Capley: TN Senate allocates budget for public safety, healthcare, education
The 113th General Assembly concluded its business for the 2024 legislative session and adjourned sine die.
The 2024 session successfully carried into law a slate of conservative policies that prioritized public safety, economic development, rural health care, education, and conservation.
The session was highlighted by the supermajority’s continuous efforts to keep taxes low and remain fiscally responsible while prioritizing Tennesseans' needs. Lawmakers were well prepared to face new budgeting challenges this session with lower state revenue collections, passing a $52.8 billion zero-debt balanced budget which is $10 billion less than last year’s budget. More than a decade of consistent conservative budgeting during times of record-high revenue growth enabled lawmakers to make strategic investments and keep recurring expenses low.
This year’s budget deposits $100 million in the state’s Rainy-Day fund, bringing the total to more than $2 billion.
Law and Order - The General Assembly passed legislation that continues Tennessee’s efforts to improve public safety and provides proactive measures to combat illegal immigration. Tennessee is a law-and-order state that values and appreciates its law enforcement and first responders. These investments include:
$17 million for 60 new Tennessee State Trooper positions
$15 million for grant pools for volunteer firefighters, rescue squads, and EMS
$6.4 million for military border deployment of Tennessee National Guard
$4.4 million to implement blended sentencing to address juvenile crime
$3.3 million for mental health evaluations / treatment for certain misdemeanor defendants
$1.5 million to reduce recidivism of repeat misdemeanor offenders
$750,000 in security grants for houses of worship
$383,500 to collect data on illegal immigrants in Tennessee from law enforcement
13 new positions for the TBI
Criminalized abortion trafficking of minors (HB1895)
Duty to Warn Act (HB1625)
Strengthened deterrents to curb juvenile crime (HB2126)
Prioritized public safety when setting bond amounts (HB1642)
Increased protections for domestic violence victims (HB2692)
Increased support for victims of child sex trafficking (HB1906)
Enhanced penalties for threats of mass violence (HB2538)
Strengthened the punishment for bullying (HB2590)
Parental Accountability Act (HB1930)
Increased protections for law enforcement officers from assault (HB1881/Back the Blue Act)
Healthy Tennessee Families - Budget and legislative priorities include significant investments in rural and behavioral health care, with $303 million in new dollars directed to 17 programs. These funds will help to expand bed capacity, fund infrastructure projects for children’s hospitals and expand access to behavioral health inpatient care. These priorities are funded through shared savings from Tennessee’s successful TennCare waiver, which allows the state to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the TennCare program.
Economic Development - Tennessee delivered the strongest protections in the nation when it comes to managing the risks and potential of artificial intelligence. The ELVIS (Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security) Act puts in critical safeguards to protect the humanity and artistic expression of Tennessee innovators and creators from theft through AI-generated media.
$393 million to deliver tax cuts and provide $1.5 billion in nonrecurring funds to simplify franchise tax
$36 million to help distressed counties and rural communities with economic development initiatives for community asset improvements, marketing and downtown revitalization grants
Education - The budget adds $261 million in new recurring dollars for K-12 education, bringing the total base Tennessee Investment in Achievement (TISA) budget to $6.8 billion and the overall budget for public education to $8.55 billion. The new dollars will cover medical insurance premiums, retirement for teachers, and funding for teacher raises to bring the annual starting base salary up to $50,000 by 2026.
$30 million for summer learning programs
$3.2 million for AP courses to students across rural and urban Tennessee
$2.5 million to strengthen students’ reading and phonics skills
Protected students from political indoctrination in the classroom (HB1605)
Ensuring AI regulations in education (HB1630)
Allow college students to protect themselves on campus (HB1909)
Improved school safety by allowing school faculty and staff to participate in voluntary training programs for crisis management
Conservation
$59 million for Tennessee State Parks capital projects
$51 million to the Heritage Preservation Fund to preserve land across this state
$20 million to expand blueways trail access with new recreational access points
$10 million to improve water quality at rivers, lakes and streams across the state
$10 million to expedite the Bill Dance Signature Lakes initiative
$5 million to protect and enhance scenic beauty along our major highways
$3 million to make state parks more accessible to Tennesseans with disabilities
Death penalty option for child rapists heads to governor’s desk - The General Assembly approved legislation allowing the state to seek the death penalty as an option for those convicted of raping a child under the age of 12.
