Sen. Joey Hensley offers round-up of bills proposed during legislative session
This week Governor Bill Lee delivered his seventh State of the State address on Monday evening in a joint session of the General Assembly, where he laid out his 2025 budget priorities. Lee's proposed $59.5 billion budget includes strategic investments to secure a prosperous future for Tennessee. It prioritizes economic and educational opportunities, infrastructure, protecting communities and preserving Tennessee's natural resources.
Housing + Infrastructure
$1 billion to the Tennessee Department of Transportation to address the state's infrastructure needs, including expediting existing road projects and funding new projects across rural and urban Tennessee
$60 million to create the Starter Home Revolving Loan Fund to support construction of new, affordable starter homes for hardworking Tennesseans, prioritizing rural communities
$30 million to fund the Rural and Workforce Housing Tax Credit, making it easier to build homes and businesses
Education
This budget continues to prioritize education. From infrastructure funding, to passing legislation to empower parents with the freedom to pick the right school for their child, the General Assembly in partnership with Gov. Lee have made historic investments in public education while providing more choice for parents. Gov Lee's proposed budget includes:
Public Education Investments
$198.4 million for teacher bonuses in recognition of their hard work and dedication and for leading the nation in student achievement and growth
$244 million to strengthen education through the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) formula growth, including teacher pay raises
$62.7 million for K-12 infrastructure and facilities funding
$27.3 million for summer learning programs to support students between school years
$25 million further investment in the Fast Growth Fund, to support fast-growing districts
$17 million for Grade A School Grants
$10 million to provide paid parental leave for Local Educational Agency employees
Expanding Choices for Tennessee Parents
In the January special session the General Assembly passed historic legislation to provide Education Freedom Scholarships to empower parents with the freedom to pick the right school for their child and have a say in where their tax dollars are spent – regardless of income or zip code. This school choice initiative invests $145.9 million for Education Freedom Scholarships.
Higher Education
$12 million to create the TennesseeWORKS Scholarship, a new award that will cover every penny of Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology (TCAT) tuition and fees for all students while relieving the extra cost burden of tools and equipment for those most in-need
$52.8 million to fully fund the outcomes-based funding formula, which may be used for program improvements that assist higher education institutions in meeting outcomes including student progression, degree production, research and service, efficiency metrics, and other measures related to institutional mission
$2.27 million to develop Tennessee Board of Regents' Center for Workforce Development to expand workforce training for businesses and industries, including specialized onboarding and apprenticeship programs, in partnership with TN Accelerates
$2 million to create a common application system for Tennessee's community colleges, streamline student transfer, and implement a statewide customer relationship management system to enhance student outreach and support
Strong + Healthy Families
$95.5 million utilizing Shared Savings to enhance long term care services and supports for older adults and people living with disabilities
$41 million to support the Department of Children's Services (DCS) with placement of children within the provider network
$7.2 million to expand the WAGE$ Program and reduce turnover in Tennessee's childcare workforce by increasing pay and rewarding greater education
$5.9 million to cover childcare for more working families through an expansion of the Smart Steps Child Care Program and ease the benefits cliff
$24 million to continue a Department of Health pilot program to address unmet dental service needs and increase the number of dentists in Tennessee
$11.8 million to reduce waitlists in the OPTIONS and Senior Nutrition programs
$10.9 million to expand programming at the Boys & Girls Club of Tennessee
$5 million to increase bed capacity at the Middle Tennessee Regional Mental Health Institute
$3 million for a partnership between Department of Children's Services (DCS) and Department of Disability and Aging (DDA) to provide additional support services for children in DCS care with intellectual and developmental disabilities
Safe Neighborhoods
During the special legislative session in January 2025, Gov. Lee and the General Assembly passed a robust legislative agenda and appropriated $5 million to prepare Tennessee to assist in implementation of the Trump Administration's illegal immigration policies. Gov. Lee's proposed FY25-26 budget includes the following additional public safety investments:
$130 million further investment in the Violent Crime Intervention Fund to support local law enforcement and local jurisdictions through grants to fund evidence-based strategies to improve public safety
$75 million to establish Downtown Public Safety grants to increase public safety in downtown areas with businesses and commercial activity
$38 million in funding for an additional 117 State Troopers and related support staff to improve public safety across the state
Sen. Joey Hensley, R-Hohenwald, gives a weekly update in legislation in the 114th General Assembly.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Herald: Hensley update: Assembly proposes laws for housing, education, families
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