Rep. Jeremy Faison: Under Conservative Leadership, Tennessee Is A Better Place To Live, Work, And Raise A Family

Under Conservative Leadership, Tennessee Is A Better Place To Live, Work, And Raise A Family

– 365,500 net new private sector jobs created since 2011

– Passed tort reform, overhauled workers’ comp, and TODAY MORE TENNESSEANS HAVE A JOB THAN AT ANY POINT IN STATE HISTORY

Cut nearly three times as much in taxes as any other Administration and General Assembly in state history over the last 7 years:

o Phased out inheritance tax

o Eliminated gift tax

o Raised exemption level on Hall tax and scheduled complete phase out over next 4 years

o Reduced sales tax on food multiple times

o Cut property tax owed for veterans, disabled, and elderly

o Lowered franchise & excise tax to recruit new industry to Tennessee

Implemented a conservative fiscal strategy:

o Lowest debt per capita of any state

o Lowest overall taxes of any state

o No transportation debt

o Lowest interest rate in state’s recorded history

o More than doubled our savings account (Rainy Day Fund) since 2011 and the fund is now at its highest level in state history

– Overhauled teacher tenure, implemented high standards, expanded charter schools, and today TENNESSEE STUDENTS ARE THE FASTEST IMPROVING STUDENTS IN THE COUNTRY

– Top 10 in percentage increases for K-12 state education expenditures, outpacing the national average increase in teacher salaries, and investing more in education over the last 2 years than at any point in state history

– First state in the nation to offer all adults access to community college free of tuition and fees — and we’re doing that without raising taxes

– One of only 11 states that has a AAA bond rating

– Highway fatalities are down nearly 20% from their 50 year average from increased focus on preventing accidents and strengthening DUI laws and other driving penalties

– As a result of tougher laws, domestic violence offenses are down almost 15% since 2010

– Passed historic legislation to expand access to broadband across the state, helping rural Tennesseans gain access to internet services by promoting the free market and making targeting investments through grants and tax credits

– Largest increased investment to the Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services to help care for the state’s most vulnerable

Overall budget — Conservative $37 billion balanced budget that cuts taxes, puts $132 million in the state’s Rainy Day Fund, fully funds Tennessee’s educational system, and focuses in on job recruitment and infrastructure investments. For a second year in a row, and the second year in Tennessee recorded history, the proposed state budget does not take on any new debt.

Broadband Expansion — The Tennessee Broadband Accessibility Act passed this year which will expand broadband internet services across the state, especially to Tennessee’s rural areas that currently completely lack coverage.

Tennessee ranks 29th in the country for broadband access, with 13 percent of the state lacking accessibility to high speed internet. While only 2 percent of the state’s urban citizens lack access, 34 percent of rural residents are without coverage, placing them at a distinct disadvantage over their city counterparts.

The Tennessee Broadband Accessibility Act addresses broadband access and adoption through business investment and deregulation. Coupled with the state budget, the legislation makes targeted investments through grants and tax credits that focus on the state’s unserved areas. The legislation also permits the state’s private, nonprofit electric cooperatives to provide retail broadband service — something they have been completely unable to do in the past.

Reconnect Act — Another prominent portion of the 2017 legislative year included the Tennessee Reconnect Act – a plan that will offer all Tennessee adults without a degree access to community college tuition-free and at absolutely no cost to taxpayers.

With the passage of the Reconnect Act, Tennessee becomes the first state in the nation to offer all citizens – both high school students and adults – the chance to earn a post-secondary degree or certificate free of tuition and fees.

STRONG Act — As a counterpart measure to the Tennessee Reconnect Act, House Republicans also passed the Tennessee STRONG (Support, Training, and Renewing Opportunity for National Guardsmen) Act, establishing a four-year pilot program for eligible members of the Tennessee National Guard to receive a last-dollar tuition reimbursement toward a first-time bachelor’s degree.

The STRONG Act is part of a broader initiative by Republican lawmakers to help veterans, their families, and all those involved with protecting Tennessee and the United States on a daily basis.

