Beacon Impact

Local Governments Shouldn’t Be Collecting Teacher Union Dues

Did you know that currently, local schools use taxpayer money to help collect dues for teacher unions, and a portion of those funds are sent to national organizations to advance their radical political agendas It’s time for Tennessee to change its laws to ensure taxpayer funds are not being used to help collect money for […]

Cutting Red Tape in Permitting

There’s almost nothing when building, repairing, or expanding a house or other piece of property that doesn’t require some kind of government permit. Because of government inefficiency, there are often huge delays with obtaining permits, causing problems with construction projects. Even worse, some cities playing politics with permits have started to “deny by delay,” holding […]

Protecting the Rights of Tennessee Workers

Did you know that sometimes unions can form without workers ever voting to create a union? Through a process called “card check” workers are stripped of their right to privately vote whether to unionize. When a majority of workers sign “authorization cards” sometimes under intense pressure and intimidation from union supporters, a company can choose […]

Expanding the School Choice Program to Include Previously Qualified Students

It’s been three years since the school choice program (ESA) was passed by the legislature, but because of lawsuits by anti-school choice groups and cities, the program just recently got started. The students that could have taken advantage of the program during this period lost an opportunity to go to a school that best fits […]

Reforming the Home Improvement Contractors License

In a time with 40-year high inflation and 20-year high mortgage rates, many people and families cannot afford to buy a new home. Here in Tennessee the problem is even worse as Tennessee had the 4th highest increase in home prices in the nation. As a result, some may look to renovate or remodel a […]

Voters Should Have a Voice in Massive Property Tax Increases

Despite tax cuts in recent years at the state level, there have been significant tax increases at the local level, especially property taxes. In 2019 alone, more than $208 million in proposed or adopted property tax increases occurred across the state. It doesn’t help Tennesseans if their taxes are cut at the state level only […]

Make Your Elected Leaders Vote by Rejecting the Pending Ordinance Doctrine

Imagine if every bill that was introduced by Congress or the Tennessee General Assembly was enforced without the duly elected legislators ever voting on it. As crazy and un-American as it sounds, that happens here in Tennessee at the local level. Local governments use the “pending ordinance doctrine” to deny building permits or revoke previously […]

Repealing the Business Tax, Making Tennessee More Competetive

While Tennessee has made great strides in cutting taxes, like the Hall Income Tax, the taxes that businesses are subject to are some of the highest in the nation. If looking at solely corporate taxes, Tennessee ranks 45 in the nation according to the Tax Foundation. Part of the corporate taxing structure in Tennessee includes […]

Beacon Impact Endorses School Choice Expansion

Parents everywhere are tired of being ignored. Despite speaking up at school board meetings, PTA meetings, and elsewhere, parents have made it clear they want choices and want the best education for their children. But what are parents to do? By giving parents part of their tax dollars back to pay for education expenses like […]