UC Roads, TennCare Among Concerns In State Hearings
State legislators and Governor Bill Lee heard from state departments about their priorities for the upcoming budget during budget hearings Tuesday. State Representative Ryan Williams said the budget hearings help lay the groundwork for a budget. Williams said budget hearings are held after the state learns what revenues it has to work with for the […]
House Speaker Sexton Says Next State Budget Will Increase By Two Percent
House Speaker Cameron Sexton said he anticipates a two percent increase in the state’s budget next fiscal year. Sexton updated regional leaders about the latest legislative efforts at the UCHRA Board of Directors Annual Meeting Wednesday. “The budget it is very good this year,” Sexton said. “The numbers are still up. You will still see […]
State Funds Tourism Initiative To Tell History Of Wilder
The unincorporated town of Wilder in Fentress County will receive $500,000 though Governor Bill Lee’s newest budget. State Representative John Mark Windle said the money will be used to develop tourism attractions in the once populated coal mining community. “I’ve heard estimates as high as 7,000, but certainly, there were close to 5,000 residents in […]
Sexton: State Budget Includes Tax Relief For All Tennesseans
House Speaker Cameron Sexton said he believes the Senate and House has passed a good budget with over $300 million in tax relief. Sexton said that includes $80 million for a sales tax holiday on groceries for all of August, as well as, $121 million to waive vehicle tag renewal costs over the next year. […]
Tech’s Cybersecurity Program And University Employees Benefit From New State Budget
Tennessee Tech President Phil Oldham said Governor Bill Lee’s state budget passed last week is good news for the university. $500,000 were allocated to Tech’s Cybersecurity Education and Research Center. Oldham said that funding will be used for outreach and educational activities for students in the program. “They specialize in helping students prepare for the […]
State Funding Secured For Tech’s New Engineering Building
Tennessee Tech has been approved for the state funding needed to break ground on its new engineering building. Construction funding for the project was delayed last year due to COVID-related budget concerns. But, Governor Bill Lee’s recently passed budget has the needed funds. President Phil Oldham said just under $50 million has been allocated for […]
Funding For Infrastructure And Roads Included In Approved State Budget
Upgrades to roads and more infrastructure for counties are some of the Upper Cumberland benefits of the state’s new budget. That is according to State Representative Ryan Williams. Governor Bill Lee’s $42.6 billion budget passed Thursday. “Our state was one of seven states to show positive economic growth through the midst of COVID, which is […]
Budget Constraints To Decrease State Relief For Property Tax
COVID will likely decrease the some $4.5 million of proposed state funding for counties that lost property tax revenues from the March tornado outbreak. Representative Ryan Williams along with other state officials are working on a budget request for the relief. But, Williams said budget constraints have caused some uncertainty. “In regards to all the […]
General Assembly Nearing End Of Legislation Session
The end of the Tennessee General Assembly session is in sight. House Speaker Cameron Sexton said legislative work could finish as soon as the first week of May. “We are still working some on the budget, so hopefully, we’ll have the budget passed the last week of April hopefully,” Sexton said. “That is probably the […]
