With apologies to Robert Zimmerman, “the times they are a-changing.”

Unlike Bob Dylan’s 1964 song of rebellion, Capitol Hill isn’t turning into a bed of liberals, although someday the first could be last. In fact, it could turn more conservative this fall before things take a different direction. But leadership down the line in both parties is due for a big turnover.

2. Midstate Transit Future is Paved With Tired Ideas - Thursday, June 14, 2018

If you ask state Rep. William Lamberth, Davidson County voters gave a resounding answer on the future of mass transit in this region. Based on their overwhelming defeat of an early May referendum, they don’t want to raise taxes for mass transit, preferring to be more like Atlanta and Los Angeles and less like New York.

3. Hacker Blamed for Third TNReady Computer Snafu - Wednesday, April 18, 2018

Frustrated by a third year of TNReady foul-ups, this time with testing statewide disrupted by a suspected hacker, state lawmakers are set to step in and put an end to what they feel is a fiasco.

Two measures were to be considered by the House Tuesday afternoon, April 17, to put an end to mistakes in the administration of tests used to evaluate student progress and teacher effectiveness. School districts statewide were affected by the disruption this week after an outside source hit the state’s testing vendor, Questar.

4. Akbari’s Expungement Bill Moves Toward Passage - Saturday, March 31, 2018

NASHVILLE – Buoyed by the support of Gov. Bill Haslam, legislation making it less expensive for non-violent felons to clear their records is rolling through the General Assembly.

House bill 1862, sponsored by Rep. Raumesh Akbari, is set to be heard April 2 in the full House after clearing the Finance, Ways & Means Committee this week with no debate or opposition.

5. Small Cell Legislation Advancing, But Rural Options More Limited - Monday, March 19, 2018

NASHVILLE – Unable to get cell-phone service at a football game in Nashville or Knoxville? Can’t send a text from a Broadway honky tonk or Beale Street blues bar? Wondering how autonomous cars will ever work?

6. Medical Marijuana Legislation Moves Ahead - Thursday, March 1, 2018

NASHVILLE – Bolstered by House Speaker Beth Harwell’s tie-breaking vote, Rep. Jeremy Faison’s medical marijuana legislation took an important step Tuesday, Feb. 27, in the General Assembly.

7. Tennessee Bill Would Exempt Gun Safes From State Sales Tax - Wednesday, February 7, 2018

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Democratic and Republican lawmakers in Tennessee are pushing legislation to exempt gun safes from the state's sales tax.

At a news conference Monday, Republican Sen. Kerry Roberts of Springfield said the bill shows how the state Senate can find common ground and work in a bipartisan manner.

8. Democrats Look to Cooperate on Key Issues - Thursday, December 28, 2017

With the state’s budget projected to be tight and lawmakers lining up to run for re-election in 2018, the coming legislative session isn’t expected to yield many surprises.

But the 110th General Assembly still has a long row to hoe as the session starts Jan. 9 with new legislative offices and committee rooms in the renovated Cordell Hull Building in downtown Nashville.

9. Wiping Slate Clean: Now Less About Who Can Afford It - Wednesday, November 22, 2017

The scales of justice in Tennessee are slowly tipping back toward the poor – and not so poor – helping them regain traction lost to often-minor transgressions.

Change is taking place in court battles and in the Republican-controlled Legislature, believe it or not.

10. Opioid Committee on Right Track, Obstacles Remain - Thursday, September 14, 2017

Smyrna Police Chief Kevin Arnold can remember the first time his detectives brought a heroin case to him three or four years ago.

“Of course, my reaction immediately was, ‘I thought that went away in the late 70s.’ But we’re seeing it. In fact, we are averaging approximately five heroin overdoses a month just in the town of Smyrna,” adds Arnold, whose city about 10 miles southeast of Nashville has a population of nearly 48,600.

11. Legislature’s End Game on Guns: No Rules at All? - Thursday, July 20, 2017

If you think the state Legislature is full of gun nuts, Rep. Micah Van Huss begs to differ.

“No, not at all,” Van Huss says when asked if the General Assembly is too pro-gun. “I don’t think they’re pro-gun enough. In fact, … I think our laws in Tennessee infringe on our constitutional rights. There are now 16 states – we’ve added two or three this year – that allow constitutional carry. So, we’re falling behind.”

