Dallas – Text messaging has experienced a tenfold increase in the past three years*, according to CTIA — The Wireless Association. Unfortunately, this texting boom means that many may be tap-tapping away at perhaps the worst possible time: while driving.

Today, at the Detroit Economic Club, AT&T Chairman and CEO Randall Stephenson will announce AT&T’s commitment to address this issue through an initiative to communicate to wireless consumers, especially youth, on the dangers of texting behind the wheel.

“Texting has increasingly become the way to communicate for many people, and the urge to quickly read and respond — even while driving — can be tempting,” said Stephenson. “Our goal is to send a simple, yet vital, message to all wireless users: don’t text and drive.”

Stephenson said AT&T will be participating in the Distracted Driving Summit, hosted by U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and the Department of Transportation, which started today in Washington, D.C.

“We commend the administration for putting a spotlight on this important issue and bringing the industry together to discuss solutions,” said Stephenson. “We hope others will join us in prohibiting their employees from texting while driving and helping educate the public about the dangers of texting while driving.”

The new campaign is expected to reach millions and includes:

• AT&T Employee Education: AT&T is in the process of revising its wireless and motor vehicle policies to expressly prohibit texting while driving. AT&T, one of the country’s leading employers and with one of the largest commercial fleets, is also incorporating a section on the dangers of texting while driving in its defensive driving classes for employees who drive on the job. All of the company’s nearly 290,000 employees are required to review AT&T’s policies periodically. Employees who drive as part of their job are also required to take refresher defensive driving classes.
• Handset Messaging: In time for the busy holiday selling season, the majority of new devices from AT&T will begin to include the don’t-text-and-drive message on the plastic clings that protect handset screens through AT&T’s more than 16,000 company-owned stores and kiosks, authorized dealers and third party retail locations throughout the U.S. AT&T is working with handset and device manufacturers to ensure that as many AT&T wireless devices as possible will eventually carry the campaign message — either via screen clings or in the user guides and other collateral.
• Public Service Announcements: AT&T will produce a series of public service announcements (PSAs). The PSAs, some of which will include high-profile spokespersons, will appear in the coming months and will be targeted to a variety of audiences — from adults to parents and teens — to discourage texting while driving. As one of America’s leading advertisers, AT&T will work with media outlets, both traditional and digital, to secure significant exposure for these educational spots.
• Online Resources: AT&T will create an online resource center for downloadable tools and tips for parents, high school educators and others on this issue. Tools will include a parent-teen pledge, posters for high school drivers’ education classes, as well as a teacher’s guide, tip sheet and fact sheet. AT&T’s Web site is a popular online destination, attracting millions of unique visitors each month.
• Customer Communications: AT&T reaches millions of customers every day through a variety of touch points that include catalogs, in-store signage and collateral, bills, e-mails, opt-in text messages and newsletters, as well as via AT&T U-verseSM TV on-air channels, which have the potential to reach 1.6 million subscribers. Campaign messaging on this issue will also be integrated throughout these and other customer touch points.
• Support Safety Organizations: AT&T will continue to work with CTIA — The Wireless Association (www.ctia.org), The National Safety Council (www.nsc.org) and other third parties to support their efforts to educate the public about the dangers of texting while driving.

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation’s fastest 3G network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet and voice services. AT&T offers the best wireless coverage worldwide, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries.  It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verse^SM and AT&T │DIRECTV^SM brands. The company’s suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world. In domestic markets, AT&T’s Yellow Pages and YELLOWPAGES.COM organizations are known for their leadership in directory publishing and advertising sales. In 2009, AT&T again ranked No. 1 in the telecommunications industry on FORTUNE^® magazine’s list of the World’s Most Admired Companies. Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com.

• Charter Schools
  
• SJR 127 (Abortion)
  
• Crime
• Swine Flu
  

House panel discusses possible charter school changes

The House Education committee discussed at length this week the pros and cons of several bills that seek to expand eligibility for public charter schools. In addition, the legislation discussed also clarifies funding and addresses rules for renewal of the public charter schools.Tennessee currently has one of the most restrictive public charter school laws in the nation.

Charter schools are public schools that are given flexibility to operate without the constraints of some of the rules and regulations normally imposed on traditional schools. In exchange for this flexibility, they are held accountable for performance through a charter, which is an agreement between the local education agency (LEA) and the charter school. It requires a strenuous approval process by the LEA and an equally tough renewal process of the charter every five years. Many of the speakers that testified before the committee praised Tennessee’s stringent accountability measures, that ensure the schools are performing well.

