News from the South - Tennessee News Feed

Tennessee victim-serving agencies warn cuts will be ‘catastrophic’ if Gov. Bill Lee fails to act

Published

4 months ago

March 3, 2025

Staff Editor

tennesseelookout.com – Anita Wadhwani – 2025-03-03 05:00:00

Tennessee victim-serving agencies warn cuts will be ‘catastrophic’ if Gov. Bill Lee fails to act

by Anita Wadhwani, Tennessee Lookout
March 3, 2025

As federal funding for crime victims dwindled in recent years, 35 states across the nation took action to keep domestic violence shelters open, sexual assault centers operating and child abuse counselors available to serve the youngest of victims.

Tennessee was not one of these states.

Now a looming budget crisis threatens the future viability of scores of Tennessee nonprofits that operate hotlines, protect seniors from elder abuse and work with prosecutors to secure evidence against perpetrators of human trafficking.

Collectively these organizations serve more than 95,000 victims in Tennessee each year, according to the state’s Office of Criminal Justice Programs.

“Many states have dedicated victim service funding in their budgets. Tennessee doesn’t,” said Jennifer Escue, executive director of the Tennessee Coalition to End Domestic & Sexual Violence.

“We’re really worried that programs across the state might have to close their doors open. We know they would have to drastically reduce their services,” Escue said. Rural organizations that rely most heavily on the federal funding have fewer private-sector resources to tap, and victims who depend on them will suffer the most, she said.

Escue said victims are facing a “double whammy” in funding losses.

The Victims of Crime Act, or VOCA funding, which relies on the fees and fines collected in federal court, has seen a drastic drop in collections as prosecutors have made a concerted shift to accept more plea deals — a trend that preceded the current Trump Administration.

A short-term infusion of COVID-era funding helped bridge the gap, but those funds have now ended.

In 2018, the federal government distributed more than $67 million to Tennessee’s Office of Criminal Justice Programs, which in turn, gave grants to 128 agencies across the state to serve crime victims.

By 2024, that number had dropped to $16 million.

Advocates are expecting to see up to 40% more in cuts come July from the already slashed federal crime victims fund, a steep loss that could spell the closure of small nonprofits in rural areas that rely on the funding for up to 80% of their budgets.

Last fall, victim-serving agency leaders met with Gov. Bill Lee’s staff to make their case for $25 million in recurring state funding needed to keep organizations’ doors open.

“We received an indication from leadership of the General Assembly and the governor’s office that it was being considered,” said Stephen Woerner, executive director of Tennessee Children’s Advocacy Centers.

But that hope was short-lived. The governor’s budget, unveiled earlier this month, includes no funding for victim organizations.

“We were disappointed,” said Woerner.

Woerner’s organization operates 46 centers across the state that employ specialized counselors who work with children who have been abused, neglected or sexually assaulted.

The counselors conduct forensic interviews designed to prevent further trauma while eliciting information used in prosecuting perpetrators. The counseling continues for the victims and non-offending family members after the abuse has ended. The services are provided free of charge.

Ultimately what we’re going to see happen is victims of crime don’t get the care they need and an increase in cycles of generational crime, and it’s going to make law enforcement’s jobs much more difficult.

– Rachel Freeman, president and CEO, Sexual Assault Center

The organization received $5.5 million annually from the federal crime victims fund at its peak; this year, it received $2.1 million.

“Child advocacy centers will close their doors if we can’t shore this up,” he said. “If a child advocacy center closes, it means that a child is going to have to drive anywhere between an hour and two hours away. That’s step one.”

“It means we have fewer interviews, because families are not able to do that, especially in rural Tennessee. The Department of Children’s Services is going to have a harder time (protecting children). And for district attorneys, fewer interviews means fewer prosecutions.”

Woerner’s organization has joined more than 120 others in issuing dire warnings to Lee and members of the General Assembly that saud without an infusion of $25 million in state funding, “the consequences will be catastrophic.”

“Our shelters, crisis hotlines, and outreach programs are often the only lifelines available. Without stable funding, we face service cuts and closures,” read a letter to lawmakers from the Tennessee Victim Service Providers Alliance, an umbrella group of victim serving organizations hastily formed to advocate for state funding.

The letter noted that many of the services they provide, including sexual assault exams and forensic interviews of children suspected of being abused, were mandated by the General Assembly but included no state funding to carry them out.

