[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6417676,"mediaKeyId","3070095-278f9e4e90476a9103d9e893cf808caa","parentId",3070095,"title","House passes portal to check voter eligibility after debate over past mailings and accuracy","audioSeconds",2370,"startMs",10130000,"endMs",7760000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3070095-278f9e4e90476a9103d9e893cf808caa&start=10130&end=7760","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3070095-278f9e4e90476a9103d9e893cf808caa/thumbnail_10130000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6417676/Indiana/House-passes-portal-to-check-voter-eligibility-after-debate-over-past-mailings-and-accuracy","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6417676-3f33769d7f86288fdd1fd87698322bde/orig.mp4?Expires=1770961952&Signature=bvqRKsux09UiRkVL6FDvN63x-a0FzaRRvY4Z94L7GZNffT3TEa7FulV6NEcTkL-dXiqEidjFLodvwBKv2XDCVwLn5gYWjZ6X4a1FXQollq7BqVYlk4J1wNyBoIJsIXojBhklu1dn5gAHXCajhygGFsKNPkTeMC-QkQT7LuOuQrfcntD5QTjXBHLVnwtgd1IOVf0N7fy8ohasUsVX7gOBVH4ka1YRN5K05dbHjUm2IJygqYhqzS8QIVbPYCGXbiW9AaOws2qBNxPdyvuYlpr8WcFHb8AG~trPBFW87VNFUMWVjfAXePF9wb-1x47wFhgd0bvQNOEzoTIms4sFtDPFBQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Indiana Legislature","date","2025-04-21T00:00:00Z","article","The Tennessee House passed House Bill 69 on Thursday, a measure directing the secretary of state to create a portal to verify voter eligibility at registration by checking criminal-conviction records and citizenship status before adding registrants to voter rolls.

House Leader Larry Lambert, who sponsored the measure, said it arose from a local case in Sumner County in which multiple persons with past felony convictions had been registered and prosecuted for voting. “This would go through the secretary of state's office and they would promulgate rules to ensure that if somebody has gotten their rights restored that they can actually provide that information,” Lambert said on the floor.

Representative Pearson and other critics warned the measure risks chilling legal voting. Pearson cited a prior episode when the secretary of state’s office sent tens of thousands of letters to registrants flagged as potentially noncitizens; many recipients reported confusion and some removed themselves from rolls. Pearson and others argued an annual state estimate system or enforcement portal could replicate the outreach problems that suppressed participation in the past.

Lambert and supporters said the portal will be an administrative tool, not a public database, accessible only by the elections coordinator and the secretary of state to avoid exposing private data. \"This would be a portal for them to utilize,\" Lambert said.

Members sought assurances on accuracy and federal data sharing. Representative Clemens asked how the portal would integrate federal immigration or naturalization records; Lambert said the portal’s design would take time and rulemaking into account and counties or the secretary of state could accept documentary proof from an individual who is erroneously flagged.

Supporters argued the tool will reduce the need for some counties to spend money on special censuses and will prevent future prosecutions arising from inadvertent registrations. Opponents said the portal could produce undercounts and burden eligible voters with new administrative steps and urged caution rather than a structural change to how voter rolls are managed.

The House adopted committee amendments and ultimately approved the bill on the floor; the clerk announced the bill received the required majority and declared it passed. The secretary of state's office will develop the portal and promulgate rules for its use, and counties would be able to perform special censuses or provide documentation when they disagree with the portal’s findings.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Floor Session\tApr 21, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Lawmakers approved a bill creating a secretary-of-state portal to verify voter eligibility against criminal and immigration records before registration; proponents said it prevents inadvertent illegal registration, while opponents said it risks discouraging lawful voters and may undercount communities.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature IN, Indiana","taxId",77679,"location","Indiana","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6417705,"House debate grows heated over proposed limit on public recording near police; amendment to remove 'halo' fails",2975,3486000,6461000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3070095-278f9e4e90476a9103d9e893cf808caa&start=3486&end=6461","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3070095-278f9e4e90476a9103d9e893cf808caa/thumbnail_3486000.jpg","/articles/6417705/Indiana/House-debate-grows-heated-over-proposed-limit-on-public-recording-near-police-amendment-to-remove-halo-fails","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6417705-4fc22fc839883ac3b575838f65c2dc53/orig.mp4?Expires=1770961952&Signature=Jw7T-2bHeEWQzH2~wEzWjFm5syhqvetrHw5EK8muI7CCommF0TniWzS5KgddSTmb9w-KPxMvc4MMl6xMKCELwKDNIx0WeYK5k56MjSjWLFCS30~RtbDj5-ySTRmUidqmeed9lWilh53G9T3MXdQtFIpz2tz1TDqFr0k68dJvfi6aaiiW2lHSAdaMFvFu85Re0fcHNUhH7MDkx6mp2CbAoF7xirAVwSmF1ql4uM95DKacDebUAwLLXB9Vb3qUi5HV4NM5VmwZDIVOL2HFLCXdQ8TjK0fOo4YsuO51DiCDPuVLj-9JbnMKsK2vpaqeH9R0BNASp5EXbm0ooPTjkfmCGA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Tennessee House engaged in an extended and highly charged debate over a provision in a substituted Senate bill (Senate Bill 30) that would restrict how close members of the public can approach or film police during certain operations.

The provision — described in debate as a “halo” or a 25-foot buffer around officers during specific incidents — drew criticism from Representatives who said it would criminalize bystanders and the press and undermine accountability. Representative Behn offered an amendment to remove the “halo” provision, arguing it would prevent the public and journalists from exercising constitutional rights while observing law-enforcement encounters.

Leader Larry Lambert (floor recognition in transcript) and supporters said the measure is intended to help law enforcement perform duties safely and to address concerns about obstructive behavior during incidents. Opponents warned the proposal would be used to intimidate witnesses and curtail documentation of police interactions.