A report released last year by Tennessee’s Comptroller’s Office titled “Tennessee’s Charter Schools: Issues of Innovation and Sustainability,” found student eligibility restrictions and limited facilities funding may compromise the long-term viability of individual charter schools and recommended many of the changes included in the bills. The report recommended that the General Assembly consider making eligibility for charter school enrollment less restrictive and consider more precisely defining state and local charter school facilities funding responsibilities. In addition, the report recommended that the state should also identify charter schools’ best practices and implement a system for disseminating that information to traditional schools.

The bills that are currently before the committee address four main components of the public charter school law:

• Eligibility — Currently, public charter school enrollment is limited primarily to failing students and those from failing schools. This legislation permits “at-risk” children (as defined by free and reduced-price lunch) to attend charter schools in those systems that have 12,000 or more students.
• Caps — Currently public charter schools are limited to 50 statewide, with a cap of 20 in Memphis. This bill says that converted charter schools do not count against the cap, clarifying in law what the Attorney General has already opined.
• Renewal process – Currently, the charter agreement between the LEA and the charter school is renewed every five years. This measure would change the renewal period from five to ten years, as well as establishes the required documentation needed during the renewal process.
• Funding – Currently a public charter school receives the per pupil expenditure of state and local dollars. Although it mentions appropriate federal dollars, interpretations vary from one LEA to the next. This legislation defines the state and local charter school facilities funding responsibilities and clarifies the LEAs must allocate all appropriate federal funds, including Title I and ESEA funds, to the charter schools.

Tennessee now has 15 public charter schools, with six more opening in the fall. Of those 22 schools, Nashville will have five, Chattanooga will have two, and Memphis will have 15. The Memphis City School System also is converting four schools to charters this fall.

SJR 127 clears another hurdle; in Finance next week

Senate Joint Resolution 127 cleared another hurdle this week, facing little opposition in the Budget Subcommittee. The constitutional amendment carries a $20,000 price tag for the cost incurred to put notice in newspapers across the state that the amendment will be on the ballot. committee members were given a memo from Secretary of State Tre Hargett stating that his office will absorb the cost within their existing budget so that the legislature does not have to allocate funds in a time of budget shortfall. The move is not unprecedented; in 2006, former Secretary of State Riley Darnell paid the same amount for an amendment proposal to define marriage to go on the ballot.

The constitutional amendment is in response to the 2001 Tennessee Supreme Court decision in Planned Parenthood vs Sundquist, when the court created a right to unregulated abortion. The decision also prohibited the Tennessee legislature from enacting any regulations governing abortions, arguably making Tennessee the most liberal in the nation with regards to abortion laws.

Although the constitutional amendment has achieved passage in the Senate before, it has never cleared the hurdle of the Public Health Subcommittee in the House.

Republicans have argued for several years that SJR 127 would simply allow the people of the state to weigh in on the issue. The sponsor said there was a “powerful and pivotal passage in our state’s constitution which stated that power was inherent in the people,” and argued that in the past, the initial vote of six in a subcommittee silenced six million Tennesseans.

If passed this year by the 106th General Assembly by a simple majority, it must pass the 107th General Assembly by two-thirds before appearing on the ballot in 2014.

Republicans initiatives get tough on crime

Three Republican sponsored crime bills passed out of the House Judiciary committee this week, and are now headed to the Budget Subcommittee. Despite having fiscal notes, the sponsors said the measures are desperately needed for the safety of Tennesseans to keep violent repeat offenders off the street.

House Bill 241 aims to keep violent offenders incarcerated longer than they are currently required. If passed, someone convicted of aggravated robbery—whether it is a first offense or not—would be require to serve no less than 85 percent of their sentence. House Bill 525 broadens the offense of first degree felony murder to include the killing of another person while committing domestic abuse if there was a past pattern of abuse of the victim or of another member of the victim’s family. In the same vein, House Bill 526 increases the penalty for a fourth or subsequent violation of domestic assault to a Class E felony. Domestic assault is currently punished as assault which can be either a Class A or Class B misdemeanor.

Tennessee Department of Health and Human Services distributes swine flu information

The Tennessee Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) distributed information regarding the swine flu to legislative members’ offices this week, in an effort to educate the public on how to protect themselves.

HHS said Tennessee residents who think they may be ill with the flu or flu-like illness should contact a doctor. Symptoms of the illness are as follows: fever, body aches, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, or vomiting. Your doctor will determine whether influenza testing or treatment is needed. If you become ill and experience any warning signs, seek emergency medical care.

