Tennessee Governor Bill Lee passes $56.2 billion budget with landmark Transportation Modernization Act and significant investments in tax relief, education, and conservation.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has successfully passed his $56.2 billion budget and full legislative agenda as outlined during his State of the State address in February. Lee’s agenda included the landmark Transportation Modernization Act, which will invest $3.3 billion to accommodate Tennessee’s record growth, address traffic congestion, and meet transportation needs across rural and urban communities without raising taxes or taking on debt. Lee’s legislative priorities also included significant investments in tax relief, K-12 education, Tennessee’s skilled workforce, and conservation. Lee also led a comprehensive school safety proposal to enhance physical security in public and non-public schools across Tennessee.
Lee’s agenda dedicated $250 million to Tennessee’s Rainy Day Fund, bringing totals to an historic $2.05 billion. Lee’s roster of budget and legislative priorities included more than $400 million in tax cuts for Tennessee families and businesses through the Tennessee Works Tax Act, $273 million for a one-time, three-month sales tax holiday on grocery items, and more than $150 million in annual small business tax relief. The legislative agenda also allocated nearly $1 billion to complete the TCAT Master Plan to improve 16 existing TCATs, replace seven outdated facilities, and build six brand new TCATs at strategic locations across Tennessee.
Moreover, the agenda addressed school safety measures with $30 million for more than 100 Homeland Security agents across all 95 counties to serve Tennesseans and students in both public and non-public schools, $140 million for one full-time, armed School Resource Officer (SRO) for every public school, and $40 million for public school security upgrades, among others. The legislative agenda also included $350 million in additional funding to local education agencies through Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA), $330 million in shared savings under the first-in-the-nation TennCare Medicaid waiver to help provide for the health of mothers and infants in vulnerable communities, and $20 million for Crisis Pregnancy Provider Support Grants to support crisis pregnancy non-profits.
