August Sales Tax holiday provides big savings for all Tennesseans

NASHVILLE – State Rep. Phillip Johnson, (Pegram) reminds us the 5th Annual TN Sales Tax Holiday is scheduled for Friday, August 6 and continuing through Sunday, August 8. The Department of Revenue is reminding Tennessee shoppers that during these three days of savings, you can save almost 10 percent on tax-free clothing, school and art supplies and computer purchases.

“The timing on this year’s Tax Free Holiday is perfect for back-to-school shoppers, especially those recently affected by the flood or facing difficult economic times,” stated Rep. Johnson.

The holiday begins Friday, August 6 at 12:01 a.m. and ends Sunday, August 8 at 11:59 p.m. During the designated three-day weekend, consumers will not pay state or local sales tax on select clothing with a price of $100 or less per item, school and art supplies with a price of $100 or less per item, and computers with a price of $1,500 or less.

Last year's tax-free weekend was extremely successful in giving back to Tennesseans, providing nearly $8 million in tax savings to Tennessee familiesPlease visit the Sales Tax Holiday Web site at www.tntaxholiday.com to learn more about the items exempt from sales tax. The Tennessee Department of Revenue also assists consumers via e-mail, Salestax.Holiday@TN.gov, and through its toll-free statewide telephone hot line, (800) 342-1003. Staff is available to answer questions Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central Time. (Out-of-state and Nashville-area callers, please dial (615) 253-0600.)

In a continued effort to promote Tennessee’s sales tax holiday, the Department of Revenue has launched a new dedicated facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/TNTaxHoliday.

Examples of exempt items include:

• Clothing: Shirts, dresses, pants, coats, gloves and mittens, hats and caps, hosiery, neckties, belts, sneakers, shoes, uniforms whether athletic or non-athletic and scarves
  
  
• School Supplies: Binders, book bags, calculators, tape, chalk, crayons, erasers, folders, glue, pens, pencils, lunch boxes, notebooks, paper, rulers and scissors
  
  
• Art Supplies: Clay and glazes; acrylic, tempera and oil paints; paintbrushes for artwork; sketch and drawing pads; and watercolors
  
  
• Computers: Central processing unit (CPU), along with various other components including monitor, keyboard, mouse, cables to connect components and preloaded software (Note: While the CPU may be purchased separately, other items must be part of a bundled computer package in order to be eligible.) iPad’s are eligible for tax exemption, video games and consoles are not.

 

The Tennessee General Assembly

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May 21, 2009

Contact: Celeste Thomas, 615-741-7477

Pro-life measure reaches House floor for first time;
106th General Assembly overwhelmingly approves

The State House of Representatives took action on Senate Joint Resolution 127 this week for the first time in the constitutional amendment’s long history. The proposal, which passed, aims to restore to the people of Tennessee their rightful authority to regulate abortion through their elected representatives, with an overwhelming 77-21 vote.

The sponsor of the amendment said that, “There exists a powerful and pivotal passage in our state’s constitution which states that power is inherent in the people,” while calling for bipartisanship on the measure so that Tennesseans would get the opportunity to voice their opinion through the referendum process. House and Senate members have worked for many years to see passage of the measure, and have now cleared the first hurdle in letting Tennesseans decide this matter once and for all, instead of activist courts.

The constitutional amendment is in response to the 2001 Tennessee Supreme Court decision in Planned Parenthood vs Sundquist, when the court created a right to unregulated abortion. The decision also prohibited the Tennessee legislature from enacting regulations governing abortions, arguably making Tennessee the most liberal state in the nation with regards to abortion laws.

The provision has never cleared the hurdle of the Public Health Subcommittee in the House. Lawmakers have fought since 2001 to pass SJR 127, believing Tennesseans should be allowed to weigh in on the issue. Members have argued that in the past, the initial vote of six in a subcommittee silenced six million Tennesseans.

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The provision has already passed the Senate with a 24-8 vote. Because it has now passed the 106th General Assembly by a simple majority, it must pass the 107th General Assembly by two-thirds before appearing on the ballot in 2014.

Lawmakers fight for public charter school legislation despite opposition

After weeks of debate in both the House K-12 Education Subcommittee and the full House Education Committee, a group of lawmakers locked down against public charter school legislation that would have expanded educational opportunities for children across the state.

House Bill 2146, which has already passed the Senate, would expand public charter school enrollment to all “at-risk” students, giving more Tennessee students more educational opportunities than ever before. Proponents of the legislation blasted the opposition for not supporting solid policy that would improve the lives of thousands of Tennessee students.

