Democratic View On Top State Senate Issues - April 16, 2024

Tuesday, April 16, 2024
Brandon Puttbrese

TN Journal: Voucher scam reportedly dead for the year

Gov. Bill Lee’s signature legislation SB 0503 – a universal private school voucher scam – has reportedly died over disagreements between House and Senate Republicans.
The bill had been stalled in committee for weeks as elected school boards and county commissions from across the state passed resolutions urging their senators and representatives to oppose the new, expensive entitlement for private schools.
In addition to the enormous new cost to taxpayers, the poor performance of students in Tennessee’s current voucher program might have given lawmakers heartburn, too.

Lee’s own education chief even said student test scores from Tennessee’s existing voucher program “aren’t anything to write home about.”
Additionally, the House GOP sponsor of the scam said there are only 3,000-4,000 open seats at private schools currently, meaning the majority of the 20,000 vouchers would go to families already enrolled in private school.
With the voucher scam off the table, the Senate is poised to pass its version of the state budget.

$52.8B state budget, with $1.9 billion corporate handout, gets first committee vote

1:30 p.m. Senate Finance — The biggest new expenditure in the $52.8 billion state budget won’t be for working families, students or roads and bridges – not even a voucher scam.
The centerpiece of Gov. Bill Lee’s state budget is a $1.6 billion cash handout and $4 billion tax break ($400M annually) for 100,000 property-rich corporations over the next decade.

As of last week, the Senate and House had not reconciled their differences. The House wants a $700 million cash handout and public disclosure for the companies that make a claim.
Gov. Bill Lee – a wealthy business owner – says he included this massive corporate tax break in his budget to ward off potential legal challenges, but there is no lawsuit currently. Just a strongly worded letter.
Without the voucher scam, it largely looks like a status quo budget that once again fails to meet the moment of need facing most Tennessee families, who are coping with nation-leading price gouging, underfunded public schools and inaccessible health care.
Some other notable expenditures in the Senate Amendment:

$110 million handout for public and private hospitals;
$3 million for anti-abortion propaganda centers,
$7.2 million for food banks to compensate for the Lee administration, which failed to apply for federal food bank grant money.

In the “Administration Amendment”:

$150 million to account for sagging franchise & excise tax collections this year;
$6.4 million for “Military-Border Deployment”;
$130 million more for the $2 billion “rainy day” reserve

Announced in February:

$81 million for rural health initiatives, which is basically an insult when the state could choose to spend a similar amount to expand Medicaid and bring in $1.4 billion of federal funding to provide health coverage to every rural, low-income workers who does not get insurance through their employer.

10 a.m. CT Finance, Ways & Means

Bills Before the Budget

1. SB 2690 *Southerland (HB 2793 by *Faison, Carr)

Taxes, Sales- As introduced, extends the deadline by which a distressed rural county must apply to be eligible to retain the sales and use tax generated from a commercial development district from December 31, 2024, to December 31, 2030.

2. SB 2703 *Southerland (HB 2158 by *Davis, Cepicky)

Local Education Agencies- Encourages each local education agency (LEA) to use the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) funds to employ or contract for at least one school nurse for every 750 student members of the LEA. If an LEA does not employ or contract for the number of school nurses recommended for the 2024-25 school year, or for a subsequent school year, then the LEA's director of schools is required to submit a report to the Department of Education (DOE) by May 1 of the respective school year that includes certain school nurse information and an explanation for the decision.

3. SB 1055 *Rose (HB 0587 by *Gant, Doggett, Moody, Davis, Carringer, Sherrell, Gillespie, Howell, Hulsey, Lamberth, Russell)

DUI Offenses- As introduced, lowers the threshold for enhancing the minimum sentence of a person convicted of driving under the influence of an intoxicant, from a blood alcohol concentration of 0.20 percent or more to a blood alcohol concentration of 0.15 percent or more. - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 13; Title 55, Chapter 10, Part 4 and Title 69, Chapter 9, Part 2.

4. SB 1972 *Rose (HB 2692 by *Doggett, Hardaway, Towns, Lamberth, Moody, Russell, Gillespie, Davis, Howell, Hulsey, Johnson G, Farmer, Carringer, Fritts)

Domestic Violence- As introduced, requires the court to order an offender to wear a global positioning monitoring system device under certain circumstances unless the court finds the offender no longer poses a threat to the alleged victim or public safety; specifies that a cellular device application or electronic receptor device provided to the victim must be capable of notifying the victim if the offender is within a prescribed proximity of the victim's cellular device or electronic receptor device; requires a county or municipality utilizing global positioning monitoring system devices to enter into a written agreement with a qualified contract service provider; removes civil and criminal liability under certain circumstances.

5. SB 2112 *Niceley, Campbell, Crowe (HB 2244 by *Farmer)

Local Government, General- Allows a mixed-use development including a sports facility to be added to the tourism development zone located in Sevierville. It must be adopted by a 2/3s vote of the local government. It permits a privilege tax up to 5% of sales within the mixed-use development and allows more than one rate to be charged within the qualified public use facility.

6. SB 2770 *Bowling (HB 1872 by *Fritts, Barrett, Keisling, Todd, White, Russell, Hurt, Capley, Butler, Warner, Lamberth, Stevens)

Criminal Offenses- As introduced, authorizes the enhancement of criminal penalties up to life in prison without parole upon conviction of violent crimes by illegal aliens; conviction of possession of a firearm or deadly weapon by an illegal alien; or conviction of a violent crime on the property of a school by any person.

Anti-immigrant

7. SB 2968 *Campbell

Davidson County - Subject to local approval, creates the East Bank Development Authority for the metropolitan government of Nashville and Davidson County.

8. SB 2877 *Kyle (HB 2961 by *Hardaway)

Evidence- As introduced, directs the Tennessee advisory committee on intergovernmental relations (TACIR), with the assistance of the Tennessee bureau of investigation, the district attorneys general conference, and the department of safety, to study the feasibility of a Shelby County crime lab and the impact of such a crime lab on public health, safety, education, housing, and the economy for citizens and visitors of Shelby County, the city of Memphis, this state, and the Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi tri-state region; requires TACIR to submit a report of the study findings to the general assembly by January 14, 2025. - Amends TCA Title 4; Title 8 and Title 38.

9. SB 2427 *Jackson (HB 2607 by *Carringer)

Alcoholic Beverages- As introduced, authorizes retail package store licensees and beer permittees to sell hemp-based products; prohibits retail package store licensees from charging certain fees. - Amends TCA Title 57, Chapter 3 and Title 57, Chapter 5.

10. SB 2801 *Massey (HB 2921 by *Sexton)

TennCare- As introduced, requires all TennCare health benefit plans to provide coverage and reimbursement for mental health services and treatment to the same extent that the plans provide coverage and reimbursement for the treatment of alcoholism and drug dependence.

11. SB 0503 *Johnson, Lundberg (HB 1183 by *Lamberth, White, Cepicky, Moody, Slater, Garrett)

Education- Gov. Bill Lee’s Private School Voucher Scam

12. HJR 1055 *Whitson

Memorials, Recognition - Child Abuse Awareness Month, April 2024 -

13. SB 2238 *Yarbro (HB 2467 by *Stevens)

Taxes, Real Property- As introduced, authorizes a county to create a program by which an owner of real property in the county may apply for a classification of the property as zoning-exempt property, which values the property based on the zoning classification that existed at the time the owner came into possession of the property and its current use. - Amends TCA Title 67, Chapter 5.