logo
TN bill aimed at clearing out homeless encampments near state roadways

TN bill aimed at clearing out homeless encampments near state roadways

Yahoo18-02-2025
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A bill proposed by Republican lawmakers could speed up the removal of homeless encampments near Tennessee's highways.
Homeless encampments can sometimes be found under overpasses and bridges on Tennessee's highways.
'[Some] of the things that we saw were people getting hit and killed by cars, people freezing to death — pets that didn't have any shelter,' Hermitage resident Brittany McCann said.
Brookmeade Park reopens with added security improvements
The bill would require the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT), in partnership with local law enforcement agencies and other state departments, to remove homeless encampments from state property within 30 days of a citizen complaint. If passed, unhoused people would have at least 72 hours to leave state property. Officials would then collect and store any leftover belongings for 90 days.
'[They] don't have anywhere to go, and so they move these things to the side of the road, and they hope that they can come back and get them,' State Representative Aftyn Behn (D-Nashville) said. 'This bill does nothing to take into consideration the humanity of these people and the lives that they have lived.'
A state analysis reported the bill could cost $64 million.
'Think about what $64 million could pay for in terms of services for the unhoused,' Behn added. 'This bill does nothing but further exacerbate the crisis in the state.'
The bill would also require the state to work with non-profits. In a statement, non-profit People Loving Nashville told News 2:
'The goals of our community should aim to get the most vulnerable the help they need. I promote the thought that if we are going to make laws that give authorities increased ability to remove encampments, that we should equally, if not even more so elevate the opportunities for those who will be affected most, those who live outside. In addition to this, we need to consider that the idea of leaning into non-profits to do this work is kind, but unrealistic without increased resources. You are essentially asking for the aid of overburdened nonprofits to carry out the work of removing camps without providing additional resources. This bill is only solving for the removal of camps, not for helping citizens who reside in their state. With out resources the individuals will move to another area to camp, and then we start the process over again, and now we have potential criminal activity added to the records of those who are trying to exist. My suggestion is to include in the bill increase funding that directly matches each removal of encampment. '
Ryan Lampa, CEO of People Loving Nashville
As of publication, the bill's sponsors had not responded to News 2's request for comment. Democrats have criticized the proposal. However, McCann, who saw the challenges with a Hermitage homeless encampment, is for the bill.
'We have outreach groups that are fighting for the right for people to be able to live on the street and that's not living; that's just waiting until they die, and that has to stop,' McCann said.

McCann told News 2 she sees this as an opportunity to give people a second chance.
'We want you in housing,' McCann explained. 'We want you to get a job. We want you to be successful and happy.'
The bill is on the Senate Transportation and Safety Committee's calendar for Wednesday.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Oklahoma state superintendent under investigation after board members report seeing naked women on his office TV
Oklahoma state superintendent under investigation after board members report seeing naked women on his office TV

New York Post

timean hour ago

  • New York Post

Oklahoma state superintendent under investigation after board members report seeing naked women on his office TV