The Department of Health also recommended frequent hand washing with warm soapy water, keeping hands away from your face, eyes and mouth, and covering coughs and sneezes with a sleeve or tissue. These precautions can also help prevent the spread of other illnesses.

For more information, contact your representative’s office.

In case you missed it…

• House Bill 738, the “Tennessee Energy Conservation Endorsement Act of 2009,” was passed out of the House Commerce committee this week. The bill classifies the “engaging in energy conservation programs and measures that conserve, as well as distribute, electrical energy and supplies of natural gas, oil and other fuels” as a proper and essential function of public utilities. The legislation also authorizes the Tennessee Regulatory Authority (TRA) to develop energy conservation programs.
• House Bill 431 was passed by the Education committee this week, with a 14-5 vote. The Republican bill seeks to expand the recognition of homeschoolers’ diplomas. The legislation requires that diplomas issued by home schools be recognized by all state and local governmental entities as having the same rights and privileges of diplomas issued by public school systems.
• Legislation that would prohibit sending or reading text messages while driving passed both the House and Senate this week. Members discussed House Bill 107 at length as to whether or not the possibility that texting while driving fell under the “distracted driving” statute, but ultimately determined that the legislation would clarify the law and allow law enforcement some discretion.
• Secretary of State Tre Hargett has added a new tool to his office’s web site to make it easier for people to track pending rules and regulations issued by the state’s regulatory agencies, according to officials testifying in the Joint Government Operations committee. It’s now possible to get updates on pending rules and regulations by subscribing to the Pending Rules and Regulations RSS Feed. This new tool complements the current Pending Rules and Regulations Online Database. The new service allows citizens to stay updated on rules that have been filed with the secretary, to give business owners advance notice of pending rules. (tnsos.org/rules)

The week ahead…

Immigration measures see passage

Republicans scored two major victories this week as two measures that will combat illegal immigration passed out of subcommittees and will now be heard before a full committee. Republicans have supported the legislation for several years, dating back to the “Tennessee Trust” initiative House Republicans proposed in 2006 as a “contract” with voters.

English in the Workplace

The “Protecting English in the Workplace,” or House Bill 480, legislation was overwhelmingly approved this week by the Employee Affairs Subcommittee, with Republicans praising the bi-partisan nature of the committee. The bill sponsor said he believes there is a pressing need for the legislation, which would clarify that it is not against the law for businesses to require that English be spoken on the job. Having worked on the legislation for several years, House Republicans argue that the legislation is needed so that businesses may take the necessary safety precautions without fear of being sued. Businesses where employees are continuously handling toxic products or food containers have a need to require English so that employees understand what they are handling. In the same vein, businesses such as factories have signs displayed in English that communicate critical
safety information to employees that can protect them. The sponsor pointed out there is a provision in the bill that exempts employees during scheduled breaks such as lunch.
The bill closely mirrors legislation brought to the U.S. Senate in 2008 by Senator Lamar Alexander, who said that the legislation was necessary to prevent frivolous lawsuits targeting businesses that felt English should be spoken on the job due to safety concerns. “Protecting English in the Workplace” now faces the House Consumer and Employee Affairs Committee.

Sanctuary Cities

A “sanctuary city” is a term given to a city in the United States that follows  certain practices to protect illegal aliens. Thirty-eight cities in the U.S. have been recognized as sanctuary cities, but many sources have identified over 200 city or county governments nationwide as having practiced such policies. As originally written, the bill would cut off economic and community grant money to any Tennessee city that might declare itself a “sanctuary city” for illegal aliens. Because of the difficult economic times facing the state and local governments, the sponsor agreed to work with other members to change that penalty provision, and maintained the bill aims to be a pre-emptive strike to guard against the adoption of such policies by cities in the state.

The legislation, House Bill 1354, cleared the Criminal Practice and Procedure Subcommittee and will now face the full House Judiciary Committee.

Republicans pass legislation to honor fallen Tennessee National Guardsmen

House Bill 1346 passed on the House floor Thursday, with an overwhelming number of House members applauding the measure, and signing onto the legislation as co-sponsors. The bill requires the Adjutant General to notify the Governor in the event of the death of any Tennessee National Guard member that is called into active military service and who is stationed outside the United States. In any month in which one or more notifications of death are given to the Governor, the Governor will be required to proclaim a day of mourning and order the state flag to be flown at half mast to honor the deceased National Guard member or members.

