owners angst (News-Sentinel/Collins)

Sen. Lamar Alexander was in the audience at Nashville's famed Ryman Auditorium for a performance of "A Prairie Home Companion" a few weeks back when, at one point during the show, singer Steve Wariner held up his rosewood guitar and Garrison Keillor wandered aloud whether the federal government might seize it. Keillor might have been playing for laughs. But to some musicians, this is serious stuff. Federal agents have raided Gibson Guitar Corp. offices in Nashville and Memphis in search of ebony and rosewood that the government says might have been imported illegally from India. The wood is used in guitar fingerboards. Now, some musicians are worried the government might confiscate their guitars if they perform out of the country and then try to re-enter. That hasn't happened, "but we don't want them thinking that," Alexander said. Alexander, RTenn., and U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., are trying to fix what they see as at least three problems with the federal law that is the source of the musicians' angst. The law, known as the Lacey Act, was amended in 2008 to apply to timber products. The goal was to stop illegal logging around the world that competes with the American pulp and paper industry. The law's supporters argued illegal logging takes away American jobs and destroys forests worldwide. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/jun/04/senator-seeks-action-to-east-guitar-owners-angst/ 4

Congressional candidate Ron Bhalla finance report has error (TFP/Carroll)

Republican congressional candidate Ron Bhalla appears to be in violation of federal campaign finance law, but he calls it an innocent mistake. Bhalla is a Chattanooga businessman challenging U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann in Tennessee's 3rd Congressional District Republican primary. On April 14, Bhalla submitted his first campaign finance report to the Federal Election Commission. Late Friday, Bhalla's 11-page report included just one expenditure -- a $14,145 lump-sum disbursement to himself without any additional information. Federal Election Commission regulations require candidates to provide "a brief but specific description" of every campaign expenditure. Bhalla's blue-and-white campaign signs are all over town, and he recently purchased brochures and business cards. Those items aren't mentioned in Bhalla's filing. Paul S. Ryan, senior counsel at the Campaign Legal Center in W ashington, D.C., said disclosure laws aim to ensure transparency in campaign finance. A Federal Election Commission candidate guide suggests "dinner expense" and "postage" as examples of a disbursement's purpose, but staff salaries, printing costs and consulting fees are common within most financial reports. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/jun/04/bhalla-finance-report-has-error/?local

States explore new ways to tax motorists for road repair (USA Today)
States are looking for new ways of taxing motorists as they seek to pay for highway and bridge repair and improvements without relying on the per-gallon gasoline tax widely viewed as all but obsolete. Among the leading ideas: Taxing drivers for how many miles they travel rather than how much gasoline they buy. Minnesota and Oregon already are testing technology to keep track of mileage. Other states, including Washington and Nevada, are preparing similar projects. The efforts are being prompted by the fact that gasoline taxes no longer provide enough money to pay for roads and bridges especially when Congress and many state legislatures are reluctant to increase taxes imposed on each gallon. The federal tax of 18.4 cents a gallon hasn't been raised in nearly two decades. More than half the states have not raised their gas tax this millennium. Fuel-efficiency also is behind the efforts. Electric-powered vehicles are growing in numbers. In 2009, President Obama set the nation's most aggressive fuel-efficiency standards for new vehicles, ordering a 40% increase by 2016. http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-06-03/states-motorist-taxes/55367022/1

Big Changes in College Health Plans (Wall Street Journal)

Some colleges are dropping student health-insurance plans for the coming academic year and others are telling students to expect sharp premium increases because of a provision in the federal health law requiring plans to beef up coverage. The demise of low-cost, low-benefit health plans for students is a consequence of the 2010 health-care overhaul. The law is intended to expand coverage to tens of millions of uninsured Americans, but it is also eliminating some insurance options. Many students already have coverage through their parents and aren't affected by the changes. Parents who get insurance from an employer have traditionally been able to enroll dependents on their plans up to the age of 22 if they are full-time college students, and about two-thirds of students have that kind of coverage, according a 2008 study by the Government Accountability Office. The health-care law has since increased the age at which children can be on their parents' coverage to 26. Around 600,000 students, about 7% of the total number of 18-to-23-year-olds in college, bought their own insurance, generally plans arranged by schools for which students pay all the premiums, the GAO study said. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303506404577444410947791758.html?mod=ITP_pageone_1 (SUBSCRIPTION)

Medicaid Fraud Busters Learn From Experience (Stateline)

