🧑‍⚖️ Why Nashville is suing RFK Jr.

🏛️ Tennessee Legislature Wrap-up

The 2025 TN General Assembly has adjourned. What came out of it? On the City Cast Nashville podcast, we’re chatting about the good, the bad, the ugly, and the just plain weird from this year's session. [🎧 City Cast Nashville]

⚽ Nashville SC Sets a Record

Nashville Soccer Club broke a record over the weekend, scoring the most goals in one game in club history. They won 7-2 against Chicago Fire. [The Tennessean]

• Nashville’s rich soccer history [Hey Nashville]

🧑‍⚖️ Nashville Sues RFK Jr.

Nashville is suing Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services over public health funding cuts, arguing they’re unconstitutional and lack Congressional approval. [The Tennessean]

• Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. spoke at an opioid addiction conference last week at Gaylord Opryland, amid protests.

🏫 New School Budget

The Metro Nashville Public Schools board has approved a budget for next year, which now goes to Mayor O’Connell and Metro Council to review. The budget includes $76.5 million to cover pandemic-era funded programs, a $7.1 million cost-of-living-adjustment for employees, and $10 million to add weapons detection systems to all MNPS schools. [The Tennessean]

• My chat with MNPS director Dr. Battle on pandemic funding [🎧 City Cast Nashville]

The 2025 Tennessee General Assembly has adjourned, and our legislature passed almost 600 bills. It was a wild session, with numerous protests against the bill allowing schools to deny undocumented immigrant children. While that bill stalled, it might be considered again for the 2026 legislative session. Here are 28 other bills that did pass, from legislation that targets undocumented immigrants to increased recess time.

🏛️ Civics / Government

SB1084 / HB0923

Dismantling DEI Departments Act: Bars state agencies, local governments, and public colleges and universities from promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.

SB0861 / HB0910

Dissolves the state’s Human Rights Commission and transfers the responsibility for investigating claims of discrimination by state agencies to the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office.

SB1216 / HB0567

Designates Nashville’s hot chicken as an official state food.

🏢 Business & Finances

SB1413 / HB1376

Limits the use of the THCa flower in hemp products, establishes tax rates for different types of cannabis products, and moves regulation of these products to the alcoholic beverage commission.

SB0763 / HB0968

Levies a higher tax rate on vapor products than tobacco.

🚨 Criminal Justice

SB0030 / HB0055

Creates new misdemeanor offenses, including intentionally refusing to give one's name or giving a false name to law enforcement, getting within 25 feet of law enforcement after being asked to back up, leaving hate-filled flyers in neighborhoods, hanging banners from overpasses and bridges, and riding in the back of a box truck.

SB0335 / HB0602

Voyeurism Victims Act: Adds protections for victims recorded or photographed without their consent.

SB1115 / HB1144

Requires a private correctional services facility’s inmate population to be reduced by 10% if the death rate is twice the rate of an equivalent state-operated prison.

HB0811 / SB0227

Allows a charitable organization that provides housing to a person whom they know is unlawfully present in the United States to be held liable for losses, damages, injury, or death resulting from a criminal offense committed by that person while receiving housing services from the organization.

SB1075 / HB1093

Expands the definition of “machine gun” to include any gun capable of shooting more than two shots automatically without manual reloading, and increases penalties for selling machine guns in the state.

SB0992 / HB1038

Requires all files and juvenile court records of deceased school shooters who are minors be released to the public.