By now, you've probably heard about NewsChannel 5's investigation into "ghost voting" on the House floor. In a story last month, they showed legislators voting for missing desk mates and found that in one case, Democratic Rep. Lois DeBerry was absent an entire day while fellow lawmakers marked her present and voted for her. (DeBerry later asked the House clerk's office to take back her pay for the day she missed.)

At the time, House Speaker Beth Harwell declined Channel 5's requests for comments, but they caught up to her, as seen in the video above, at a groundbreaking ceremony at Middle Tennessee State University. As you'll see, they press her about "ghost voting" under her watch and won't let her off the hook about whether or not she knows about legislators' voting sticks. If you like feeling awkward, here's the full nine-minute interview.

The original story was only a partial revelation. When the House is not operating "under the rule" — and it rarely is — lawmakers don't have to be at their seats and can ask another member to vote for them if they step outside. That doesn't mean there aren't legitimate questions about whether or not that's acceptable to voters, though, so good on Channel 5 for bringing it up.

The issue came up earlier in the session too, when some House members objected to a bill that would allow school board members to participate in meetings via teleconference, despite their own proxy voting practices. I wrote about it for TNReport and asked Rep. Jim Gotto about the apparent contradiction, and WPLN's Joe White brought it up as well.

Roughly an hour ago, Gov. Bill Haslam affixed the first veto of his gubernatorial tenure to HB 3576/SB 3597, the bill that challenges the so-called "All Comers" policy at state universities — and curiously, at one specific private university, Vanderbilt.

While Haslam said, in a written release, that he did not agree with Vanderbilt's policy, he nonetheless felt the bill should govern only public institutions.

"Although I disagree with Vanderbilt’s policy, as someone who strongly believes in limited government, I think it is inappropriate for government to mandate the policies of a private institution," Haslam said. "Therefore, I will veto HB 3576/SB 3597 in its current form.”

With the legislature formally adjourned as of last night, there's little threat of a pesky override of Haslam's veto. When the veto was announced, editors and reporters from the Scene and The City Paper were in the middle of a roundtable discussion with Nashville Mayor Karl Dean. Told of the news, his response was to the point:

"Good."

In the same statement, Haslam addressed another controversial item on his docket: HB 3540/SB 3345, the bill that would place caps on the hiring of foreign nationals as teachers in Tennessee schools.

“I will not sign the bill and will let it become law without my signature," Haslam said — the same tactic he deployed to public outcry on the so-called "Monkey Bill." This time, however, he added a cautionary measure addressed what he terms as "concerns about this bill's constitutionality."

"Because of my concerns, I am also requesting a formal opinion from the Attorney General on the bill’s constitutionality," Haslam said. "I think it is important for local educational agencies to fully understand the implications of this law and their decisions about granting charter school applications.”

Below, the full text of Haslam's release.

The proposal is the brainchild of Republicans Hurley and Sen. Stacey Campfield. On the House floor Tuesday, Hurley again rejected a proposed amendment that would have required testing for lawmakers and another that would have required the state to pay for the tests.

While other states, such as Florida — which barely broke even on a similar program before it was halted by a federal judge — have reimbursed applicants who prove to be drug-free, Hurley and Campfield's bill does not. It would require testing for any applicant with a prior drug conviction or anyone who raises suspicion based on a screening.

Haslam had expressed concerns with the bill on legal grounds, but has not commented on it since it was essentially rewritten.

The House last night passed the bill prohibiting all-comers policies for university student organizations, along with a toothless provision targeting private Vanderbilt University.

The bill passed the Senate on Monday and now goes to Gov. Bill Haslam, who has expressed concerns about the idea of the state instructing a private university on its policies. Although House sponsor Rep. Mark Pody had placed his bill on the desk last week, after a heated debate over Rep. Bill Dunn's Vanderbilt provision, the Senate adopted the same amendment and passed the bill, allowing Pody to substitute for the companion legislation and soldier on in the House.

The provision targeting Vanderbilt does not include a financial penalty, and when pressed about the consequences the school might face for ignoring it, Pody simply said, repeatedly, he "did not address" the issue of enforcement. Supporters have said they might revisit the issue next year, though if Vanderbilt does not repent of its policy requiring student organizations to allow anyone to become a member.

The original bulk of the bill applies to the state's public universities, who have indicated no intention of implementing all-comers policies.

But the after-hours debate — the second on the matter in the last week — was no less contentious as a result of the bill's limited practical effect.

After a lengthy debate that evoked references to devil worshippers and apartheid, the Senate passed a bill prohibiting all-comers policies at the state's public universities, along with an amendment that targets private Vanderbilt University specifically.

The amendment caused a heated debate last week when Rep. Bill Dunn offered it in the House. The bill was eventually placed on the desk and will need a two-thirds vote to be taken up again in that chamber.

The amendment essentially gives Vanderbilt a choice: Either exempt religious organizations from a recently adopted policy that requires student organizations to allow anyone to join, or apply it to all student organizations including fraternities and sororities.

• Just an average citizen who wants to be heard

Like something out of an inverted children's fable, a bill that would now give corporations the benefits of acting like a little guy, without the frustrating limitations, passed a committee this morning and is fast on its way to the House floor.

In its original form, the bill, which has already passed the Senate, repealed limits on the total amount of money individual candidates can receive from political action committees (PACs) and corporations. After an amendment brought in committee this morning by bill sponsor Rep. Glen Casada, it would do that along with giving corporations the freedom to choose between acting as individuals or PACs when it comes to political contributions.

Tom Humphrey with a good explainer, excerpted after the jump:

Of course, there are some folks who take our coverage with a grain of salt — we being the heathen liberal media, after all. But this op-ed in Saturday's New York Times, from a self-described faithful Christian, really hits the nail on the head, describing how our Tennessee state senators and representatives pander to conservative Christians — and strive to put an end to the religious freedoms their forefathers fought to ensure. It's one of the most thoughtful, succinct and well-written takedowns of our state legislature you're likely to read. And I guess that should be no surprise, since it was penned by critically acclaimed author (Bloodroot) and Morristown, Tenn., resident Amy Greene.

A few excerpts from the op-ed, titled "God and Man in Tennessee":

Meanwhile Bo Watson, the Republican state senator who sponsored the creationism law, claims the legislation is meant to encourage students to challenge the merits of current scientific thought, and to protect teachers who might criticize evolution in the process; he also stresses that the bill prohibits teachers from interjecting their personal beliefs.