As I head back to Nashville this week to begin the second half of my first term in the 111th Tennessee General Assembly, I want to publicly say what a great honor it has been to serve you in the 30th District. Thank you for the privilege and the support you’ve shown me.
Tennessee is experiencing tremendous success and prosperity under Republican leadership. I’ll be working hard in 2020 to build on these recent accomplishments. Passage of a conservative balanced budget that keeps taxes low, improves education, increases job growth, expands access to quality health care, and enhances public safety will be our main priorities this year.
While Tennessee is a model of good governance and national leader in several important areas, there is always more work to be done. New challenges arise each day.
Education will once again be front and center this session. I believe that providing our children with a high-quality educational experience is our most important obligation. That is why my Republican colleagues and I made an $11.3 billion total investment in education as part of our current state budget. This includes $6.6 billion in K-12 funding. As a result of these strategic investments, Tennessee students have been among the fastest improving in the nation across math, reading and science for the past decade.
This year I co-sponsored legislation that modernized the Volunteer Public Education Trust Fund Act. The original act, passed in 1985, created two education endowment funds: The State of Tennessee Volunteer Public Education Trust for supplemental funding of K-12 education and The Tennessee Chairs of Excellence Trust for higher education. The new law expands who may contribute to include partnerships, firms, ventures, organizations, government entities, and political subdivisions.
We must ensure every student has the same resources and opportunities so current and future workforces can thrive.
We’ll also continue efforts to overhaul our current system of justice so it meets present day standards, not those of 30 years ago. My colleagues and I share a belief with our governor that we need a system of justice that is tough on crime by holding the worst of the worst accountable. We also want to be smart on crime by supporting those who desire to atone and move beyond previous mistakes to live successful, productive lives.
I’ll be introducing the Bethany Schklar Act, named in honor of a beloved Hamilton County teacher who lost her life in a tragic car accident last year. Currently, if someone crashes a vehicle while using a wireless device or is speeding more than 15 miles over the speed limit and kills another person, the offender might only receive a speeding ticket. This bill raises the level of these offenses to vehicular homicide. Additionally, this bill gives the families of these kinds of victims the right to give an impact statement in court.
We’ll continue efforts to create a patient-centered health care system that improves access and the quality of care, while lowering overall costs. We began this process last year by implementing components of the Republican-led CARE Plan. We’ll look to increase access through tele-medicine and focus on promoting competition through Certificate of Need reform. This will ensure individuals and families can make all medical decisions rather than insurance companies or the government.
Finally, as a working mother I know how difficult it can be to have to choose work over family at times. Govornor Bill Lee earlier this month issued an executive order that provides paid family and medical leave for up to 12 weeks to state executive branch employees. This new policy confirms our state government’s position as a pro-family employer while also effectively serving taxpayers by reducing turnover rates and long-term state health care costs. I’m thrilled to be working with our governor in support of working families by making it easier to fulfill caregiving obligations. I’ll be carrying legislation in the House that expands this benefit for more state employees.
These are exciting times in our state. Working together, we’ll continue building an environment of high expectations that improves the lives of all Tennesseans. Our state remains the nation’s greatest place to live, work and raise a family.
Rep. Esther Helton