In order to be eligible for the death penalty, biological evidence must be presented during a trial linking the defendant to the crime, and serious bodily injury must have been caused to the victim.
House Bill 1663 builds on the General Assembly’s efforts in recent years to improve public safety, reduce recidivism rates, and hold criminals accountable through smart-on-crime justice reforms. The General Assembly in 2022 passed truth in sentencing laws that increased penalties for the most violent of crimes and now requires offenders to serve 85-100 percent of their sentences.
House Bill 1663 will now head to Gov. Bill Lee’s desk to be signed into law. It will take effect July 1.
Debbie and Marie Domestic Violence Protection Act approved - The General Assembly passed landmark legislation significantly increasing protections for domestic violence victims in Tennessee.
The Debbie and Marie Domestic Violence Protection Act requires aggravated assault suspects in certain domestic violence cases to wear a GPS monitoring system if they are released on bond. A GPS service provider must notify a victim’s cell phone if their alleged attacker is within a certain proximity of their location. The company must also notify local law enforcement if a defendant violates the terms of their bond conditions.
The legislation is named in honor of Debbie Sisco and her daughter Marie Varsos. Both women were killed in 2021 by Varsos’ estranged husband who was out on bond after being arrested for strangling his wife and threatening to shoot her a month earlier. Statewide, there were 61,713 domestic violence cases reported in 2022, according to the most recent data from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. Of those victims, 71 percent were female. The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence estimates that nearly 40 percent of women in Tennessee will experience some form of domestic violence in their lifetime.
House Bill 2692 will now head to Gov. Bill Lee’s desk to be signed into law. It will take effect July 1.
Bill allowing additional school safety measures approved - The General Assembly approved legislation giving school districts additional options to protect students and teachers in Tennessee.
House Bill 1202 allows faculty or staff members in K-12 public schools statewide to carry a concealed handgun on campus if allowed by the local superintendent, principal and law enforcement agency. Rigorous training and other safety measures would also be required prior to any approval. Prior to carrying a concealed handgun on campus, a school faculty or staff member would also need to obtain an enhanced carry permit, undergo 40 hours of law enforcement training annually with hands-on experience, a mental health evaluation, background and fingerprint check.
Private schools and distressed counties in Tennessee already have the ability to allow school faculty and staff to carry a concealed weapon on campus, Williams noted. Similar laws also already exist in 33 other states nationwide.
The Republican-led General Assembly allocated $232 million in 2023 to enhance school safety, which included $140 million for an armed school resource officer (SRO) in every Tennessee public school. More than 550 schools statewide were without an SRO as of October, according to the Tennessee Department of Education. The passed legislation will now head to Gov. Bill Lee’s desk to be signed into law.
Back the Blue Act increases protections for police - The General Assembly passed legislation offering additional protections for police officers in Tennessee.
The Back The Blue Act enhances the penalty for assault against a law enforcement officer from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class E felony punishable by a mandatory minimum 60-day sentence and a $10,000 fine.
In Tennessee, assaulting a first responder, including nurses, firefighters and emergency services personnel, is a Class A misdemeanor punishable by 30 days in jail and a $5,000 fine. Assault includes knowingly causing bodily injury or knowingly causing offensive physical contact, including spitting, throwing or transferring bodily fluids, human pathogens or waste onto a first responder.
There were 1,603 simple assaults on law enforcement officers last year in Tennessee, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
House Bill 1881 will now head to Gov. Bill Lee’s desk to be signed into law.
It is an honor and privilege to be able to serve in the 71st District. If you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to call or email my office at rep.kip.capley@capitol.tn.gov or 615-741-2190.
Rep. Kip Capley, R-Summertown, provides a weekly update of House business in the 113th General Assembly.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Herald: Capley: TN Senate allocates budget for public safety, healthcare