IMPROVE Act — A large portion of the budget this year revolved around passage of the “Improving Manufacturing, Public Roads, and Opportunities for a Vibrant Economy” (IMPROVE) Act. The comprehensive infrastructure funding plan includes an increase in the state gas and diesel tax (.06 and .10 cents respectively) that is completely offset by tax cuts in other areas of government. Specifically, the IMPROVE Act includes a 20% reduction in the tax on food, cuts the Hall income tax, and decreases the franchise and excise tax on Tennessee companies aimed at helping recruit new industry to the state. Increased property tax relief for veterans and the elderly, an issue House Republicans have advocated in support of over the last several years, is also included in the plan.

The goal of the IMPROVE Act is to create a reliable source of funding that is capable of meeting the demands of new road construction across the state, as well as cutting down on the reported $10.1 billion backlog of road projects currently on Tennessee’s books.

Ocoee River — The state House unanimously approved legislation this year aimed at transforming outdoor sports tourism and economic development for America’s most popular whitewater venue – the Ocoee River in Southeast Tennessee.

The bill creates the Ocoee River Recreation and Economic Development Fund to support recreational water releases on the Ocoee River with management by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.

The bill is part of a comprehensive approach worked out with the Tennessee Valley Authority, the federal utility which controls the river and has a hydroelectric plant situated on it. Currently, under a 35-year deal that expires in 2019, TVA will stop diverting water resources into a flume during the spring, summer, and early fall so whitewater activities can take place.

Rafting companies’ customers currently pay a $1 fee to reimburse TVA for lost power revenues. But with the decades-old agreement ending, TVA officials said they needed additional funds.

That ultimately generated a discussion with local, state, and federal officials to find a workable solution. As part of that, legislators added an $11.8 million grant to the budget this year which will be used to reimburse TVA for 20 years into the future.

At the same time, the new entity will receive agreed upon fees from the rafting companies which employ some 600 workers on the river. Those monies will go to fund the increased state presence. A planned nonprofit group would be able to solicit additional funds from private foundations for other activities.

Infants Protection Act — House Bill 1189, also known as the Tennessee Infants Protection Act, prohibits abortions – except in medical emergency – after 24 weeks and requires testing to determine viability of an unborn child if a women is at least 20 weeks pregnant. It also holds physicians who perform late-term abortions accountable for their actions. Similar legislation has already passed in more than 20 other states.

School Bus Safety — House Bill 322 requires all school districts, including charter schools, to appoint a transportation supervisor to monitor and oversee student transportation. This supervisor must receive annual training developed from the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) and the Tennessee Department of Safety (TDS) and must also implement a school transportation policy adopted by the local board of education. Additionally, House Bill 322 requires all new bus drivers to complete a driver training program based on standards developed by the TDOE and the TDS prior to transporting any students.

Another key provision of the bill requires any school bus driver to be 25 years old and have five years of unrestricted driving privileges, areas that came into question after the Chattanooga school bus crash last year that killed six children where the driver, who was 24 at the time, had several previous traffic violations. A 2014 school bus crash in Knoxville — caused by distracted driving — also killed two children and a teacher’s aide.

Opioid Task Force — Earlier this year, House Speaker Beth Harwell (R-Nashville) created a task force on opioid and prescription drug abuse. The task force’s immediate goal was to work on legislation for the year, but its efforts will be ongoing to determine the best strategies for tackling the opioid epidemic. Tennessee is consistently ranked at the top of the charts nationally with regards to prescription drug abuse.

In 2015, 1,451 Tennesseans died from drug overdoses, the highest annual number in the state’s history. In addition, the number of babies born who have been chronically exposed to opioids is high, particularly in East Tennessee. The Tennessee Department of Health reports that from 2000 to 2012, the rate of babies born with exposure increased 15 fold.

The Centers for Disease Control estimates that prescription opioid abuse has a total economic burden of $78.5 billion per year in the United States. There is an estimated $7.7 billion criminal justice cost across the country.

Natural Meaning — The House approved legislation regarding the interpretation of words in Tennessee statutes which are not defined in the code. The legislation states “undefined words shall be given their natural and ordinary meaning, without forced or subtle construction that would limit or extend the meaning of the language, except when a contrary intention is clearly manifest.”