Texas had an unusually high Medicaid orthodontics bill in 2010. At $185 million, the state was reportedly spending more than the other 49 states combined. Claims data showed that it had led the nation for three consecutive years in total dollars spent to help children with crooked teeth. Or at least thats what state and federal regulators thought. As it turns out, Texas did not have a higher percentage of children with orthodontic needs. Nor was the Medicaid program doing a better than average job of providing dental care for the poor. Instead, a handful of orthodontists were bilking Medicaid by putting braces on thousands of children who did not require them. They were also tweaking the braces more often than recommended and keeping them on much longer than was normal. In fact, a small number of fraudulent orthodontic practices in the Dallas area had been operating in plain sight for years. Road signs advertised free braces, and dental workers solicited parents in pizza parlors and parking lots outside of social service agencies. The fraudsters offices were so crowded that parents had to wait outside. Overall, the gambits of these few orthodontic practices proved wildly fruitful. One 5

firm, All Smiles Dental Center, racked up as much in Medicaid payments in one year as the entire state of Illinois spent on orthodontics for low-income children over the same period. http://www.pewstates.org/projects/stateline/headlines/medicaid-fraud-busters-learn-from-experience85899395606

Delays mire nuclear plant construction (Chattanooga Times Free-Press/Sohn)

It almost feels like the 1970s and '80s again with so much news about every new and under-construction nuclear plant registering cost overruns and delays. Five reactors are under construction, and all are reportedly over budget and behind schedule. W hat that ultimately means to electric rates remains unclear. Unit 2 at the W atts Bar Nuclear Plant in Spring City, Tenn., is up to $2 billion over budget and three years behind, according to the Tennessee Valley Authority. TVA blames its own management oversight and planning. Instead of basing a plan and estimates on the twin reactor already running at Watts Bar, the utility used as a model the only other reactor work that had ever been deemed on time, close to budget and a success: Unit 1 at Browns Ferry. The trouble was that Browns Ferry and Watts Bar are completely different types of reactors with different work spaces and work needs. Georgia's Vogtle project reportedly has a $900 million cost overrun. Southern Co. and its subsidiary Georgia Power argue the cost from improperly installed rebar and design problems should fall to the contractors and designers. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/jun/04/delays-mire-nuclear-plantconstruction/?local

Old Y-12 utility poles being used at state forest (Associated Press)
Old utility poles from the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge didn't end up in a landfill: They are being used by state forestry officials. According to a news release from the complex, the poles are now being used at Lone Mountain State Forest's parking lots. Some will be used as structure posts for a pavilion to provide cover for Morgan and Roane County firefighting equipment. Others will block motorized vehicles from using horse trails at the site. More than 100 poles were hauled away to the state forest. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Energy is using some of the poles at its transportation courier training facility in Oak Ridge. Complex officials said 50 to 100 poles are still available. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/jun/04/old-y-12-utility-poles-beingused-at-state/

As state funds expire, Genera seeks new mission (News-Sentinel/Brookshire)

As the state's five-year, $70.5 million investment in the Tennessee Biofuels Initiative comes to an end in June, Genera Energy will take on a more focused role as a biomass supply company for biofuels producers. At the same time, the University of Tennessee will spin off a second company, TennEra, based on the Genera model, to pursue related opportunities to transfer university technology to the marketplace, according to Kelly Tiller, Genera president and CEO. TennEra's general research and development focus will be on technologies and processes for biomass fractionation, or separating cellulosic biomass components and commercial application of biorefinery co-products. UT's Center for Renewable Carbon and Department of Biosystem Engineering and Soil Science have contributed research in those areas, according to UT's website. Tiller says TennEra's specific business interests are "evolving" and that she will announce more details closer to the July 1 transition date ending the state's investment in the biofuels initiative. "There is a new opportunity to build on all that's been done over the last several years, taking new technology coming out of the university and replicating the (Genera) model," Tiller says. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/jun/04/as-state-funds-expire-genera-seeks-new-mission/

School board to discuss Knoxville High campus, charter school (NS/McCoy)

The Knox County school board will begin talking this week about what to do with the Historic Knoxville High School. The building houses the district's GED and Adult Education programs, the Knoxville City Federal Credit Union, the Knox County Museum of Education, some administrative offices and storage. Several months ago, rumors circulated in the community that employees and departments were being moved from the building, located at 101 E. Fifth Ave., and the facility was to be sold. At its meeting on Tuesday, the school board will discuss the creation of a letter of interest for the property to assess interest from the community in buying the building. "A couple months back we said we were exploring our options in regards to the Historic Knoxville High School facility. This really is continuing that exploration," said Jim McIntyre, Knox County Schools' superintendent. "This step that we're asking the board to take would be really to gauge the interest that may be out there for purchasing and/or developing the Historic Knoxville High School building, if it were to be surplused 6

by the school board." http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/jun/04/school-board-to-discuss-historic-knoxville-high/

Supt. Kriner Cash's tenure at city schools longer than most (CA/Roberts)
Regardless of what the unified school board decides about Memphis City Schools Supt. Kriner Cash's contract, he has already outlasted the average school superintendent of a large urban district, who is either pushed out or packs up of his own accord after about 31/2 years. On July 1, Cash will have been in Memphis four years. In that time, the city has risen to the forefront of national school reform efforts, and helped pave the way for Tennessee's prominence on the same scene. How the school board manages its challenges, including naming a superintendent, is being watched around the nation, says Mike Casserly, longtime executive director of the Council of the Great City Schools. "I have never seen a school system go through what you are going through at the scale it is happening in Memphis and Shelby County," he said. The broader question -- affected by every decision the board makes -- is "how the needs of very poor urban kids and somewhat better-off suburban kids will all be met in a single system," Casserly said. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/jun/04/cash-tenure-longer-than-most/ (SUBSCRIPTION)