Lee this week declined to say whether he will reconsider including funding for victim services in a supplemental budget to be introduced this spring.

“The Tennessee Victim Service Providers Alliance represents key organizations that serve Tennesseans well, and we appreciate their partnership,” a statement from Lee’s office said. “Gov. Lee continues to work with the General Assembly on budget priorities, and the administration’s budget amendment will be finalized in the coming months.”

Rachel Freeman, president and CEO of the Sexual Assault Center in Nashville said her organization is better positioned to raise private sector funds than smaller nonprofits in rural areas lacking resources to make up for funding cuts.

Nevertheless, she said, the ongoing cuts have proved challenging.

About half of the nonprofit organization’s $5 million budget comes from the federal VOCA funding. Freeman is preparing for cuts of between 10% and 40% this year.

Without state dollars, the funding loss will be “disastrous for our state,” she said.

“Ultimately what we’re going to see happen is victims of crime don’t get the care they need and an increase in cycles of generational crime, and it’s going to make law enforcement’s jobs much more difficult,” she said. “That’s a vicious cycle that’s going to be more disastrous for our state.”

The federal funding cuts will also be felt in local government, police departments and district attorney’s offices that provide victim counseling and advocacy.

The Metro Nashville Office of Family Safety lost two of its 12 counselor positions last year as federal funds contracted and expects to lose two more if no state funding is provided, said Diane Lance, director.

The Nashville governmental agency helps victims of interpersonal violence obtain orders of protection, create safety plans for themselves and their children and provides crisis counseling.

“These therapies are for ‘I have been raped,’ ‘my mother was shot and killed by my dad.’ We’re trying to get them through the immediate emergency,” Lance said.

Without state funding, “they’re not going to get the help they need. Already with domestic violence shelters, 40 percent of the time they can’t take you in. And now there’s so many funding cuts you won’t have a crisis advocate. So good luck trying to stay safe for you and your children.”

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Tennessee Lookout is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Tennessee Lookout maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Holly McCall for questions: info@tennesseelookout.com.

The post Tennessee victim-serving agencies warn cuts will be ‘catastrophic’ if Gov. Bill Lee fails to act appeared first on tennesseelookout.com

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News from the South - Tennessee News Feed

What to Know – The Tennessee Tribune

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5 hours ago

July 10, 2025

Staff Editor

tntribune.com – admin – 2025-07-10 16:55:00

SUMMARY: Nationwide protests titled “Good Trouble Lives On” are planned for July 17 to oppose President Donald Trump’s administration, coinciding with the anniversary of civil rights leader John Lewis’s death. Organized by groups including the 50501 Movement, the demonstrations emphasize nonviolent resistance and challenge perceived attacks on civil and human rights. Over 400 events are scheduled across all 50 states, including major cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Organizers highlight threats to voting rights, social services, and free speech, urging Congress to protect rights and ensure fair elections. The movement aims to unite people to create meaningful change through peaceful action.

Read the full article

The post What to Know – The Tennessee Tribune appeared first on tntribune.com

News from the South - Tennessee News Feed

Trump emergency tariffs violate Constitution, Democrats argue in court case

Published

8 hours ago

July 10, 2025

Staff Editor

tennesseelookout.com – Ashley Murray – 2025-07-10 14:00:00

by Ashley Murray, Tennessee Lookout
July 10, 2025

WASHINGTON — U.S. Democratic lawmakers argued in a new legal filing this week that President Donald Trump’s sweeping emergency tariffs usurped congressional power, and they urged a federal appellate court to strike down the duties on foreign imports.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit is set to hear oral arguments over some of Trump’s tariffs after a lower court blocked them in May. Despite being tied up in court, Trump continued threatening tariffs Wednesday on numerous trading partners, including a 50% import tax on goods from Brazil.

Nearly 200 lawmakers signed onto the amicus brief Tuesday, asserting that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, under which Trump triggered the duties, “does not confer the power to impose or remove tariffs.”

The lawmakers argued that Trump’s unprecedented use of IEEPA violates Article I of the U.S. Constitution that authorizes Congress to “lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises” and “regulate commerce with foreign nations.”

“This reflects the Framers’ interest in ensuring the most democratically accountable branch — the one closest to the People — be responsible for enacting taxes, duties, and tariffs,” wrote the 191 Democratic members of Congress, citing the Federalist Papers, in their 65-page brief.

