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Daily Dose for June 20, 2008
Increased Smoking Tax May Have Decreased Tax Revenue
Increased Smoking Tax May Have Decreased Tax Revenue -- The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports that TN's increased tax on cigarettes may be having the adverse effect of lowered state revenues. Despite the state more than tripling the state's tax on cigarettes more than a year ago, revenues from the tobacco tax are on the decline, because of a combination of consumers traveling across state lines to buy their smokes and decreased tobacco use, potentially as a result of the state's $10M campaign to encourage people to quit smoking. Meanwhile, the City Paper reports that food sales in some bars is up with more people choosing to eat at the bar, since the state's restaurant smoking ban.
Gov Signs Open Records Law -- Gov. Bredesen signed into a law changes to the state's Open Records Laws, which would put time limits on the amount of time it takes the state to respond to open record requests. Under the new provisions that go into effect July 1, records custodians will have seven days to respond to requests or to explain why they need more time. The current law sets no such time limit. The measure also writes the responsibilities of the state’s open records ombudsman into law.
TN Lethal Injection Still on Hold -- Despite a restart of most other state's lethal injection procedure, following the US Supreme Court's ruling that Kentucky's procedure was legal, TN's lethal injection process is still on hold. Tennessee faces an additional legal challenge brought last year by death row inmate Edward Jerome Harbison. In Harbison's case, a federal judge ruled the TN process was "cruel and unusual" because of unnecessary pain the inmate might feel. The state is waiting on an appeal.
Charter Petition Effort Begins in K-Town -- Knox Accountability, a group formed to push two amendments to the Knox Co. charter, has begun their effort to collect around 40,000 signatures to get the measure on the ballot. The exact number needed won't be known until the petitions are turned in. That's because the group needs the signatures of 15 percent of all registered voters to get the questions on the ballot - and the number of registered voters changes every day. One petition deals with changes to the County Commission, while the other deals with changes to the County Mayor's office.
