Newsroom

NASHVILLE – With the April 17 tax deadline just days away, the Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance’s (TDCI) Division of Consumer Affairs is reminding Tennesseans to be on the look out for consumer scams which involve criminals pretending to be affiliated with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe and Van Hool NV officials announced today that the Belgian company will establish its first U.S. manufacturing operation in Morristown and create nearly 640 jobs over the next five years.

Are you a gardener gearing up for the growing season? Local farmers markets, on-farm greenhouses, and retail garden centers are filling with gorgeous flowers and vegetable plants that promise bountiful harvests.

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today announced a partnership with the Country Music Association (CMA) Foundation to launch a $1 million competitive grant opportunity focused on expanding students’ access to high-quality music and arts education. Tennessee: State of the Arts is a first of its kind public-private partnership to ensure more students across the state of Tennessee will have access to a quality arts and music education. School districts in Tennessee will have the opportunity to apply for funding to improve or develop their music education programs. The statewide initiative will kick-off with the 2018-19 school year.

NASHVILLE – An increase in dog attacks are proving that man’s best friend can be costly for Tennessee homeowners who don’t follow leash laws. As part of National Dog Bite Prevention Week (Sunday, April 8, through Saturday, April 14), the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance (TDCI) reminds Tennessee homeowners to take leash laws and education seriously in order to help reduce liabilities and dangerous encounters with pets.

A Maury County woman is charged in both Maury and Williamson Counties with TennCare fraud involving doctor shopping, or using the state’s healthcare insurance program to visit multiple doctors in a short time period seeking prescription drugs.

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today announced that more than 10,000 adults have applied for Tennessee Reconnect, the state’s program for adult learners to earn an associate degree or technical certificate tuition-free. The application for Tennessee Reconnect opened on February 15 and 10,497 applications had been submitted as of April 10. Tennessee Reconnect is Haslam’s groundbreaking program that covers tuition and mandatory fees at a Tennessee community or technical college for eligible adults that do not yet have a college degree.

The Tennessee Forestry Commission will meet April 16 at 1 p.m. CDT in the Cumberland - Room B of the Art Circle Library located at 3 East Street in Crossville, Tenn.

A Kentucky native with roots in family farming, Meghreblian has been active in environmental and business advocacy across Tennessee for more than two decades. She was appointed by Gov. Haslam in 2015 to serve on Tennessee’s Rural Development Task Force. In 2013, she was appointed by the Environmental Council of the States (ECOS) to serve as the chair of its Federal Facilities Forum. She is also a board member of the West Tennessee River Basin Authority. Meghreblian has more than 20 years of combined experience in private sector manufacturing and environmental management systems. She holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Management and a master’s degree in Engineering from Vanderbilt University, and a bachelor of science in Marketing/Economics from Western Kentucky University.

NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance (TDCI) announces punishments including civil penalties totaling $12,000 and license revocations/surrender related to three former Tennessee insurance producers who violated provisions of state insurance law.

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today praised passage of the University of Tennessee Focusing On Campus and University Success (FOCUS) Act, legislation that restructures the UT Board of Trustees to improve governance of the UT system and establishes advisory boards for the primary UT campuses to create a local focus for each campus. The University of Tennessee FOCUS Act, SB2260/HB2115, reduces the current size of the UT Board of Trustees, empowering the reconstructed board to better oversee the multiple campuses that comprise the UT system. In addition to modernizing the focus and responsibilities of the UT Board of Trustees, the legislation establishes advisory boards for the primary UT campuses: The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga; The University of Tennessee at Martin; and The University of Tennessee Health Science Center. These advisory boards will allow each campus to have a local focus.

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today announced Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) Commissioner Bob Martineau will return to work in the private sector in May. Under Commissioner Martineau’s leadership, for the first time in more than two decades, the entire state of Tennessee is in compliance with federal air quality standards for particle pollution and ozone. Additionally, 41,000 acres have been added to our state lands, including three new state parks, and $170 million has been invested to modernizing our state park facilities. TDEC has facilitated the cleanup of more than 100 contaminated properties, resulting in renewed productive use and approximately 18,000 jobs at those locations. TDEC now has the lowest backlog of clean-ups of old contaminated underground storage tank sites in the Southeast.