Representative Behn, arguing for the amendment, said federal courts have repeatedly upheld the public’s right to film police and noted the George Floyd case as an example of the public’s role in documenting misconduct. \"Not only would she [the person who filmed George Floyd] have been criminalized under this bill, she could have been retroactively jailed,\" Behn said, referencing the bystander who recorded the killing.

Several lawmakers delivered floor speeches opposing the halo provision and the broader bill. Representative Justin Jones of Davidson County accused the majority leadership of welcoming and enabling white-nationalist rallies and said this bill would not protect targeted communities from hate and intimidation. Representative Jones argued it would silence marginalized voices and impede accountability for misconduct.

Representative Lambert and supporters rejected those characterizations and defended the bill as a public-safety measure. The House voted down Representative Bang’s amendment to remove the halo provision; the clerk later recorded that the amendment failed. The chamber ultimately voted on the substituted Senate bill; the clerk reported the roll, and the bill did not receive the necessary constitutional majority in the moment recorded (the clerk declared the motion “pass by objection” where noted), reflecting a divided chamber.

The debate included multiple motions, a previous-question motion, and a series of procedural votes; civil-rights, press freedom and immigrant-advocacy groups (referred to by speakers during debate) were cited by opponents as opposing the provision.

Because the transcript records both the amendment attempts and the floor speeches, the House’s next steps will depend on whether the sponsor or leadership revises the language in conference with senators or returns the substitute to the Senate for further action.","A measure that would restrict how close members of the public or press can stand to certain police operations drew hours of floor debate and failed amendments; lawmakers split sharply over free-speech and public-safety arguments.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6417737,"Tennessee House approves bill barring TennCare providers from denying care over vaccine choice",6605,1576000,8181000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3070095-278f9e4e90476a9103d9e893cf808caa&start=1576&end=8181","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3070095-278f9e4e90476a9103d9e893cf808caa/thumbnail_1576000.jpg","/articles/6417737/Indiana/Tennessee-House-approves-bill-barring-TennCare-providers-from-denying-care-over-vaccine-choice","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6417737-dc3c0780e441e8192061eaeaffb9d39d/orig.mp4?Expires=1770961952&Signature=oxkJq5NWUaXve5~DLP~ZfI1Ysc3CmrnOutKXOJ09rhpXDs8vBYUBT9RNWnOsfY1kLUHKkmnaACFR5tBwCWBLGCrEngU6je8z0l20KRnpKNvQ9vtaXSD~oaxGqKguqdzHwHB7NG6XSaV46ZpNOoHCTz7ih9J7j4UWCfQ6yFVJCV0PtbWl7Rrkzp1-ClP7NVLS7OOUCIVVwlkKAPSTEsC05HxKqarbiv0SxjMCtMXGEI-jyxcq9aH30ceVXK2zAgkd8BvSiN4rSwr4oDHcsAs-YAKW0Du6x3Bb9ToYDwVkhDvZ1hMua94uhW33lVhsXDdqvF2XoyaKu-er4kVhCEsI-g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Tennessee House on Thursday approved Senate Bill 13 89 (substituted for House Bill 638), a bill that prevents health-care providers who accept TennCare from denying services to patients based solely on vaccine status.

Representative Charlie Carringer (Representative on the floor identified in the transcript as the introducer) moved the chamber to substitute and conform to Senate Bill 13 89 and asked for passage on third and final consideration. Representative Karringer, speaking as sponsor on the floor, said the measure was prompted by constituent complaints of “medical discrimination based on vaccine choice,” and described the bill as modeled on Texas House Bill 44 (2023).

The bill’s sponsor, Representative Karringer, said the intention is to protect TennCare patients and preserve the doctor-patient relationship. “This bill only has to do with TennCare patients,” Karringer said on the floor. “It’s only saying that physicians cannot deny care to you because you are unvaccinated for whatever reason.”

Opponents argued the bill could endanger public health and immunocompromised patients. Representative Vincent Mitchell said the state and local immunization rules had helped make Tennessee one of the top states for childhood vaccination historically and warned the measure would “create harm mostly to children.” Representative Salinas said the proposal would weaken herd immunity and put cancer patients, transplant recipients and other immunocompromised people at risk.

Lawmakers pressed the sponsor on implementation details. Representative Todd asked whether a clinic that set a policy barring unvaccinated patients from shared waiting areas — citing concerns about exposing newborns or immunocompromised patients — could lose TennCare payments. Karringer replied that the bill covers physicians who accept TennCare and that “there’s no way that you can really keep anybody from not getting exposed” in public clinical settings, and that the bill had been amended to exempt transplant and oncology patients and to reflect religious or moral belief considerations.

Several members of the House said they were troubled by the bill’s likely public-health effects. Salinas and Mitchell repeatedly urged caution, pointing to recent increases in measles and other vaccine-preventable illnesses. Karringer responded that the measure’s focus is limited to TennCare patients and framed it as a tool to restore trust and improve patient education by keeping lines of care open.

After debate and the adoption of a committee amendment, the House voted to pass the substituted Senate bill. The clerk announced the bill received the required majority and the chamber declared the bill passed on third and final consideration.

The bill now goes to the Senate (or, if the chamber had already substituted the Senate companion, proceeds per the chamber’s legislative process) for any further action or enrollment steps required by legislative rules.","The House passed legislation prohibiting TennCare-participating providers from refusing medical care solely because a patient is unvaccinated, after hours of debate over public health and patient choice.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

House passes portal to check voter eligibility after debate over past mailings and accuracy

House debate grows heated over proposed limit on public recording near police; amendment to remove 'halo' fails

Tennessee House approves bill barring TennCare providers from denying care over vaccine choice