Proponents were disappointed, saying that the measure is needed now more than ever, and is particularly critical in urban parts of the state such Davidson County. The sponsor pledged to work with her colleagues on the Education Committee to reach an accord so that the legislation could be brought up before session adjourns for the year.

Public charter schools are public schools that are given flexibility to operate without the constraints of some of the rules and regulations normally imposed on traditional schools. In exchange for this flexibility, they are held accountable for performance through a charter, which is an agreement between the local education agency (LEA) and the charter school. It requires a strenuous approval process by the LEA and an equally tough renewal process of the charter every five years. Tennessee has stringent accountability measures that ensure the schools are performing well.

Tennessee now has 16 public charter schools, with six more opening in the fall. The state currently has one of the most restrictive public charter school laws in the nation.

In case you missed it ...

• A proposal that would allow Tennesseans to ship wine directly to their homes was passed by the House this week with a 78-17-3 vote, after months of negotiations. Specifically, House Bill 1155 stipulates that Tennessee consumers may purchase up to one case of wine per month, or no more than three per year, through direct shipment from a winery to their home. Upon delivery, proof of legal drinking age must be shown. Supporters also say the bill has the potential to bring a large amount of revenue to the state, and can also create jobs and spur entrepreneurship. Budget analysts say the legislation will bring in roughly $4.6 million in the revenue the first year, and almost $10 million in subsequent years. Local governments stand to receive between $1.1 and $2.2 million per year.

• Tennessee joined eight other states this year in moving forward with resolutions to declare sovereignty under the Ninth and Tenth Amendments to the United States Constitution. House Joint Resolution 108 will be presented on the House floor next week. If it passes, it must travel through the Senate before being sent to the Governor for consideration.

• House Bill 1354, the “Sanctuary Cities” legislation, passed the Judiciary Committee this week and now moves to the Budget Subcommittee. A “sanctuary city” is a term given to a city in the United States that follows certain practices to protect illegal aliens. Thirty-eight cities in the U.S. have been recognized as sanctuary cities, but many sources have identified over 200 city or county governments nationwide as having practiced such policies.
The bill aims to discourage any Tennessee city from declaring itself a “sanctuary city” for illegal aliens, and aims to be a pre-emptive strike to guard against the adoptions of such policies by cities in the state.

• The House Health and Human Resources Committee has approved legislation to ban local governments or their boards from imposing requirements on restaurants to provide nutritional information on menus. House Bill 950 now faces the Government Operations Committee, and has already passed in the Senate.

The concern is that some communities will impose different standards and significantly increase costs to small restaurant owners. In March, Davidson County’s Metro Board of Health voted to enact guidelines on providing nutritional information to customers for certain restaurants, even though Congress is considering the Federal LEAN Act. That act would implement a national standard generally accepted by restaurant owners to provide nutritional information to customers. Adopting a county-by-county approach to the disclosure of nutritional information increases costs to restaurants, many of whom are small business owners.

Rep. Johnson serves the 78th District of the Tennessee General Assembly, which includes Cheatham, Williamson and Montgomery Counties.

I recently joined with Kiwanis President John Mayfield to introduce Girl Scout CEO Agenia Clark to the Cheatham County Kiwanis Club.  I met Ms. Clark at an Austin Peay State University breakfast for Montgomery County State Legislators and the Tennessee Board of Regents.  Finding out I was from Cheatham County, she began telling me about the proposed renovations for Sycamore Hills Girl Scout Camp.  It was hard to tell who was more excited about the potential for the camp located in the center of our community.  The great news for the camp will also be great news for Cheatham County.

I thought the Kiwanis Club would be a good first step to sharing the information with others in our area. I appreciate John Mayfield for making this meeting happen.  Ms. Clark, along with several officials from the Girl Scouts Organization and Camp Sycamore Hills made a presentation of the details for improvements and additions to the existing facility.   Plans include a new equestrian facility, an olympic-size pool, along with significant renovations and improvements to the "Red Barn."  The organization is expected to spend approx. $5.5 million for the improvements.  The Girl Scout property already has a high and low ropes course, cabins, walking trails and, of course, the John E. Mayfield Swinging Bridge. 