Congress has “explicitly and specifically” delegated tariff-raising powers to the president, but not under IEEPA, according to the lawmakers.

“Unmoored from the structural safeguards Congress built into actual tariff statutes, the President’s unlawful ‘emergency’ tariffs under IEEPA have led to chaos and uncertainty,” the lawmakers wrote.

‘Economic chaos,’ price hikes cited

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, top Democrat on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, co-led the brief with Oregon’s Sen. Ron Wyden, top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries also co-led, along with Reps. Gregory Meeks of New York, Joe Neguse of Colorado, Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Richard Neal of Massachusetts.

In a statement Wednesday, Shaheen said Trump’s “reckless tariff agenda has caused economic chaos and raised prices for families and businesses across the country at a moment in which the cost of living is far too high.”

“The Trump Administration’s unlawful abuse of emergency powers to impose tariffs ignores that he does not have the authority to unilaterally impose the largest tax increase in decades on Americans. This brief makes clear that IEEPA cannot be used to impose tariffs,” Shaheen said.

May decision

The U.S. Court of International Trade struck down Trump’s emergency tariffs in a May 28 decision, following two legal challenges brought by a handful of business owners and a dozen Democratic state attorneys general.

Arizona, Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico and Oregon were among the states that brought the suit.

The lead business plaintiff is V.O.S. Selections, a New York-based company that imports wine and spirits from 16 countries, according to its website. Other plaintiffs include a Utah-based plastics producer, a Virginia-based children’s electricity learning kit maker, a Pennsylvania-based fishing gear company, and a Vermont-based women’s cycling apparel company.

Following an appeal from the White House, the Federal Circuit allowed Trump’s tariffs to remain in place while the case moved forward.

Triple-digit tariff

Trump used IEEPA to declare international trade a national emergency and announced tariffs on nearly every other country on April 2 in what he dubbed as “Liberation Day.”

Tariffs reached staggering levels on major U.S. trading partners, including 46% on Vietnam, 25% on South Korea and 20% on the European Union.

The announcement wiped trillions from markets, which have largely recovered. Trump delayed all but a 10% base tariff for 90 days on every country except China. Trump fueled a trade war with the massive Asian nation, peaking at a 145% tariff rate, but then temporarily settling between 10% and 55%, depending on the good.

Even before Trump shocked the world with his “Liberation Day” announcement, small business owners from around the U.S. told States Newsroom they were bracing for potentially devastating economic effects.

The trade court’s ruling — a pending appeals litigation — does not apply to tariffs Trump imposed under other statutes, including national security-related duties on foreign automobiles, as well as steel and aluminum. Some of the steel tariffs, imposed during Trump’s first term, were left in place under former President Joe Biden.

The post Trump emergency tariffs violate Constitution, Democrats argue in court case appeared first on tennesseelookout.com

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-Left

This article primarily presents criticism of Donald Trump’s tariff policies, focusing on legal challenges brought forward by Democratic lawmakers and the economic consequences they highlight. The coverage features quotes and legal arguments from Democrats that emphasize constitutional concerns and the negative impact tariffs have on American families and businesses. While it provides factual descriptions of tariffs and court actions, the choice to foreground Democratic perspectives, characterize Trump’s actions as reckless, and highlight economic harm suggests a center-left leaning bias. The piece is critical of Trump’s unilateral use of emergency powers and appears aligned with views favoring congressional oversight and more restrained trade policy, typical of a center-left stance.

News from the South - Tennessee News Feed

Video shows 68-year-old woman attacked while sleeping on bench in Cooper-Young

Published

10 hours ago

July 10, 2025

Staff Editor

www.youtube.com – FOX13 Memphis – 2025-07-10 12:10:04

SUMMARY: Memphis police are searching for a man who violently attacked a 68-year-old woman sleeping on a bench in the usually safe Cooper-Young neighborhood. Security footage shows the suspect approaching the woman, striking her on the head with a metal trash can lid, then fleeing and returning to steal her backpack. Neighbors were shocked, as the woman frequently sleeps there and such violence is unexpected in the area. The suspect was last seen heading east on Young Avenue toward East Parkway. Police urge anyone with information to call 901-528-CASH. Authorities continue to investigate the motive and relationship between the two.