12. Tennessee Weighs Commission to Examine Jim Crow Brutality - Tuesday, June 27, 2017

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Charlie Morris vividly recalls his brother's murder.

Jesse Lee Bond was a sharecropper in Shelby County. Suspicious because his harvests never seemed to cover his debts, in the spring of 1939, Bond asked the local general store for a receipt of his seed purchases.

13. Law Could Allow Guns at Nashville Bus Hub Used By Schools - Tuesday, June 6, 2017

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Police and security guards keep watch as thousands of children zigzag through Nashville's downtown bus hub each morning and afternoon, catching buses between home and school.

14. Tennessee Governor Signs NRA-Backed Metal Detector Gun Bill - Monday, May 29, 2017

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Many Tennessee city and county buildings, parks and buses will either have to buy metal detectors, hire security guards and check people's bags, or let handgun permit holders bring in their guns, under a law signed Friday by Gov. Bill Haslam.

15. Tennessee House Passes Gun-Lawsuit Bill - Friday, May 5, 2017

Legislation making it easier for cities to be sued over gun restrictions eased through the state House Wednesday, May 3, even though it would allow those filing lawsuits to claim triple attorney fees.

16. Oral Chemo Bill Heading for House Vote as Big Pharma Watches - Wednesday, April 5, 2017

Despite objections to a pharmaceutical reporting requirement, a House committee passed legislation Tuesday, April 4, designed to make oral chemotherapy medication more affordable.

By a 16-2 vote, the House Insurance and Banking Committee approved legislation sponsored by Rep. William Lamberth prohibiting an insurance provider from requiring a higher insurance co-payment for oral anti-cancer medication than for injected chemotherapy medication. The measure moves next to the Calendar & Rules Committee and then the House floor.

17. Memphis Rep. Towns Attacks Drug Lobby - Friday, March 31, 2017

Legislation designed to make oral chemotherapy medication more affordable is hitting a snag in the form a financial reporting amendment.

The holdup is raising the ire of state Rep. Joe Towns Jr., who believes the Legislature is running scared of big drug companies.

18. View From the Hill: A Disjointed Stash of Marijuana Bills - Thursday, March 30, 2017

This year’s marijuana bills are a mixed bag.

Rep. Jeremy Faison is sending his medical marijuana legislation to a task force, as opposed to “summer study,” typically considered the trash heap for unwanted bills.

19. Senate Douses Memphis and Nashville Pot Ordinances - Wednesday, March 29, 2017

State senators are intent on striking down Memphis and Nashville marijuana laws giving police discretion to hand out citations for possessing small amounts of pot.

Despite opposition from Shelby County and Davidson County legislators, the Senate voted 26-5 Monday to clarify that state law overrides local government regulations involving drugs and similar substances.

20. State House Votes to Block Memphis, Nashville Pot Ordinances - Monday, March 27, 2017

Setting up a Senate debate on state pre-emption of Nashville and Memphis marijuana laws, the state House has approved legislation striking down local ordinances giving police discretion to hand out citations for small amounts of pot.

21. House Passes Bill That Blocks Marijuana Decriminalization - Friday, March 24, 2017

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – The House has voted on a bill that would block any efforts by Tennessee cities to decriminalize the use of marijuana. The bill would nullify laws that Memphis and Nashville have passed that have reduced the penalty for weed in some cases.

22. Miller’s Medical Pot Cards Bill Added to Marijuana Debates - Thursday, March 2, 2017

NASHVILLE – A measure by state Rep. Larry Miller requiring Tennessee to accept medical marijuana cards from other states met a cool response Tuesday, Feb. 28, in the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee.

23. Reducing Felony Possession Charges Aim of Parkinson’s Pot Bill - Friday, February 3, 2017

NASHVILLE – Rep. Antonio Parkinson says his legislation dealing with marijuana isn’t designed to decriminalize pot but to reduce felony possession charges – and the stumbling blocks attached to them – in addition to saving the state money.