I couldn't help thinking of all the possibilities to increase tourism revenue for our county.  Tourism is an industry that has no "smoke stacks," yet can provide a great source of tax dollars from people that visit our county, eat in our restaurants, buy goods at our stores, but live somewhere else.  This outside source of revenue can help businesses thrive and lessen pressure on property tax as the main source of funding for our local governments.  While the focus and priority of the camp will be the development of young ladies through the Girl Scout program, the property and facilities have the potential to become a premier multi-purpose site.  Corporate retreats and training, equestrian events, field trips for our schools, and swim team training are just a few of the possibilities.  A nice gathering facility would also enable organizations to stay in-county for large events such as the Cumberland Ball and the Lions Club Gala. No longer would we need to go out of county for an appropriate venue.  Having such a gem located in Cheatham County would enhance our economic and community development; maintain the beautiful environment of our county, while protecting the quality of life in our communities.  To coordinate the effort with our state government, I invited Lee Curtis and Sue Ann Bone of the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development to join us for the meeting.  Ms. Curtis actually attended Camp Sycamore Hills as a young girl.  She shared the great potential benefits for our county by working together with the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development.
It is my hope that everyone in Cheatham County will join in my excitement and support the Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee in the effort to make the Sycamore Hills Girl Scout Camp the outstanding facility and property it can be. For more information on how you can help, contact Girl Scouts of Tennessee, 4522 Granny White Pike, Nashville, TN 37204.  Telephone 615-460-0207 or 1-800-395-5318

State Representative Phillip Johnson serves the 78th District which consists of Cheatham, Williamson and Montgomery Counties.

Pictured is Cheatham County Mayor Bill Orange, Theresa Carl, Vice President of Development  Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee,  Agenia Clark, CEO Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee,  State Representative Phillip Johnson, Sue Ann Bone of the TN Dept. of Tourist Development,  Lee Curtis of the TN Dept. of Tourist Development,  and John E. Mayfield, President Cheatham County Kiwanis

March 6, 2008 Contact: Celeste Thomas, 615-741-7477


Tennessee Etiquette School appears before the House Education Committee Recently Rep. Phillip Johnson provided an opportunity for the Tennessee Etiquette School to make a presentation of their program to the State House of Representatives Education Committee. Helen Hawk and Stephanie Rountree of the Tennessee Etiquette School were joined by Lynn Seifert, Cheatham County Director of Schools, Ruby Payne, Principal of Hanley Elementary School in Memphis, Gary Binkley, Executive Director of Cheatham County Chamber of Commerce, Don Peterson, Board member of T.E.S.T., and Beth Campbell Counselor for Ashland City Elementary School in presenting the benefits and results of a program which emphasizes courtesy, good manners, non-violent conflict resolution, and bullying prevention. Cheatham County is leading the way with a pilot program at Cheatham Academy. The program is currently implemented in all of Cheatham County’s pre-K and kindergarten classes. Rep. Johnson had the honor of presenting graduation certificates to the young men and women from Cheatham Academy and the GED/Diploma classes upon their graduation from the Tennessee Etiquette School. “I was so impressed by the graduates of the Etiquette School program. Their manners and courtesy were outstanding,” Rep. Johnson said. “Disruptions in our schools are one of the most difficult things teachers face. I hope this program will become a tool for our school systems as a way of dealing with discipline issues and violence.” “Social skills are the great equalizer. Good social skills transcend social class, economic status, academic achievement and race,” Ms. Hawk said. “Schools are where children socialize and where instructions on social skills can be taught and reinforced over a long period of time. Practice makes permanent.” Legislators on the Education Committee asked for more information they could refer to their local school districts and directors of schools. Rep. Johnson serves the 78th District of the Tennessee General Assembly, which includes Cheatham, Williamson and Montgomery Counties.

    State Representative Phillip Johnson announced that the Tennessee Housing Development Agency (THDA) has sent letters to homeowners with adjustable rate mortgages in the 78th Legislative District. Persons receiving the letters have a mortgage with a interest rate change occurring between April 1 and June 30, 2008. “"Adjustable rate mortgages can be a risky method for purchasing a home,” said State Representative Phillip Johnson. “Many people are attracted to the low initial interest rates, not realizing the dramatic increase in payments that can occur when the rate goes up. The prepayment penalties can also make refinancing very expensive. I would encourage home owners with an adjustable rate mortgage to take advantage of the THDA guidance and available assistance. I would also advise those considering a home purchase to avoid a potential financial crisis by acquiring a loan with a fixed interest rate and a payment that does not threaten the family budget." THDA makes mortgages to first-time homebuyers, but offers only fixed rates. It is working as a facilitator to help those facing unaffordable mortgage payments. THDA identified homeowners who made adjustable rate mortgages within the affordable sales price limits of its programs. Each quarter, THDA is writing to those homeowners urging them to review their mortgage documents, confirm they can afford the new interest rate or to call a national information line that will provide the name of a local foreclosure prevention counselor, 1-888-995 HOPE. THDA is a political subdivision of the State of Tennessee. THDA is the state’s housing finance agency, responsible for selling tax exempt mortgage revenue bonds to offer affordable mortgage funds to homebuyers of low and moderate incomes through local lenders, and to administer various housing programs targeted to very low-, low- and moderate-income households. THDA was established in 1973, making its first mortgage in 1974. It has provided affordable fixed rate mortgages to over 96,000 households without using state tax dollars. THDA issues between $250 and $300 million in mortgage revenue bonds annually for its first-time homebuyer program. In the year 2007, THDA created the Tennessee Housing Trust Fund using state, THDA and locally-generated match to support programs for the very-low income, elderly and special needs populations. More information about THDA is available on-line at www.thda.org. Rep. Johnson serves the 78th District of the Tennessee General Assembly, which includes Cheatham, Williamson and Montgomery Counties.

