The cost of living in Tennessee's urban areas is rising, but the federal minimum wage has been sitting at $7.25 an hour since 2009. Republicans, however, would not hear a proposal by Sen. Sara Kyle (D-Memphis) that would allow cities to determine a minimum wage in line with the economic needs of residents.
Also this week, Gov. Bill Lee announced he would deploy an additional 20 Highway Patrol officers to the highways in Shelby County to combat crime. Political analyst Otis Sanford says more Memphians are in favor of crime prevention than alternatives such as "Truth in Sentencing" laws which would, for many, simply mean longer prison sentences.
Finally, Republicans are considering a billthat would require anyone running for U.S. Congress in Tennessee to have been a resident for three years. Recently, the Fox News commentator Morgan Ortagus moved to Nashville from Florida and decided to run for the U.S. House of Representatives. Sanford says state Republicans don't need to "import" Trump supporters to run for federal office — Tennessee already has plenty.