It’s been a busy Summer so far. I’ve been busy touring the district, attending meetings, and responding to constituents’ concerns. This month alone, I have toured Cheekwood, Travelers Rest, and the campus of Nashville State Community College. Additionally, to prepare me and my colleagues for the upcoming Special Session on Public Safety, I have been setting up a series of bi-partisan webinars for Legislators with subject matter experts on evidenced-based firearm policy, criminal justice, and mental health experts. I want to be best prepared for the special session, and I am doing my part to educate my colleagues on common sense gun policies that work.
South Nashville Mayoral Forum
Like most Nashvillians, I have been following the Mayor’s race closely. As such, I wanted to provide a venue for residents of the 59th District to hear from candidates directly and have organized a South Nashville Mayoral Forum hosted by myself and Rep. Jason Powell. This event is being done with the coordination of the Crieve Hall Neighborhood Association. The event is July 10th, 5:30p @ at Lifepoint Health, 330 Seven Springs Way, Brentwood, TN. The forum is in the ground floor Learning Room and parking is available in the adjacent parking garage. This will be a free event, RSVP here.
Rep. Hemmer Ticket Bill is National Policy Now!
When I introduced Tennessee’s ticket reform legislation, my goal was to make our state a pioneer in reforming the lack of transparency and predatory practices in the ticketing industry. Live music is a vital part of Tennessee and Nashville culture, and it was imperative to protect the live music experience for our state’s fans, artists, and venues.I’m excited to see my legislation which goes into law July 1st in Tennessee, has pushed the online ticket industry including Live Nation/ Ticketmaster to increase transparency nationwide. Starting July 1st, Tennesseans will be able to see their true ticket price before they check out. I look forward to the rest of the nation following close behind.
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Tennessee School Safety Grants
I know how much school security is on everyone’s mind. Last week, I testified at a Metro Council hearing on school security and gun safety. As a parent to two school age kids, I know this burden well. Recently, I was able to inform Metro Nashville Public Schools and the private schools in my district about the technical and financial assistance available from the State of Tennessee from the Safe Schools Act. This bill I supported provides things such as: grants to fund School Resource Officers, Technical Assistance from Law Enforcement for threat assessments and grants to safely secure schools. More on the legislation can be found below.
Statewide School Resource Officer Grant
The FY23-24 budget includes $140 million to place a full-time, armed SRO at every Tennessee public school. Local law enforcement agencies are eligible to apply for a Statewide School Resource Officer (SRO) Grant, not to exceed $75,000 per year, per school for which they are responsible for providing SRO services. Applications are being accepted and reviewed by the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security on a rolling basis.
Public & Non-Public School Security Grants
Additionally, the FY23-24 budget dedicates significant one-time funding to strengthen security at Tennessee schools, totaling $40 million for public schools and $14 million for non-public schools. The grant funding, administered through the Tennessee Department of Education, can be used to support a variety of school security efforts, including improved physical security, emergency operations planning, violence prevention programs, conflict resolution and safety training for staff members.
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Rep. Hemmer attended the Metro Courthouse to testify at a hearing on School Safety
District 59 Projects Funded
We are excited to share that another state funded project will be receiving a $743K grant from the Tennessee Department of Environment from the Federal Recovery Act to improve water and wastewater infrastructure for the City of Forest Hills.
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-Rep. Caleb Hemmer
Upcoming Community Events:
June 22-23- Nashville Pride Festival – More info here!
July 4th Fireworks Downtown- Info here
Space Camp at Vanderbilt Dyer Observatory-Learn More
What we are reading:
WSMV- New rule for ticket industry mirrors Tennessee’s recent legislation to avoid hidden fees
WPLN- A non-exhaustive guide to some free Nashville resources
Tennessean- Imagine Nashville wants your help to guide city’s growth
WZTV- Breakdown of Nashville’s budget, which passed city council unanimously
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