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Competing bills on ending grocery taxes up for debate on Tuesday | Tennessee

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www.thecentersquare.com – By Kim Jarrett | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-03-14 11:19:00

(The Center Square) — A Senate Ways, Means, and Finance subcommittee will get the first shot at legislation that would end Tennessee’s grocery taxes,

The bill by Democrats and Republicans have one key difference — funding.

Democrats were the first to introduce a bill that would eliminate the state portion of the food and food ingredient tax on July 1.

House Bill 2/Senate Bill 2, sponsored by Nashville Democrats Rep. Aftyn Behn and Sen. Charlene Oliver, proposes closing “corporate tax loopholes” to make up for the $700 million to $1 billion that could be returned from the state to taxpayers if the tax is removed. They cite a report by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy that said Tennessee could realize $891 million in annual revenue by requiring companies to report its worldwide revenue, not just what it earns in the states. Some states are already doing it, according to the report.

HB2/SB2 would also require the state to mitigate the loss to local governments.

Neither bill removes the 7% sales tax on prepared food, alcoholic beverages, candy, dietary supplements and tobacco.

The Republican bills from Rep. Elaine Davis of Knoxville and Sen. Bo Watson of Hixson would give local governments the authority to levy a grocery tax of up to 2.75% to make up for the loss from the state. The legislation has no mechanism for overcoming the millions lost in sales tax revenues.

The proposals come at a time when Tennessee has $77 billion in infrastructure needs over the next five years, according to a report from the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations.

“Right now they are pulling up couch cushions to figure out how to pay for things and unfortunately it just feels like the grocery tax hasn’t been a priority of the governor or the Republican supermajority,” Behn told The Center Square in a phone interview.

Behn is no stranger to fighting for a food tax cut. She and Oliver filed the bills during the last legislative session, but they didn’t pass. Lawmakers did agree to a $1.6 billion franchise tax refund.

“It’s just a matter of where your priorities are,” Behn said. “For them it’s not about reforming our tax code to benefit working Tennessee families.”

House Majority Leader William Lamberth indicated in a December 2024 interview with WSMV that he would support the effort.

“The least we can do is try to take off the state portion of the grocery tax to try to make it a little easier on my friends and neighbors,” Lamberth told the television station.

The bills are on the subcommittee calendar but could get moved, a process called “rolling the bill,” in the Tennessee General Assembly.

But even if the General Assembly agrees to remove the sales tax on food, there is a question of whether or not Gov. Bill Lee would sign it. He did not mention it in his State of the State of Address.

“Thousands of bills have been filed in this session, and there’s still a long way to go in the legislative process,” a spokeswoman for Lee said in response to a question from The Center Square in February. “As with any legislation, the governor will review final bill language when it reaches his desk.”

Another bill on Tuesday’s calendar could give Tennesseans a partial break on groceries.

Sen. Raumesh Akbari, D-Nashville, is proposing removing the state sales tax only on frozen, canned or fresh fruits and vegetables. The bill would return $122 million to Tennessee taxpayers, according to the bill’s fiscal note. It was on the subcommittee’s calendar on March 11 but was moved to Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Tennessee’s neighbors are looking at ways to reduce food taxes.

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a Republican, announced in early March she was advocating for eliminating the tax, calling it “regressive” in a news release.

A bill that would have eliminated Mississippi’s 7% tax on food died. A bill that would lower the state’s income tax and also reduce the tax on food to 5% is still alive, according to the Mississippi Legislature’s website.

Alabama Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth, a Republican, is advocating the reduction of Alabama’s 3% food tax.

“With bird flu raising the cost of large eggs to $5.00 a dozen – an all-time high – it’s time to continue removing the sales tax on groceries and provide needed relief to Alabama families,” Ainsworth said in a March 11 post on X.

The post Competing bills on ending grocery taxes up for debate on Tuesday | Tennessee appeared first on www.thecentersquare.com

Mississippi News Video

‘Little quiet light’: Family remembers Delta State University student found dead on campus

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www.youtube.com – 16 WAPT News Jackson – 2025-09-16 05:06:01

SUMMARY: The body of 21-year-old Demartravion “Trey” Reed, a Delta State University student, was found hanged from a tree near the pickleball courts on campus early Monday morning. Discovered around 7 a.m. by a faculty member, the incident led to class cancellations. Authorities, including DSU Police Chief Michael Peeler, reported no evidence of foul play so far and await medical examiner results. Reed’s family and students demand a thorough investigation, expressing concerns about campus safety. DSU police sought help from the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, Bolivar County Sheriff’s Office, and Cleveland Police. Students hope for answers amid the unsettling news.

Family of Demartravion “Trey” Reed remembers him.

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The Mustard Seed

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www.youtube.com – WJTV 12 News – 2025-09-15 09:50:28

SUMMARY: The Mustard Seed in Flowood is a Christian community serving adults with developmental disabilities aged 21 and older. It offers a supportive home environment where 20 residents live on-site, while others participate in daytime activities. The organization focuses on empowering individuals to live fulfilling lives, providing opportunities like college experiences and arts participation. Privately funded through donations and church grants, the Mustard Seed operates two gift shops—one in Flowood and one in Ridgeland—that generate 25% of its annual budget. Each product is handcrafted by residents, featuring unique artistic touches, and proceeds support the ministry. The shops encourage community support and engagement.

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Report: Only two states better than Mississippi in teacher freedom | Mississippi

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www.thecentersquare.com – By Alan Wooten | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-09-14 08:01:00


The Heritage Foundation’s Education Freedom Report Card ranks Mississippi 17th overall and 3rd in teacher freedom, behind Florida and Arizona. Nearly 47% of Mississippi teachers entered through alternative certification, benefiting from full licensure reciprocity with other states. Teachers must pass the Praxis exam, though Heritage questions its effectiveness and suggests removing this requirement. Mississippi does not employ chief diversity officers or use Common Core-aligned tests. The state dropped six spots overall, but improved one in teacher freedom. Other rankings include 20th in education choice, 25th in return on investment, 29th in transparency, and 39th in civic education. Heritage promotes policies based on free enterprise and traditional values.

(The Center Square) – Only two states are better than Mississippi in teacher freedom, a report from the Heritage Foundation says

The Education Freedom Report Card put Mississippi 17th overall, and No. 3 behind Florida and Arizona in teacher freedom.

“A solid 47% of teachers in the state found their way to the classroom through alternative teacher certification options, and Mississippi has full reciprocity of teacher licensure with other states,” Heritage says. “Educators in Mississippi are required to pass the Praxis test, a teacher certification exam administered by the Educational Testing Service. There is little evidence that this assessment predicts teacher quality or effectiveness. No school district in the Magnolia State employs a ‘chief diversity officer,’ and Mississippi does not use Common Core-aligned assessments.”

Heritage encourages “eliminating the requirement for prospective teachers to take the Praxis exam.”

The overall ranking is down six spots, and the teacher freedom ranking is up one from last year.

Other category rankings are 20th in education choice, 25th in return on investment, 29th in transparency, and 39th in civic education.

Heritage bills itself as a nonprofit formulating and promoting “public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values and a strong national defense.”

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Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Center-Right

The article primarily reports on the findings of a Heritage Foundation report regarding teacher freedom rankings in Mississippi. While the content itself is largely factual and descriptive, it references the Heritage Foundation, a known conservative think tank, and highlights their recommendations and ideological principles. The framing of teacher freedom and the emphasis on eliminating certification requirements align with conservative education policy preferences. However, the article does not explicitly endorse these views but rather presents them as part of the report’s conclusions, maintaining a mostly neutral tone with a slight center-right leaning due to the source and subject matter.

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