Top Senate Stories: No-Bid Contracts And Corporate Gifts

  • Wednesday, November 13, 2024
  • Brandon Puttbrese, Senate Democratic Caucus Press Secretary

Fiscal Review: 27 no-bid contract requests, including major TennCare extensions

  • The Fiscal Review panel will hear 27 requests from state agencies who are looking for approval to enter into a contract without a competitive bidding process or to extend a contract without restarting the bidding process.
  • Here’s a summary of all the contracts and contract extensions.

TN Budget Hearings: TN ranks 45th in the U.S. for student funding

  • The heads of 23 state government agencies have presented requests for funding increases to Gov. Bill Lee at public budget hearings. The governor will hear the final three requests today.  
  • So far departments have submitted cost-increase requests totaling over $3.1 billion from state funds. 
  • State universities collectively requested $1.6 billion for building construction and maintenance. TennCare, Transportation, Correction and Children’s Services have the largest departmental requests.
  • Unfortunately, most of these requests will be rejected because there isn’t enough new revenue to fund it all. Economists last week presented four estimates for growth in state tax collections and even the most optimistic revenue projections fall short by billions.

·         Tennessee ranks for 45th in the nation for per pupil student funding [NEA 2024]

·         Public schools are facing a fiscal cliff. With emergency federal aid now expired, education officials are working with a lot less funding for students. 

·         Has Lizzette Reynolds, a professional lobbyist, finally earned a teaching license, as required by law to be the state commissioner of education? 

UPDATE: Gov. Bill Lee’s corporate tax handouts reach 41,400 CEOs

  • State revenue officials have sent $865 million to 41,400 corporations as part of Gov. Bill Lee’s $1.6 billion tax giveaway enacted last spring.
  • The department graciously sent 77,182 reminder letters last month. 
  • I’ll remind you of this: The Republican Party has blocked tax cuts for working families, like repealing the grocery tax, while they loot the treasury for big corporations. And the majority of funds from Gov. Lee’s latest corporate handout will go out of state. 

 

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