NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — It's impossible to look into the future, but a Governor's budget book, especially one this thick, gives us a great glimpse into what Gov. Bill Lee hopes to accomplish.
In all, the budget calls for more than $58 billion in programs and policies that will all have to be approved by the Tennessee General Assembly. Here are a few of the highlights:
Education
Public school education, under the TISA formula for the state, would see a $244 million increase compared to last year. That includes the planned pay raises for teachers. That number doesn't include the new Education Freedom Scholarships, or vouchers, passed in the January Special Session that will allow up to 20,000 students to receive scholarships for private school tuition.
As a provision of the voucher bill, public school teachers will also get a one-time $2,000 bonus.
Trade School Scholarships
For students pursuing a trade skill, Gov. Lee wants to allocate $12 million for a new comprehensive scholarship so students can go to a Tennessee College of Applied Technology for free. The scholarship will also cover any equipment, tools, and materials a student may need to attend. But funding for that comes from the Tennessee Lottery, which also supports the Hope Lottery Scholarship for in-state university students.
Sen. Bo Watson, who serves as the influential Senate Finance Chairman, gave a word of warning about that funding mechanism Tuesday. "There are a lot of straws that are in the cup of the lottery," said Sen. Watson, R-Hixon. "You need to be prepared to have a really in-depth conversation about the utilization of lottery dollars."
Public Safety
The Lee Administration wants a new headquarters and emergency operations center for TEMA, the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency. The budget also calls for 22 new staffers at the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, along with more than 100 new Tennessee Highway Patrol officers.
"We now have over 1,000 troopers on the road and responding to emergencies to keep our communities safe," said Commissioner Bryson during a budget proposal in the Senate Finance Committee.
Roads and infrastructure
Those roads the new troopers will be patrolling need refurbishing. Some state estimates say $38 billion is needed for interstate and highway updates. Only a fraction made up the proposed budget. "We propose another $1 billion investment in our state road fund," said Bryson.
Tennessee does not finance money for road construction, so all funding must be allocated. To help with those numbers, Bryson advocated for a bill this session that would allocate all revenue from tire sales taxes to go straight into the highway fund instead of the general fund. This would add $80 million each year to the highway fund.
Farmland preservation
A lot of Tennessee's growth is coming at the expense of family farms. "Our farmland is disappearing at an alarming rate," said Bryson, citing that Tennessee loses an average of seven acres per hour to development.
The Governor wants to try his $25 million Farmland Conservation Fund again this year. It was stymied in the committee process at the last legislative session. "After all, agriculture is our number one industry and at the very top of our state seal," said Bryson.
Duck River Conservation
There's also a push to preserve the health of the Duck River. "Take some of the pressure off the Duck River so it will maintain its beauty and its habitat," said Bryson.
The administration is pitching $100 million towards an alternate water source for those communities that rely on the river for their water source. Currently, environmentalists have been concernedabout the rate at which water has been pulled out of the scenic river, which has caused aquatic life to die off. Bryson indicated the $100 million would be seed money for a pipeline that would probably come from the Tennessee or Cumberland River to bring drinking water into Southern Middle Tennessee.
Not specifically included in the Governor's budget
Given Tennessee State University's dire financial crisis, many expected the Governor's office to include a line item for funding to shore up the HBCU's struggling revenue. Commissioner Bryson told NewsChannel 5 they remain committed to helping TSU but refrained from putting a specific amount in the proposed budget because they're still working to determine what that amount should be. Lawmakers will have to debate how much money they allocate for TSU as the legislative session continues.
A grocery sales tax repeal was also not included in the Governor's proposed budget. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have toyed with the idea. The legislature could decide to include that provision in the final budget.
Also, new school protection measures were not included in this proposed budget.
Passing the budget is usually one of the final pieces of legislation each year.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at Chris.Davis@NewsChannel5.com.
It takes a village! Hats off to the Wilson County Rotary clubs for investing in our kids in such a tangible way. Putting 100,000 books in the hands of little learners is something to celebrate. I love that they store the books in a bank vault — they truly are priceless!
-Carrie Sharp