November 13, 2007

Representative Phillip Johnson announces Cheatham, Montgomery, and Williamson Counties to receive grant for security equipment

NASHVILLE –
Representative Phillip Johnson (R-Pegram) announced today that Cheatham County, Montgomery County, and Williamson County will receive security Enhancement grants. The money was granted by the Administrative Office of the Courts. The counties will have to provide funds as well, matching 10% of the grant.

Cheatham County will be receiving a $30,230 grant for security enhancements, specifically for handheld metal detectors, walk-through magnetometer, an x-ray machine, and new audio/visual equipment.

Montgomery County will be receiving a $24,999 grant for security enhancements, specifically cameras that will serve as a surveillance system, and new audio/visual equipment.

Williamson County will be receiving a $17,999.20 grant for security enhancements, specifically cameras, a new surveillance system, and new audio/visual equipment.

“I want to thank the AOC for awarding grants to the three counties I represent,” stated Representative Johnson. “The grant money will ensure our citizens additional safety at our courthouses. I believe this will help bring long-term benefits to the citizens of the 78th District.”

Rep. Johnson serves the 78th District of the Tennessee General Assembly, which includes Cheatham, Williamson and Montgomery Counties.

October 3, 2007

Rep. Phillip Johnson announces Harpeth High School
Named 2007 Blue Ribbon School

Nashville, TN – Four Tennessee schools received Blue Ribbon Schools awards from the U.S. Department of Education. This national award recognizes schools that dramatically improved student achievement or performed in the top percent in the state on annual tests. Tennessee’s 2007 Blue Ribbon Schools are Jacks Creek Elementary in Chester County; Holstein View Elementary in Bristol City, Jefferson Middle School in Oak Ridge City; and Harpeth High School in Cheatham County.
“These schools have implemented the best educational practices and resources to increase the academic achievement of their students,” Education Commissioner Lana Seivers said. “I congratulate these schools on modeling the best of what public education is about – helping all students reach their greatest potential.”
“I am very proud of every school in the 78th district, and especially proud of Harpeth High School for excelling as a top performer.  An outstanding principal and quality teachers have guided hard-working students to attain this distinction,” said Rep. Johnson.
Schools may be nominated based on two types of performance. The first category recognizes schools with at least 40 percent disadvantaged students that make exceptional progress on annual achievement tests. The second category honors schools whose students perform in the top 10 percent of all the state’s schools. Two Tennessee schools serving at least 40 percent disadvantaged students also performed in the top 10 percent in the state.

School	Principal	System	Category
Jacks Creek Elementary	LaTasha Phillips	Chester County Schools	In top 10 percent in the state with at least 40 percent disadvantaged students
Holstein View Elementary	Tom Parker	Bristol City Schools	In top 10 percent in the state with at least 40 percent disadvantaged students
Jefferson Middle School	Bruce Lay	Oak Ridge City Schools	In top 10 percent in the state
Harpeth High School	Jenny Simpkins	Cheatham County Schools	In top 10 percent in the state

“The criteria for this award are not easily met. Blue Ribbon status represents a tremendous amount of work on the part of both staff and students at each school,” Federal Programs Director Julie McCargar said. “This is a notable honor for everyone involved.”
The Blue Ribbon Schools award program was created by the No Child Left Behind legislation in 2002. The principal and one teacher from each 2007 Blue Ribbon School will be invited to an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. November 12-13.

For more information, contact
Rachel Woods at (615) 253-1960 or Rachel.Woods@state.tn.us

      Rep. Johnson serves the 78th District of the Tennessee General Assembly, which includes Cheatham, Williamson and Montgomery Counties.