State Senator Paul Bailey said he is prioritizing legislation this session aimed at strengthening protections for first responders and addressing hunger across the Upper Cumberland.
Bailey said he is sponsoring a bill that would make assaulting any first responder a Class E felony. Under current law, he said, the charge only rises to a Class E felony when the victim is a law enforcement officer.
“What we are seeing is more and more of our first responders being attacked and assaulted, and so this year we are carrying legislation that will enhance that penalty to make all first responders have the same penalty,” Bailey said.
Bailey said he is hopeful to get a bill passed that would require the state to accept SNAP benefits funds from the federal government for summer programs. Bailey said Governor Bill Lee has not accepted those funds in the past.
“A lot of our rural counties really depend on those benefits to be able to feed a lot of the children, especially those that are not in school during the summer break, but yet they need some food assistance,” Bailey said.
Bailey said a third bill he is working on would add bonus depreciation for businesses that buy equipment. Bailey said the bill would help many manufacturing facilities.
“The Trump administration and Congress passing the big beautiful bill, they went back to 100 percent depreciation for bonus depreciation on any kind of equipment purchase,” Bailey said. “Tennessee is currently at 40 percent. And so we need to pass that legislation in Tennessee to give all of our Tennessee businesses the same benefit on the state level as on the federal level.”
Bailey said in the state’s constitution, the state has the ability to levy a state property tax. Bailey said legislators plan to pass legislation to remove that clause. Bailey said he is hopeful that all three bills will pass during this year’s session.