The law will only apply to the Tennessee National Guard because the Adjutant General is not notified of deaths from other military branches. The Republican sponsor explained that he would be interested in expanding the legislation in the future to include all those serving in the military from Tennessee who are killed overseas as a result of their service, if possible.

Common-sense legislation continues to die along party lines in Elections Subcommittee

For the third week in a row, the Democrat-controlled Elections Subcommittee has killed common-sense voting legislation along party lines. The Republican-sponsored House Bill 639 was presented in the Elections Subcommittee this week, and would require photo identification to vote. Republicans have fought for the provision for several years, arguing that the measure is needed to combat voter fraud and ensure that every vote counts. The legislation eventually died on a tie vote.

The bill is the third common-sense Republican legislation to protect the integrity of elections that has been bottled up in the Elections Subcommittee. Another bill, one that would have required photo identification to register to vote, died last week by a tie vote in the same subcommittee. Two weeks ago the subcommittee killed legislation that would have made it easier for military men and women serving overseas to vote by absentee ballot.

House Republicans vowed to revive the legislation, if possible, in another form. The Senate has already passed the Senate version of the bill with an overwhelming 29-3 vote.

In case you missed it…

• A proposal that would change jail cell regulations advanced out of the House State Government Subcommittee on Wednesday. The Republican-sponsored measure was approved unanimously, and would prohibit the Tennessee Corrections Institute from decertifying a jail facility based on square footage of a jail cell if the measurement meets the requirements of the American Correctional Association’s Manual of Correctional Standards. The sponsor said the bill was needed to ensure that local governments across the state are not required to pay more money than they have to on either existing jail facilities or construction of new jail facilities.
• Legislation that would prohibit sending or reading text messages while driving cleared the Calendar and Rules Committee this week. House Bill 107 will now move to the House floor. Transportation Committee members last week discussed the possibility that texting while driving fell under the “distracted driving” statute, but ultimately determined that the legislation would clarify the law and allow law enforcement some discretion.
• House Bill 431 was passed by the K-12 Education Subcommittee this week, and seeks to expand the recognition of home schoolers’ diplomas. The bill requires that diplomas issued by home schools be recognized by all state and local governmental entities as having the same rights and privileges of diplomas issued by public school systems.
• A bold education initiative called “Education Pays” was passed out of the House Education Committee today, winning approval from representatives from both sides of the aisle. House Bill 556 seeks to encourage  student academic achievement through award of Education Pays rewards. An “Education Pays reward” is a reward of cash or other thing of value given to students or the parent or guardian of a student or both in recognition of academic achievement. The bill authorizes funding of an Education Pays pilot program through private funds.
• A bill to curb aggressive driving passed out of the House Budget Subcommittee this week, and will now face the Finance, Ways and Means Committee. House Bill 18 creates a new violation of aggressive driving if the driver is guilty of at least three of the following violations in one continuous episode:
  • Overtaking on the right
  • Overtaking and passing in no passing zones
  • Following too closely
  • Failing to yield for emergency vehicles
  • Failing to yield to pedestrians
  • Failure to signal turn
  • Speeding
  • Stopping, standing, or parking in prohibited places
  • Following fire trucks
  • Improper use of HOV lanes
• The Budget Subcommittee passed the “Market Regulation Act of 2009″ this week, which is legislation brought forth by AT&T Tennessee that would deregulate much of AT&T’s operations. The Republican sponsor of the bill said the proposal can lower rates and level the playing field, and would maintain Tennessee’s probusiness and pro-job reputation. In addition, the state could see more companies relocating here, investing, and creating jobs with the passage of the legislation. The Senate has already passed the legislation.
• House Bill 959 passed out of the Budget Subcommittee this week and will next be presented to the House Finance, Ways and Means Committee. The bill would seal the records of handgun carry permit holders that are currently public record. Tennesseans became outraged earlier this year when the Commercial Appeal, a Memphis-based newspaper, published the handgun carry permit database in an easily searchable format on their website. Republicans criticized the paper, calling the action ‘irresponsible’ and ‘dangerous.’ The House GOP contended that in addition to printing a list that would make it easier for criminals to steal weapons, non-gun owners were also at risk because it would be easy for criminals to use the database to find homes that likely did not have a firearm.

The week ahead…

House Sessions: 4:00 p.m. Monday, April 27, 2009 in the House Chambers  and 9:00 a.m. Thursday, April 30, 2009 in the House Chambers