photo by Gail Perry
In the first 150 days of his term as governor of Tennessee, Bill Lee told the Chattanooga Rotary Club on Thursday, he feels that important work has been done for the people of the state. His goal has been to improve the lives of Tennesseans and to make sure the state is managed fiscally responsibly. He said he is proud of the budget that was created with cooperation of the House and Senate which includes $40 million in cuts. There are also three tax cuts for small businesses.
It is wise spending to put money into people’s hands because that stimulates the economy, he said. The largest amount ever invested in the state’s rainy-day fund, $1.1 billion, has been made this year for when times are not so good.
And he told reporters afterward that he favors Chattanooga Volkswagen remaining non-union.
He told NewsChannel 9, "The reality is that it is more difficult to attract companies into states that have a high level of organized union activity. And for that reason I think that Volkswagen remaining a merit shop facility is beneficial to the economy of Tennessee."
U.S. News and World Report has named Tennessee the number one state for fiscal stability. He said that former Governor Bill Haslam laid the foundation and that the state has a long history of fiscal responsibility. He said that he just stepped into it. Economic growth in the state has added 5,000 new jobs with some major investments having been made this year from large companies that include FedEx and LG.
Having good schools for all kids is a priority because education will transform the future of Tennessee, said Governor Lee. This includes technical and vocational education, he said. There are now 100 STEM schools in the state with a goal to double that by 2022. He said it will be important to invest in STEM education to provide workers for technical companies.
The Basic Education Program (BEP) has been continued, which is the formula for how money is generated and distributed to schools. He said an innovative program in place is the creation of the Education Savings Accounts bill that will provide the opportunity for children in the lowest performing districts in Shelby and Davidson Counties to attend private schools. Charter schools will also be strengthened. The way that they are authorized will facilitate ways to open new, good charter schools and close bad ones, it was said. He said that he was encouraged that Bill Gates and his foundation has chosen Tennessee as one of five states to help with education.
The bottom line is to lower the crime rate in Tennessee, he said. One way is to improve the lives of those who are re-entering society from prison. The creation of a criminal justice task force will provide a way to be tough and smart on crime and will help lower the crime rate for neighborhoods once people are released from jail. Stronger penalties for drug offences is another way to combat crime, as well as providing education to those who are incarcerated. A rate of 40 percent less crime has been shown when those individuals are released, he said.
“I don’t believe government is the greatest answer,” said the governor. Non-profits and faith-based initiatives have the biggest impact when working along with the government., he said. His wife Maria Lee, has recently announced Tennessee Serves, for calling Tennesseans to be volunteers to serve in any way that they can.
In response to a question regarding fighting human trafficking, he said that the state has laws in place to prevent and deter it. But he said the non-profit and faith-based organizations really know what is going on about this issue. He believes that connecting state resources to the non-profits is the best way to deal with human trafficking as well as other social challenges.
So many good things are going on in the urban areas of the state, said the governor, but rural Tennessee is important to everyone of us. He said that his first executive order laid out a pathway for development and success in distressed rural areas of the state. These areas will be better served with economic and educational opportunities and healthcare.
Legislation was passed last year on the distribution of opioids and the state continues to look at other ways to limit distribution. But limiting opioids has led to expanding illegal use. Now there is an effort to decrease drug trafficking. The greatest challenge, he said, is the threat that comes with addiction which is considered a mental health disease. To address that, money is being used to expand a mental health safety net.
Chattanooga is more advanced in fostering start-up companies than other cities in Tennessee, he told the Rotary Club. The state needs to create a business-friendly environment to attract people in that type of world. He is interested to know why a start-up has located where it is and how to attract others to come, as well as what to do to make the company want to stay. He also believes that investment needs to be made in a workforce that is associated with technology-based companies, such as the STEM schools.
Responding to a question about unions at the Volkswagen Plant, he said one of the governor’s primary responsibilities is economic development and attracting jobs. He said it is more difficult to attract companies in a state with more organized labor because it makes is less attractive.
When asked what the state is doing to deal with climate change, he answered that he knows the importance of being a good steward by protecting the land and clean air and water. He said just last week he participated in a meeting to determine a way to evaluate environmental policies in the state, but that discussion has just started.