24. Reducing Felony Possession Charges Aim of Parkinson’s Pot Bill - Thursday, February 2, 2017

NASHVILLE – Rep. Antonio Parkinson says his legislation dealing with marijuana isn’t designed to decriminalize pot but to reduce felony possession charges – and the stumbling blocks attached to them – in addition to saving the state money.

25. State Prosecutors Fighting for Funds Threatened by Haslam’s IMPROVE Act - Thursday, January 26, 2017

Tennessee’s district attorney generals are negotiating with the governor’s office to keep $5.6 million for DUI enforcement and prosecution, federal funds they could lose in an unintended consequence of his proposed IMPROVE Act.

26. State DAs Fighting for Funds Threatened by IMPROVE Act - Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Tennessee’s district attorney generals are negotiating with the governor’s office to keep $5.6 million for DUI enforcement and prosecution, federal funds they could lose in an unintended consequence of his proposed IMPROVE Act.

27. Last Word: The Law & Darrius Stewart, MEMShop's Return and The Pot Debate - Thursday, September 29, 2016

The Memphis Bar Association’s Law School for Journalists is where reporters and attorneys and a few judges meet annually to talk over the issues they have with each other. And it is usually about a specific topic. This year that topic was the July 2015 police shooting of Darrius Stewart.

28. Legislator: Marijuana Law Has Problems - Thursday, September 29, 2016

State Rep. William Lamberth balks at the notion Memphis and Nashville are softening the punishment for simple pot possession.

29. Pot Decriminalization Nears Final Vote - Thursday, September 22, 2016

One of the state’s two largest cities has decriminalized possession of less than a half ounce of marijuana. And the other city set the stage for a final vote on a similar measure next month.

The final vote Tuesday, Sept. 20, by the Metro Nashville Council could be one of several factors influencing the final vote Oct. 4 by the Memphis City Council.

30. Facing $60M Penalty, Tennessee Repeals Underage DUI Law - Thursday, September 15, 2016

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Tennessee lawmakers on Wednesday repealed an underage drunken driving law that threatened to cost the state $60 million in road money by running afoul of federal zero-tolerance standards.

31. As Long as You’re Here, Kick Durham Out - Thursday, September 8, 2016

State lawmakers hit the snooze button in July when prospects were high for a special session to oust Rep. Jeremy Durham over a career of carousing.

32. Bill Seeks to Halt Gun Carry Permits for Ex-Police With DUIs - Wednesday, April 13, 2016

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – State Rep. Curry Todd, a retired Memphis police officer who has pleaded guilty to drunken driving and gun charges, is speaking out against Gov. Bill Haslam's proposal to keep retired law enforcement officers with DUI convictions from being able to carry firearms in public.

33. Bill to Cap Liquor Store Ownership Headed to Haslam's Desk - Wednesday, March 30, 2016

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – The House passed a bill Monday to impose a cap on liquor store ownership in Tennessee, sending the measure that some Republicans derided as contrary to free market principles to Gov. Bill Haslam's desk.

34. ‘Fearless’ Stewart Embraces Battles With Supermajority - Saturday, March 12, 2016

Democratic state Rep. Mike Stewart lives on the front lines of the Tennessee General Assembly. As chairman of the House Democratic Caucus with 26 members, Stewart could employ a bunker mentality, but instead has chosen to take the fight to the other side of the aisle.

35. Desperate Families Plead for Cannabis Oil - Friday, March 6, 2015

Josie Mae Mathes had her first birthday recently, but because she suffers from childhood epilepsy and infantile spasms, she’s so medicated she can barely move.

36. House Passes Bill to Close Handgun Carry Records - Wednesday, March 13, 2013

NASHVILLE (AP) – The House has passed a bill that would seal most handgun carry permit records in Tennessee.

The chamber voted 84-10 on Monday in favor of the bill sponsored by Republican Rep. William Lamberth of Gallatin. The bill would block all public access unless a requester presents evidence that permit holders had been charged or convicted of a crime making them ineligible to carry firearms.

37. Archived Article: Small Biz - Monday, February 22, 1999
By STACEY PETSCHAUER Towne Square Candle seeks to burn up the market By STACEY PETSCHAUER The Daily News Ask William or Sharon Lamberth the formula they use to create their line of specialty candle products, and theyll answer a little bit of ingenui...