Oklahoma's controversial state superintendent is under investigation after state Board of Education members alleged they saw images of naked women on his office's television during a closed meeting last Thursday. State Superintendent Ryan Walters, the fiery Republican pick leading one of the nation's lowest-ranked education systems, was in the middle of a meeting during an executive session of the Oklahoma State Board of Education when images of naked women allegedly popped up on his television screen, two board members told The Oklahoman. 4 Pictures of naked women were allegedly seen on a television behind Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters during a meeting last Thursday. BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images One of the board members said she could barely believe what she was seeing. 'And I was like, 'Those are naked women'. And then I was like, 'No, wait a minute. Those aren't naked, surely those aren't naked women. Something is playing a trick on my eye. Maybe they just have on tan body suits. This is just really bizarre',' board member Becky Carson told the outlet. 'I saw them just walking across the screen, and I'm like, 'No.' I'm sorry I even have to use this language, but I'm like, 'Those are her nipples.' And then I'm like, 'That's pubic hair.' What in the world am I watching? I didn't watch a second longer. I was so disturbed by it, I was like, 'What is on your TV?' I was very stern, like I'd been a mother or a classroom teacher. And I said, 'What am I watching? Turn it off now!'' Ryan Deatherage, another board member, added that Walters was sitting with his back to the television, so he wasn't able to see the alleged X-rated video in the moment. 4 Walters has denied all allegations about the situation — calling them 'falsehoods.' DOUG HOKE/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images 'I am in shock and I'm not wanting to distract them. I'm trying to listen. Quite frankly, I didn't know how to handle it. I was just in shock. I was being human and I didn't know what to think. I kept thinking that it was just going to go away and so I quit watching it,' Deatherage told the outlet. Carson wound up having to tell Walters about the lewd images lingering on the screen behind him, which he then shut off without any explanation or apology. Walters later issued a statement Sunday denying all claims as 'categorically false.' 4 Two Oklahoma Board of Education members claimed that Walters offered no apology or explanation for the bizarre images. AP 'These falsehoods are the desperate tactics of a broken establishment afraid of real change. They aren't just attacking me, they're attacking the values of the Oklahomans who elected me to challenge the status quo. I will not be distracted. My focus remains on making Oklahoma the best state in the nation, in every category,' Walters said. Other members of the board told the outlet that while they didn't see the images themselves, Walters appeared 'shook up' and 'flustered or embarrassed' by whatever Carson pointed out. Walters, a staunch conservative, has previously made national headlines for his stances and policies in Oklahoma schools. He repeatedly sought to enforce strict rules about what's permitted inside the classroom, including restrictions against LGBTQ+ students that have come under fire from critics on the left. 4 Walters is best known for the anti-LGBTQ+ policies he's put forward, along with other rules loosening restrictions on Christian education in public schools. DOUG HOKE/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images At the same time, he's loosened prohibitions on the separation of church and state by requiring the Bible to be taught in public schools as a 'historical document.' Deatherage and Carson said Walters should hold himself to the same standards he enforces on educators, noting that the board has 'suspended teaching certificates for less than this.' It's unclear who may have been responsible for the racy images and why they were bizarrely featured on the government office's system. The investigation into the incident is being led by the Office of Management and Enterprise Services.

Republicans plan to use threat of third Trump impeachment as key issue to boost their standing in midterm races
Republicans plan to use threat of third Trump impeachment as key issue to boost their standing in midterm races

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Republicans plan to use threat of third Trump impeachment as key issue to boost their standing in midterm races

Republican strategists say they plan to make a major midterm talking point from the threat of a third impeachment against Donald Trump that could come if Democrats retake the House. 'We know what the stakes are in the midterm elections,' John McLaughlin, a Trump pollster, told NBC News. 'If we don't succeed, Democrats will begin persecuting President Trump again. They would go for impeachment.' Right now, Republicans hold an eight-seat advantage in the House, walling the president off from a third impeachment, but that could change if the Democrats surge in 2026, as the president's party typically suffers during midterm elections. Still, according to Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., who led the party's second impeachment against Trump over the January 6 insurrection, the Democrats themselves plan to focus more on what they see as the president's 'terrible agenda.' 'We've already impeached him twice,' Raskin told NBC. 'So obviously that's not a complete solution, given that he is able to beat the two-thirds constitutional spread. So I don't think anybody thinks that's going to be the utopian solution to our problems.' Both House impeachments — first for an alleged offer of quid pro quo with Ukraine to go after Joe Biden, then for the Capitol riot — did not have enough votes to secure convictions in the Senate. During the second Trump administration, the president has continued to face attempts to initiate new impeachment trials, including from Michigan Democrat Shri Thanedar in the spring and a June effort over the administration's Iran strikes, though none of these have come to pass. Impeachments may not be coming any time soon, but Republicans face a variety of other risks to their three-party majority control of the federal government. The president's job approval rating has dipped to 37 percent, according to Gallup, the lowest of this term and just above Trump's lowest-ever approval rating, driven by hemorrhaging support from independent voters. A majority of Americans also oppose his signature One Big, Beautiful Bill, which contains a series of tax cuts and restrictions on social programs like Medicaid. The party also continues to face fallout and internal division over the White House's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files scandal, in which Trump and his allies campaigned on releasing materials related to the notorious financier's sexual misconduct, only to backtrack as more information concerning Epstein and Trump's long-time friendship came to light. The president has lashed out at his own base for seeking information about the scandal, which he calls a Democratic 'hoax,' while House Speaker Mike Johnson effectively ended business in the lower house until after its upcoming summer recess to avoid Democratic amendments calling for the release of the files. Meanwhile, former White House ally (and GOP mega-donor) Elon Musk has vowed to form his own political party, in the face of disagreements with the Trump administration over spending policy and the Epstein saga. There could also be blowback to economic conditions if the Trump administration's repeatedly delayed double-digit tariffs take full effect on major U.S. trading partners.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store