News for the year 2013:

*For more news select the year tab above for a chronological listing or use key words in the search box to the right

Don’t horse around, Governor
May 11, 2013 But when Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris, R-Collierville, introduced an amendment making the bill applicable to everyone who witnesses animal abuse, Gresham successfully moved to table it. more…

Editorial: Obvious case for a veto
May 7, 2013 In considering whether to issue a veto, which would stand a good chance of being upheld, Haslam should listen to Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris, R-Collierville, who correctly pointed out that the legislation would criminalize filming, not abuse. more…

Second municipal school bill signed into law
April 29, 2013 Gov. Bill Haslam on Monday signed into law the second of the two municipal school district bills — this one removing the limits on the number of school systems permitted in a county. more…

Gov. Haslam signs main municipal school district bill
April 24, 2013 Norris said, “Governor Haslam’s timely signature on this important legislation demonstrates that he shares our commitment to neighborhood schools and parental choice. We appreciate his decisive action, and I appreciate the support of so many who have worked hard to help us remove these artificial barriers to education improvement.” more…

Pressure builds on Haslam to veto ‘Ag-Gag’ bill
April 22, 2013 When the bill was debated in the Senate, Majority Leader Mark Norris, R-Collierville, said the bill would criminalize the documenting, not the abuse, and he said the Tennessee Farm Bureau “should be ashamed” for supporting the bill. more…

State Senate approves budget and closes 2013 legislative session
April 22, 2013 “In direct contrast to Washington, Tennessee’s budget is balanced,” said Leader Norris. “The state is ranked 48th lowest in the nation in per capita debt and 47th in per capita tax burden, all while balancing our state budget and lowering tax burdens for our citizens.” more…

Tennessee lawmakers Ag Gag bill angers singing celebrity Carrie Underwood
April 22, 2013 “They support the bill but they should be ashamed for doing so. If you’re truly concerned about animal abuse, deal with the root cause not what people do after they see it. The implication of this bill is that it’s OK to abuse animals. It’s all right.” more…

TN REPORT: Senate passes tax cut on groceries
April 17, 2013 Senate Bill 199, sponsored by Majority Leader Mark Norris of Collierville, would reduce retail sales tax on food from 5.25 percent to 5 percent. The measure passed the state Senate almost unanimously Monday. more…

Tennessee municipal school district bill passes legislature, en route to governor
April 16, 2013 With suburban mayors from Shelby County watching in support, both houses of the state legislature approved the bill allowing the six Memphis suburban cities to create new municipal school districts Monday. more…

TN General Assembly to vote on lifting municipal school ban
April 14, 2013 “I’m optimistic about it, I’m hopeful,” said the bill’s author Senator Mark Norris of Collierville. more…

TN Lawmakers push education bills in final days of session
April 14, 2013 Republican Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris of Collierville said oversight is important and he believes the measure will pass the Senate Finance Committee if such an amendment is added. more…

Major bills combating criminal gangs are approved as legislature prepares to close 2013 legislative session
April 13, 2013 “One complaint that is often heard about Tennessee’s current criminal gang statue is that it is difficult even for the most astute prosecutor, defense lawyer or judge to navigate,” said Leader Norris. “Simplifying this definition goes far in making the law more effective — keeping gang members off the street and out of our communities.” more…

Ga. opponent of border resolution cheered in Tenn.
April 10, 2013 Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris of Collierville introduced Republican Sen. Jeff Mullis of Chickamauga, Ga., during a floor session on Wednesday. more…

Voucher bill dropped, more possible
April 9, 2013 Haslam and Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris asked the Senate Education Committee not to hear Senate Bill 196 because committee members planned to pursue amendments to the bill. more…

Budget moves front and center as legislature works toward adjournment
April 6, 2013 Senate Bill 502 , which authorizes the budget, will continue to be the main focus during the remainder of the 2013 legislative session. The bill is sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris (R-Collierville). more…

Haslam voucher bill to remain in committee, dead this session because of ‘gamesmanship’
April 4, 2013 Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris put the measure on hold Wednesday in a letter to the Senate Finance Committee chairwoman obtained by The Associated Press. Norris said he doesn’t want the committee to advance the bill. more…

Haslam scraps voucher plan
April 4, 2013 Sen. Mark Norris, who was carrying Haslam’s “Tennessee Choice & Opportunity Scholarship Act,” told reporters Wednesday that the governor decided not to move forward with Senate Bill 196 because some GOP lawmakers refused to back down from their plan to amend the administration-backed measure. more…

State Capitol Wednesday: Gov.-approved school security bill advances
April 3, 2013 Sen. Mark Norris, R-Collierville, the bill’s sponsor told the committee that after discussions with state Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman, he decided to just eliminate the per-county cap rather than raise it, for the larger counties. “We just didn’t need it anymore,” Norris said. more…

Against push for expansion, Haslam pulls voucher bill
April 3, 2013 “He did not want it to become a political football at the expense of the children,” said Norris, adding that the situation had devolved into “gamesmanship.” more…

