The Tennessee General Assembly is projected to adjourn for the year in mid- to late April, given that most legislative committees have already closed or are set to close within the week. The House and Senate Finance Ways and Means committees are meeting this week and next week to determine whether legislation that has been voted out of other committees with a fiscal note will be funded. Because the governor included $17 million for a new indigent representation plan in his budget amendment, the committees do not have to vote on whether to add that funding. However, at the end of session, the House and Senate leadership will meet and determine exactly which measures will be included in the final budget and how much the funding will be. The budget is the one piece of legislation that lawmakers constitutionally are required to pass before adjournment. Once the budget is approved, lawmakers will consider matters “behind the budget” that received funding, as well as other priority items. It is anticipated the session will adjourn a few days after that.

A Benton County jury convicted the Defendant, Jayson Keith Johnson, of reckless homicide and introduction of contraband into a penal institution. At the sentencing hearing, the trial court found that the Defendant was a Range III, persistent offender. It also found that consecutive sentences were appropriate and sentenced the Defendant to an effective term of twenty years. On appeal, the Defendant argues that the trial court improperly imposed consecutive sentences. He also asserts that the State did not provide adequate pretrial notice that he would be subject to Range III sentencing. Upon our review, we hold that the trial court acted within its discretion in imposing consecutive sentences. However, we respectfully remand the case for the trial court to resentence the Defendant as a Range II, multiple offender.

Petitions involving child custody and support were filed in juvenile court. After a juvenile court magistrate ruled on the custody issues, Father filed a request for rehearing before the juvenile court judge under Tennessee Code Annotated section 37-1-107(d)(1)(E). The juvenile court judge affirmed the decision of the magistrate without explanation or addition. Because neither the juvenile court magistrate nor the juvenile court judge adjudicated the pending child support matter, we dismiss this appeal for lack of subject matter jurisdiction.

This is an appeal by a pro se appellant. Due to the deficiencies in his brief, we conclude that he has waived consideration of any issues on appeal and hereby dismiss the appeal.

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Rocky McElhaney Law Firm has opened an office on Music Row at 1102 17th Ave. S., Nashville 37212. The opening of the office marks a return to Music Row for the Hendersonville-based firm after it ceased operations in 2017 on 16th Ave. S. after McElhaney’s Rock-N-Row Express LLC sold the building on that site for $3 million to First Citizens Bank and relocated its main office to Hendersonville. The firm specializes in legal work involving personal injury and wrongful death often related to vehicular incidences, and will continue to operate offices in Hendersonville, Murfreesboro and Clarksville. Read more from the Nashville Post.

Following recent severe weather across the state, the Tennessee Attorney General’s Division of Consumer Affairs offers tips for those impacted by the storms, including addressing financial obligations, filing insurance claims, hiring contractors, tips for flooded vehicles, avoiding scams and how to report misconduct around price gouging. Read more in a press release.