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Tennessee ranks 41st in the nation in health, according to a 2013 study released by "America's Health Rankings," a national organization which has tracked the health of states for almost a quarter of a century.

How to bring new and better paying jobs to Tennessee was the focus of the 60th annual Governor's Conference on Economic and Community Development this past week in Nashville. The General Assembly is continuing to work aggressively to recruit new and better paying jobs to our state.

Tennessee has much to be proud of. Our economy is improving, our students are making progress, our state government has been recognized for its efficient management and we are putting more people back to work.

The General Assembly approved legislation to reform the state's Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System pension plan for new hires that begin July 1, 2014. The legislation was brought to the legislature to ensure future generations of state employees, higher education employees and K-12 teachers will receive the benefits promised to them during their time as state employees. It will not affect current employees.

State lawmakers passed legislation to make it easier for experienced military truck drivers to receive a commercial driver's license (CDL) in Tennessee. The new law waives the state's CDL skills test requirement if a veteran provides proof of a military license for the class of vehicle in which they are seeking licensure, as long as their driving record shows no accidents or citations over the past two years.

This week, our state and our nation recognized the birthday of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to our U.S. Constitution, giving women the right to vote. Tennessee was the 36th state to ratify the amendment, which was the number needed to mark the three-fourths required for ratification of what was then the 48 states.

There is good news for small business in Tennessee as a result of legislation passed by the General Assembly. The Office of Small Business Advocate assists those who are having trouble cutting through the red tape of government, including such matters as unemployment taxes and business licenses.

The Tennessee General Assembly passed many new laws that take effect on the first day of July. There are too many to list them all here, so these are a few of the ones that I wanted to bring to your attention.

Legislation that aims to help keep students safe at school won final approval this session, empowering a local director of schools — in conjunction with the school principal — to hire retired law enforcement officers to provide security. The bill comes in the wake of the shooting in Newtown, Conn., in December, which pointed to the need to increase school safety nationwide.

Old Glory"— "the red, white and blue" — "the Stars and Stripes" — "the Star Spangled Banner," and — "our Standard" — these are a few of the terms of endearment we use in referring to our American flag.

Several new laws were approved by the General Assembly this year to increase the number of post-secondary graduates in Tennessee, including a new law to help non-traditional students who need financial assistance.

One of the most important actions of the 2013 legislative session was the decision by Governor Bill Haslam on March 27 that Tennessee will not expand its TennCare rolls under the federal Affordable Care Act. The Governor, instead, said he is working on a "Tennessee Plan" to reform health care that leverages federal dollars to purchase private health insurance for Tennesseans without access to coverage.

Legislation to prevent the publication of handgun carry permit holders in the news media or on the Internet will now go to the governor for his signature after final passage in the State Senate on Wednesday.