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Lawmakers wrap up eventful session
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NASHVILLE (AP) — State lawmakers concluded a session Thursday in which they approved measures to allow folks to buy wine in grocery stores, fight meth production, and give high school graduates free tuition at community colleges.But the 108th Tennessee General Assembly rejected a key educational proposal to create a program that gives parents the option to move a child from a failing public school to a private school using state funds. It also eliminated planned raises for teachers and state employees, which ended up being one of the most contentious issues toward the end of the session.Gov. Bill Haslam had planned to give a 1 percent pay increase to state employees and 2 percent to teachers, but later said he wouldn’t be able to because of poor revenue collections.Both Democrats and Republicans in the House presented proposals to give teachers and state employees one-time bonuses and contingency pay increases, but all those amendments failed.Haslam said during a press conference after the session that he's still committed to trying to find ways to make the pay hikes happen, particularly in the case of teachers.“Going forward, is it a priority for me?