General Assembly looks at limiting forced annexations
April 3, 2013 “Our counties and towns are pretty much at year 15 through that process,” Norris said, adding there has never been “a stop, look and see” about how cities are doing in the planning process. more…

Tennessee workers compensation reform legislation advances
April 3, 2013 The bill, sponsored by state Sen. Mark Norris, R-Collierville, also would replace a court-based workers comp adjudication system with an agency whose administrator would be chosen by the governor. more…

‘All or nothing’ on Haslam’s school voucher bill
April 2, 2013 “I think there’s an increasing level of comfort with the measured approach preferred by the governor,” Norris said. “It’s pretty much all or nothing.” more…

Sponsor of Gov. Haslam’s school voucher bill says Wednesday vote will be for ‘all or nothing’
April 2, 2013 The Collierville Republican told reporters on Tuesday that he perceives a growing level of comfort with Haslam’s more measured approach to the bill that would supply a limited number of parents of children in the state’s worst schools with public money to pay for a private education. more…

On Tenn. school voucher bill, Norris says smaller is better
April 2, 2013 Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris said Tuesday that lawmakers will either have to approve Gov. Bill Haslam’s approach to a school voucher program in Tennessee or face the measure being withdrawn for the year. more…

Wine bill held up in Senate
April 2, 2013 “We should go ahead and take some definitive action, to send a signal to our constituents that we value their input,” he said. “This may not be completely, precisely correct, yet, but I think it’s getting there.” more…

Senate OKs bill to change injured workers’ fund
April 1, 2013 “I feel confident that these reforms are not only going to keep Tennessee competitive but are going to benefit the workers of this state,” said Republican Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris of Collierville, who is carrying the bill. more…

Bill changing Senate nomination process in Tenn. put on hold
April 1, 2013 Two other Republicans, Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris and Sen. Janice Bowling of Tullahoma, urged Niceley to delay a vote so Tennesseans could become more familiar with the proposal and let their views be known. more…

Haslam’s Bill or No Bill on School Vouchers
April 1, 2013 “Unlike hundreds of other bills that I’ve sponsored for the administration, this is not one that should be subject to the General Assembly’s tinkering,” Norris says. more…

Bill Haslam will not budge on opposing the expansion of school vouchers
April 1, 2013 But Norris said that Haslam “filed exactly what he thought was appropriate” in light of “all the other education reforms” he has implemented since taking office in 2011. more…

Municipal Schools Legislation Advances
March 30, 2013 After much anticipation, Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris (R-Collierville) began moving SB 1353 lifting the ban on municipal school districts in Tennessee. more…

Senate Committees working hard to wind down the business of the 2013 legislative session
March 23, 2013 Senate Committees worked at full steam this week as they wrapped up budget hearings for various agencies and departments of state government and moved a number of important bills to the Senate floor for final action. more…

Workers’ Compensation reform tops busy week on Capitol Hill
March 12, 2013 “As businesses look at Tennessee to locate jobs, they look at many factors including the state’s workers’ compensation system,” added Senator Norris. more…

Supermarket wine bill fails by 1 vote in House
March 12, 2013 A proposal to loosen wine sale laws in Tennessee failed by a single vote in a House committee on Tuesday, though supporters hope they can revive it. more…

Wine in Supermarkets Gets Complicated
March 12, 2013 They want permission to have more than one location and sell more than just wine and liquor. Senator Mark Norris of Memphis has played mediator. more…

17th Judicial District may remain same
March 12, 2013 “I would like to commend all involved for working hard to reach common ground,” said Norris. “Change is never easy but we have come together to create a map that ensures Tennesseans get the best possible service from their public defenders, district attorneys and judges.” more…

Legislation Providing Hall Income Tax Relief for Senior Citizens Passes Tax Subcommittee
March 9, 2013 “Senior citizens who are on fixed incomes are hit hardest by the Hall tax,” added Norris. “The increase in the income exemption will also make the state more competitive which is good for our economy.” more…

TN bill sets standards to shut down failing online schools
March 7, 2013 Norris also asked the committee to put off consideration of the governor’s voucher bill, Senate Bill 196, for two weeks. Norris said this will give members time to consider a broader proposal being developed by the committee’s chairwoman, state Sen. Dolores Gresham. more…

Haslam’s school voucher bill delayed
March 6, 2013 “It would open it up pretty dramatically,” said Norris, adding what really concerns him is the support the expanded voucher program is getting outside the Legislature. more…

Norris Legislation Providing Hall Income Tax Relief for Senior Citizens Passes Tax Subcommittee
March 5, 2013 “Senior citizens who are on fixed incomes are hit hardest by the Hall tax,” added Norris. “The increase in the income exemption will also make the state more competitive which is good for our economy.” more…

Senate Finance Committee is Briefed on Effects of Sequestration on Tennessee’s Budget
March 2, 2013 “Sequester is an evil,” said Norris. “But it has become a necessary evil given the dysfunction in D.C. It is for those of us who carry and balance our budgets in state government each year to mitigate the failure of our federal government.” more…

