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Tennessee senate update
State Senator Steve Southerland, Republican of Morristown says the Tennessee Senate passed several key bills this week, including the $37.5 billion state budget, as the 2018 session of the Tennessee General Assembly draws to a close. The balanced budget addresses opioid abuse, school safety, teacher funding, rural economic development and job growth, while allocating additional funds for the care of Tennessee's most vulnerable citizens. The bill focuses on employment, education, economic opportunity and enforcement of the law. Senator Southerland points out that Tennessee has the lowest taxes in the country as a percentage of personal income. The bill provides $136 million in additional funding for TennCare,including $7.3 million for the state's CHOICES program, which serves developmentally and intellectually disabled Tennesseans. Improving healthcare services is also the impetus behind a pilot program funded in the budget to help struggling rural hospitals develop economic plans to ensure they are financially viable and continue to provide needed services. The budget continues Tennessee's commitment to education by providing an additional $247 million to fund K-12 education in Tennessee, including $105 million for teachers. There also is $119 million in additional funding for higher education. The budget adds $133 million to aid job growth, and includes $2.4 million for law enforcement to fight Tennessee's opioid epidemic. The act provides a total of $16.5 million to address opioid addiction which includes money for prevention, research, treatment and recovery. Final approval was given this week to legislation designed to safeguard the identities of Tennessee veterans by cracking down on instances of theft and fraud involving those who attempt to imitate them. The full Senate passed legislation requiring acute care hospitals to report involuntary commitments in their psychiatric units to law enforcement so that they can be a part of the record used in the verification process for the purchase of firearms. One of the disqualifying conditions for purchasing a firearm is whether or not an individual has ever been involuntarily committed.
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Return to Today's News Stories - Front PageThursday, April 29, 2021
US 411 Project News
Mill Creek Wildfire Update
More Bad News For Smokies' Fans
Wednesday, April 28, 2021
Mill Creek Wildfire doubles in size
Goodbye Smokies?
Keep Cocke County Beautiful
Cocke Co. High School Remote Learning today!
Tuesday, April 27, 2021
The fireflies are coming!
Burnout Operations on MillCreek wildfire today
Gas prices drop
Tennessee keeps all US House seats
Monday, April 26, 2021
Boat accident victim ID'd
Traffic stop yields drug arrest
Cocke County Wildfires
Friday, April 23, 2021
Leaving WNPC
Mathis announces candidacy
Newport drug roundup
Cruise Against Cancer
Jobless numbers
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