Governor of Tennessee, Bill Lee, gave his state of the state address. He covered several topics that he wants to focus on in the year of 2022, including crime, education, infrastructure, and healthcare.
Crime
One of Governor Lee’s main focuses this year is doing what’s necessary to keep the citizens of Tennessee safe. To do this, he is doing things such as giving enough money to the state’s budget to add 100 new highway patrol troopers and 50 new members to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. He is also promising safer neighborhoods with $150 million being given to law enforcement agencies through their violent crime intervention grant fund. Furthermore, he proposed more than $350 million to go to a new law enforcement training academy.
Governor Lee has also directed his Department of Safety and Homeland Security to create a plan so that every church and place of worship can receive high-quality safety training. This comes after the hostage situation that took place in Colleyville, Texas. Finally, he highlighted the importance of giving people who have served their time in prison a pathway back into society through things like providing them with photo ID, as well as expanding their educational and job opportunities.
Education
Governor Lee has his eyes set on upgrading several different areas of the state’s education structures, especially when it comes to the way that they are funded. He has promised an approach starting from here on that will set aside dollars for every student, and to put those dollars into the public schools where they are located. He also wants to bring particular attention to the needs of certain groups of students: such as students with disabilities, rural or low income students, and more. As part of this effort, he proposed a recurring $1 billion for education spending, which would go to the public schools throughout the state. Beyond all of this, he is proposing one-time spending to make sure that no school in the state is located in a flood zone.
Lee is also proposing a law to allow parents to get a more in-depth look at the materials being provided and used in the classrooms and libraries. Part of this law will allow parents to ensure that all materials are age appropriate for their children. Lee is also promising to increase their investment into the Future Workforce Initiative by $2.5 million and is proposing new legislation that would make computer science and coding available to every high school student in the state. He also wants to raise teacher pay this year by a total of $125 million.
When it comes to higher education, Lee is guaranteeing $200 million towards TCAT expansion, which he hopes will allow any student that wants to further their education to enroll in a TCAT successfully. He also promised $90 million in funding to ensure that there is no increase in the cost of tuition at public universities. He also hopes to make an investment of $250 million to improve the physical infrastructure at Tennessee State University. Another $6 million was put in his budget proposal to establish The Institute of American Civics at the University of Tennessee. Finally, Lee announced an investment of $70 million to complete the Oak Ridge Innovation Institute, which will focus on things like technology and data science.
Infrastructure
Lee began his discussion about infrastructure by praising the state’s use of nuclear energy, saying that it is a clean and safe way to keep the grid running, even if the weather is poor. He also hopes to create a long-term strategy for the Clinch River site to make it an energy powerhouse.
He also touched on other areas of physical infrastructure. He proposed $100 million to help accelerate the Improve Act, hoping to put the finishing touches on some major infrastructure projects sooner rather than later. He also proposed $170 million towards interchange improvements, which he hopes would boost the economy in many rural areas throughout the state. He also wants $250 million to go towards road infrastructure in areas of the state where population is rapidly increasing.
Healthcare
Governor Lee put an emphasis on the importance of family in Tennessee, and proposed several programs to help support families throughout the state. Firstly, he is proposing funding for relative caregiver placements, which he hopes would allow extended families to keep their loved ones close to them. He also wants to build a program which would give foster families childcare support, regardless of their DHS eligibility.
Lee is also hoping to increase the healthcare workforce throughout the state. This includes a guarantee of $18 million which would go towards hiring 150 new primary care residents in rural regions of the state. He is also promising an additional $55 million for the Medicaid Pathways to Independence program. Lee also promised an increase in dental care opportunities, with $25 million for Tenncare in that area and stated that they are working on a multi-year commitment to make dental care opportunities even more accessible. Finally, the Governor announced an increase in funding towards support for addiction recovery, which would include more mobile mobile units and improved walk-in care.
Tennessee citizens will be voting for their next governor in 2022, and Bill Lee is running for a second term in office. Tennesseans will be able to attend the primaries on August 4.
