The Tri-star State

Republicans in the Tennessee House of Representatives vowed to make free-market reforms in health care this year. The agenda was ambitious — reduce surprise billing, incentivize patients to be more cost conscious and deregulate the hospital industry. In the end, some legislation stalled out, some was substantially watered down, but patients may still see some change.

Just because Rep. Glen Casada, R-Franklin, plans on stepping down as House speaker doesn’t mean there aren’t still lingering questions surrounding the scandal that led to his departure. WPLN’s political reporter Sergio Martínez-Beltrán and senior editor Chas Sisk say there are three issues related to the scandal that remain unresolved.

Republican lawmakers in the Tennessee House of Representatives will soon decide the fate of Speaker Glen Casada. The embattled lawmaker has faced backlash after racist and sexist text messages between him and his former chief of staff were leaked to the media.

House Speaker Glen Casada has been fighting for his political life. And it's not the first time his reputation has been on the line. Many lawmakers have called for the Franklin Republican to step down. That's after the leaking of sexist and racist text exchanges with a top aide, his now-former chief of staff, Cade Cothren. WPLN senior editor Chas Sisk spoke with Jason Moon Wilkins about why this isn't just a crisis for Casada, it's a problem for Tennessee’s Republican Party as a whole.

This year’s legislative session has come to an end, and a new wave of Tennessee Republicans scored some big wins during the last couple of weeks. WPLN’s political reporter Sergio Martínez-Beltrán has been on the hill for the last four months, and he says the final weeks were very hectic.

It’s been quite a week in the Tennessee General Assembly. Gov. Bill Lee’s Education Savings Account passed in the House on a narrow, last-minute vote. It also passed in the Senate.

There have been many changes in the last few weeks to Gov. Bill Lee’s Education Savings Accounts proposal. The legislature is still workshopping the details of the school voucher plan. And GOP leaders are trying to convince rural lawmakers on the fence, to vote for the bill.

Many of Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee's initiatives are making their way through the state legislature, and some are faring better than others. In his first year, the governor’s proposals range from increasing vocational education to faith-based initiatives to implementing a pilot program for school vouchers.

Equal rights advocates are warning Tennessee lawmakers about consequences the state could face if they move forward with legislation that targets the LGBTQ community. The General Assembly is considering about 10 measures that could impact whether LGBTQ people could adopt, or use a bathroom that matches their gender identity.

The Tennessee General Assembly is getting to the do-or-die point for new legislation. The end of committee meetings means lawmakers have to make important decisions regarding bills that could determine whether they’ll pass or they’ll fail. This also means, in some cases, it’s time for compromise.

There's a very real possibility that the Tennessee legislature will vote to expand Medicaid this year, though not to cover the working poor. Rather, this expansion is meant to rescue middle-class and upper-income families from financial ruin, as they care for children with severe disabilities.

Gov. Bill Lee was the only candidate last year with no previous political experience. He touted his outsider status and business background as an advantage, promising to bring new perspectives to the office. But some recent hiccups point to how hard it can be going from running a business to a running a state.

The Tennessee Education Savings Account. That’s the name of the school voucher program proposed by Gov. Bill Lee during his first State of the State address.

Last week the conflict over Confederate monuments came back to a boil at the Tennessee State Capitol. Protestors demanding removal of a bust honoring Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest clashed in the halls with Republican leadership.

CNN isn’t usually interested in the minutiae of state politics. But comments from Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada about Rep. David Byrd have brought the network and other national outlets to the state Capitol.

Contrary to Democrats, Republicans in the Tennessee General Assembly have resisted for years the idea of expanding the state's Medicaid program, also known as TennCare. They repeatedly blocked Gov. Bill Haslam's efforts to expand coverage.

Marijuana is, once again, taking center stage in the Tennessee legislature. Republicans have filed bills this year that would allow for medical marijuana. And Democrats have introduced measures that could decriminalize it all together.