Forget Municipal Schools! The Future for Shelby County’s Suburbs May be — Huh? —a Special School District
February 26, 2013 “You mean they no longer want to tar and feather me!” he said in the aftermath of Tuesday night’s meeting of the Shelby County Unified School Board in Memphis — in the aftermath, really, of almost two and a half years of unrest over city/county school merger, during which Norris figured in many Memphis educational circles as an arch-villain. more…

UPDATED: Tenn. supermarket wine bill clears panel by single vote
February 26, 2013 Voting against the measure were Chairman Ken Yager, R-Harriman; Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris, R-Collierville; Sen. John Stevens, R-Huntingdon; and Sen. Thelma Harper, D-Nashville. more…

Wine In Grocery Stores Passes Tennessee Senate Committee
February 26, 2013 Sen. Reginald Tate, (D) of Memphis, voted “Yes” while Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris, (R) of Collierville, voted “No.” more…

Bill would cut phone subsidy in Tennessee
February 25, 2013 The AT&T-backed bill, which is also moving in the House, prohibits the Tennessee Regulatory Authority from mandating companies “continuing to fund a social program,” Majority Leader Mark Norris, R-Collierville, told colleagues. more…

Tennessee bill would end telephone landline subsidy
February 25, 2013 The Senate bill is sponsored by Majority Leader Mark Norris, R-Collierville. Both bills are moving even while the state’s telecommunications regulator, the Tennessee Regulatory Authority, continues to ponder similar changes requested last year by an AT&T-led coalition of telecommunications companies. more…

LEAP legislation introduced to educate and employ Tennesseans
February 22, 2013 Last week I introduced SB 1353 which would lift the state-wide ban against the creation of new municipal school districts. After consultation with local officials, attorneys, and my colleagues, we feel that this is the best approach to address the current circumstances in Shelby County. more…

Norris “LEAP” Law To Help Educate And Employ Tennesseans
February 18, 2013 Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris (R-Collierville) has filed legislation creating an “innovative statewide initiative merging traditional college coursework with technical training to address the skilled labor shortage faced by Tennessee employers.” more…

Merger Again Intersects With Nashville
February 17, 2013 Germantown Republican state Rep. Mark White is sponsoring a bill that would permit charter school operators in Davidson County and Shelby County to apply directly to the state board of education instead of local school boards. more…

Shelby Republicans file new bills to create suburban school districts
February 14, 2013 “Municipalities already have taxing authority (through their city councils or boards of aldermen), so if they want to put the question of additional funding to their residents, they have that authority,” Norris said. more…

Memphis suburbs likely to find fertile ground for schools in state legislature
February 9, 2013 Lawmakers say they may file a bill as soon as this week that would likely repeal Tennessee’s 15-year-old prohibition on new municipal school systems statewide. more…

DSCC Students Chosen for 2013 All-Tennessee Academic Team
February 8, 2013 Miranda Davis and Jarred Holloway, current students at Dyersburg State Community College (DSCC), were recently chosen as members of the Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) All-Tennessee Academic Team. They were among other academic team members representing two-year colleges from across Tennessee who were recently honored at the All-Tennessee Academic Luncheon held at the Doubletree Hotel in Nashville, TN on February 5, 2013. more…

Norris Reappointed to serve on Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations
February 7, 2013 Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris (R-Collierville) has been reappointed to serve on the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (TACIR) by Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey. more…

Signs of the Times
January 18, 2013 “We sort of received the wet baby when this thing was born,” was how state Senate Republican leader Mark Norris of Collierville put it. “We did a lot on faith.” more…

And So It Begins…
January 11, 2013 In the Senate, Collierville Republican Mark Norris remains majority leader and Memphis Democrat Jim Kyle is minority leader. more…

Back to Work
January 11, 2013 In the Senate, Collierville Republican Mark Norris remains majority leader and Memphis Democrat Jim Kyle is minority leader. more…

Game On
January 10, 2013 The Tennessee General Assembly has convened for its 2013 session, and, as we and everybody else have observed, it will open up with Republican “super-majorities” in both state House and state Senate, able to achieve any outcome the GOP majority desires without a thought to potential opposition from Democrats. more…

Sen. Norris believes GOP caucus willing to meet in public
January 9, 2013 While leaders of the House Republican Caucus contend the group can continue holding meetings behind closed doors, Senate Republican Leader Mark Norris said Wednesday that he believes the Senate Republican Caucus is obliged to meet in public. more…

Tennessee legislature opens; speakers re-elected
January 8, 2013 In the Senate, Kyle asked to amend the Senate’s rules to require that Tennessee’s Open Meetings Act apply to the chamber. Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris, R-Collierville, asked Kyle to delay the request until the Rules Committee can consider it. more…

Power broker isn’t a label Collierville’s Mark Norris wears comfortably
January 5, 2013 For the past two years, Norris has been a dominating force at a pivotal time in Shelby County history. The Republican has supplanted two powerful West Tennessee Democrats — Jimmy Naifeh and John Wilder, House and Senate speakers who reigned over legislative politics for decades — as the Memphis area’s most influential lawmaker. more…