House Majority Leader Gerald McCormick released the following statement to clarify previous remarks regarding transportation infrastructure funding:
"I would like to take the opportunity to clarify my comments made to the Hamilton County Pachyderm Club yesterday regarding Tennessee’s transportation infrastructure. In no way am I advocating for our state to take on debt to fund construction on our roads and bridges. I was simply stating that option might need to be part of a larger conversation to address the problems that we are encountering with the shortfall in funds for transportation projects that impacts all Tennesseans.
That being said, I firmly believe that a tax increase should be the absolute last resort and is by no means a foregone conclusion.”