California: A $1 Cigarette Tax Starts a $47 Million Brawl in California (NY Times)
California has some of the toughest antismoking laws in the country it is illegal, in some places, to smoke in your own apartment and boasts the second-lowest per capita smoking rate in the 50 states. But for all the disdain toward smoking, it has been 14 years since California raised its cigarette tax, a tribute to the power of the tobacco industry here and the waning of this states antitobacco dominance. That may be about to change. An array of health and anticancer groups has rallied behind a ballot initiative to impose a new $1-a-pack cigarette tax to finance cancer research. And that has provoked a $47 million storm of advertisements, overwhelmingly financed by the tobacco industry, which is outspending proponents by nearly four to one to defeat the biggest threat it has faced in California in more than a decade. An independent poll conducted May 14 to 20 signaled the power of the assault: while a majority of voters in California, where the average price of cigarettes is $5.71 a pack, say they still support Proposition 29, as it is known, the percentage has dropped markedly since the campaign began, according to the poll by the Public Policy Institute of California. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/04/us/in-california-a-battle-over-a-plan-for-1-a-pack-cigarette-tax.html? _r=1&ref=todayspaper (SUBSCRIPTION)

Georgia: Georgia explores private deal on Medicaid (Associated Press)

Georgia officials are exploring whether the state could expand its use of for-profit companies to hold down ballooning Medicaid costs and better coordinate care, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Sunday. The program, which costs about $21 million daily, provides care for the needy, aged, blind and disabled and lowincome families with children. Some 1.7 million residents are enrolled. "The current Medicaid program design cannot be sustained," said David Cook, the commissioner of the Georgia Department of Community Health. He expects an annual Medicaid deficit of more than $600 million within three years. "By acting now, we can save this important safety net program while improving quality care and providing greater value for patients and the public." In January, a consultant's report recommended using private companies to manage Medicaid. Since then, state authorities have convened task forces of health care providers and others to explore the options. Those choices range from maintaining the current system to letting hospitals and doctors manage care. Now state health officials are preparing to make decisions. Gov. Nathan Deal, a Republican, said the department has taken the right approach by analyzing its options. Lawmakers would not need to approve the proposed changes. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/jun/04/georgia-explores-private-deal-on-medicaid/?local

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OPINION Tom Humphrey: Administration bats .500 on business tax changes (NewsSentinel)
Two bills on business taxation that were part of Gov. Bill Haslam's legislative package this year provide an interesting contrast both in presentation and outcome. The most interesting was a proposed rewrite of the state's business tax code that appeared relatively late in the session, then was dropped like a proverbial hot potato after complaints arose. The idea, according to some folks involved, was to try to address some legal concerns about inequities in the business tax, a local government levy that requires businesses to be licensed and taxes paid. Businesses obtain licenses through their county clerks, but since 2009 have been required to send their taxes to the Department of Revenue instead of the clerks. Three of the state's 95 counties Clay, Claiborne and Morgan do not have a business tax, according to the department's website. Three other counties have reduced tax rates, according to Barbara Sampson, deputy commissioner of the Tennesse Department of Revenue. Most cities have a business tax. A few don't. Thus, since the tax is not uniform statewide, the possibility of lawsuits exists. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/jun/04/administration-bats-500-on-business-tax-changes/

Charlie Daniel Political Cartoon: Building Block (Knoxville News-Sentinel)

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http://web.knoxnews.com/charlie/latest.jpg

Editorial: Sen. Corker's optimism can breath life into Congress (Jackson Sun)
When The Jackson Suns editorial board met with U.S. Sen. Bob Corker last week, we were encouraged by his cautious optimism that Congress is poised to tackle the nations fiscal problems and do something great for the nation. We have come to know Corker as a realist not given to pie-in-the-sky political rhetoric. We only can hope, along with countless other Americans, that he is right. The day after our meeting with Corker, we were greeted with a disappointing national jobs report that saw a paltry 69,000 jobs created, and the national unemployment rate rise to 8.2 percent. That led Corker to reiterate his plea for Congress to act and to move toward passing pro-growth tax reform, sensible entitlement reform and responsible deficit reduction. For some time, Corker has argued that cranking up the nations huge economy is the answer to our staggering debt problem. Economic growth will create jobs and increase revenue. The nations banks and businesses are profitable and poised to begin investing cash reserves in capital projects, research and technology. Corker even cited evidence that manufacturing is returning to the U.S. http://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20120604/OPINION/306040001/Editorial-Sen-Corker-s-optimism-can-breathlife-into-Congress

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