A Blount County woman has been charged with TennCare fraud for selling part of a prescription for pain pills that were obtained by using TennCare healthcare insurance benefits.

Tennessee farmers who want to access additional markets and increase food safety can now do so with less expense. The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) will reimburse qualified producers who become Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) certified. These producers can get 75% of the GAP certification inspection reimbursed, up to $1,500.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee announced today the federal government is granting his request for Major Disaster Declaration and making federal recovery assistance available to 20 counties impacted from severe weather, flooding, and straight-line winds on May 3 and May 4, 2020.

NASHVILLE ⎯ Mark your calendars. For 2020 only, the Tennessee General Assembly has approved two sales tax holiday weekends to help Tennesseans save money and support the economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The first tax-free holiday weekend focuses on clothing and other back-to-school items. It begins at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, July 31, and ends Sunday, August 2, at 11:59 p.m. During this time, consumers may purchase clothing, school supplies, and computers and other qualifying electronic devices without paying sales tax. Certain price restrictions apply. For school supplies and clothing, the threshold for qualifying items is $200 or less. For computers and other electronics, the price threshold is $3,000 or less. Download our list of tax-exempt items here. Exempt items sold online are also eligible. Consumers must purchase items for personal use, not business or trade. The second sales tax holiday weekend focuses on restaurant sales. It begins at 12:01 a.m. on August 7 and ends Sunday, August 9, at 11:59 p.m. During this time the retail sale of food and drink by restaurants and limited service restaurants, as defined in Tenn. Code Ann. § 57-4-102, is exempt from sales tax. "The COVID-19 pandemic has caused immense economic strain on Tennessee families. These sales tax holidays will allow them to keep more of their hard-earned money and support Tennessee businesses," said Tennessee Governor Bill Lee.

Tennessee new unemployment claims filed for week ending on July 4, 2020

Tennessee new unemployment claims filed for the week ending on July 4, 2020

The State Capitol Commission will meet tomorrow to take up the issue of the Nathan Bedford Forrest bust and its future in our statehouse. Tomorrow’s commission meeting has been more than a year in the making as appointments have been made to the Capitol Commission and options for the bust have been evaluated with respect to those who want to see it remain in the statehouse and those who want to see it moved to an alternate location.

The Federal National Mortgage Association has discontinued its free market auction system for commitments to purchase conventional home mortgages. Therefore, the Commissioner of Financial Institutions hereby announces that the maximum effective rate of interest per annum for home loans as set by the General Assembly in 1987, Public Chapter 291, for the month of August, 2020 is 5.42 percent per annum. The rate as set by the said law is an amount equal to four percentage points above the index of market yields of long-term government bonds adjusted to a thirty (30) year maturity by the U. S. Department of the Treasury. For the most recent weekly average statistical data available preceding the date of this announcement, the calculated rate is 1.42 percent.

NASHVILLE--Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions Commissioner Greg Gonzales announced today that the maximum effective formula rate of interest in Tennessee is 7.25 percent per annum. The rate is based on a ceiling of 4 percent over the weekly average prime loan rate of 3.25 percent as published by the Federal Reserve on July 6, 2020.

Benton, Tenn. - The Special Investigations Section of the Tennessee Department of Revenue conducted the investigation that led to the indictment and arrest of Richard Tyler, Jr., former owner of Whitewater Grill in Ocoee, TN. The Polk County Sherriff’s Office arrested Tyler, 63, Monday evening, and his bond was set at $30,000. Special agents from the Tennessee Department of Revenue assisted the Sherriff’s Office.

Nashville, Tenn. - Mark your calendars. For 2020 only, the Tennessee General Assembly has approved two sales tax holiday weekends to help Tennesseans save money and support the economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic.