Legislation that would eliminate the professional privilege tax today cleared the House Finance, Ways and Means subcommittee.  HB519/SB884 must now be considered by both the House and Senate Finance Committees. TBA Director of Public Policy and Government Affairs Berkley Schwarz and Adams and Reese attorney and TBA lobbyist Brad Lampley discuss the matter on today’s episode of the TBA Legislative Updates podcast. The pair also talk about this week's failure of HR23, which sought to remove Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle from the bench, and additional TBA-sponsored legislation. A new episode of Legislative Updates drops every Thursday and can be found on the TBA’s Facebook page or anywhere you listen to podcasts. 

Register now for the TBA Litigation Law Ethics Forum set for March 30 from 9 a.m. until noon CDT. The program will feature commentary and analysis of litigation and other concerns about vaccines and COVID-related issues in the workplace, a discussion on access to justice issues exacerbated by the pandemic and an examination of the tricky ethical issues that arise when mixing jurors, jury selection and social media. Members of the Litigation Section can purchase the program at a discounted price. Not a section member? Join today!

TBA CLE will host Real Estate Concerns in Elder Law on March 23 from 11 a.m. until noon CDT. This live virtual event will be led by Barbara Moss from Elder Law of Nashville and George Mudter of Mudter, Patterson & Cox PLLC, who will discuss the intersection of elder and real estate laws, including, best practices, common concerns and more.

State officials have announced that thousands of Tennessee prisoners are now eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, WPLN reports. The news comes days after an Associated Press investigation found that officials debated when to vaccinate prisoners, fearing that any decision could be deemed a “public relations nightmare.” State prisoners were among one of the last groups eligible to get the vaccine and, despite some becoming eligible earlier based on factors like pre-existing conditions and age, the Tennessee Department of Correction said last month that everyone housed in a state prison would be inoculated at the same time. State Health Commissioner Lisa Piercy refuted that claim and says any prisoner who fits the current requirements for phase 1c of the state’s vaccination rollout plan is now eligible for the shots.

The Community Legal Center of Memphis will host a benefit concert on April 1 at 7 p.m. CDT. “Cash for the CLC” will feature virtual performances and in-depth discussion on justice work in Memphis with Rosanne Cash. Local artist John Paul Keith will also be performing. The event is free to attend, but donations to the CLC are encouraged. RSVP to the benefit through the CLC’s Facebook page. Those interested in sponsoring the event should contact Jerri Green.

Baltimore mediation attorney and former American Bar Association President J. Michael McWilliams died on Feb. 23. He was 81. McWilliams spent two years as an assistant attorney general of Maryland and later served as counsel to the state Department of Transportation. He participated in the 1978 gubernatorial campaign of Harry R. Hughes and later headed his transition team. McWilliams became president of the ABA in 1992 and established McWilliams Dispute Resolutions Inc. in 1997, where he stayed until his retirement in 20017. Due to the pandemic, plans for a memorial service are incomplete.

A resolution to remove Davidson County Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle from the bench has failed in a Tennessee House subcommittee, the Tennessean reports. After more than an hour of debate in the House Civil Justice Subcommittee, House Resolution 23 (HR23) failed on a voice vote. The resolution was sponsored by Rep. Tim Rudd, R-Murfreesboro, who said he filed the bill in response to Lyle’s ruling to expand absentee voting in the state—a move he called judicial overreach. The TBA issued a statement in opposition of HR23 last week. “We’ve heard from TBA members from all political persuasions and views expressing concern about the impact this resolution would have on the concepts of separation of powers and a fair and impartial judiciary,” TBA President Michelle Greenway Sellers said of today’s vote. “We were pleased that the subcommittee arrived at the conclusion it did.” 

The Tennessee Senate on Monday evening passed a resolution that will allow voters to change the way the state attorney general is selected, the Chattanoogan reports. In a 25-7 vote, legislators passed Senate Joint Resolution 1 (SJR1) which calls for a transparent nomination process by the Tennessee Supreme Court in selecting the State Attorney General, followed by a confirmation vote of the nominee by a majority of both houses of the Tennessee General Assembly. Once the nomination is made, the legislature would have 60 days to go through the confirmation process. In the event that the candidate is rejected, then the court would have 60 days to make another nomination. SJR1 will now go before the House where it must receive a two-thirds majority. If the resolution clears the House, it must then be passed by the majority of Tennessee voters in the 2022 gubernatorial election.

The Tennessee Historical Commission today voted 25-1 in favor of removing the bust of early KKK leader and Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest from the state Capitol, the Tennessean reports. Historians, pastors, activists and other interested citizens were among the 30 speakers who testified during the meeting, which lasted more than five hours. Commissioners voted to relocate the bust to the Tennessee State Museum. It is unclear when the relocation process will begin or whether last month’s request from the House and Senate speakers for an attorney general’s opinion will cause delays.

Just in time for Women’s History Month, catch a rebroadcast of Tennessee's Role in Women's Suffrage and the 19th Amendment with award-winning journalist and author Elaine Weiss. As the 36th state to ratify the amendment, Tennessee put the vote for suffrage over the top. Weiss takes viewers through the story of Tennessee’s monumental role in the ratification of the 19th amendment during the centennial anniversary, honors key players and examines how the ratification impacted the legal profession. This program is worth one general CLE credit.