Bill Haslam in 2013 Governor's State of the State speeches
On Budget & Economy:
Balance budget without education cuts & tax decrease
In talking about the budget, it's also important to talk about what we did not do to balance the budget the past two years. We didn't raise taxes. In fact, we lowered them.
We are also providing tax relief for low-income seniors, veterans and the disabled by fully funding the growth of the property tax relief program. Another important thing we did not do to balance the budget was to cut education funding.
Not only did we not cut funding, we had the second largest increase in state K-12 expenditures of all 50 states in fiscal year 2012. I'm not sure that Tennessee has ever been able to say that before.
The average increase was nearly 3 percent. Ours grew almost 12 percent in state education funding. Education is another example of how in Tennessee we're distinguishing ourselves as different from the rest of the country.
Source: 2013 State of the State speech to Tennessee legislature
Jan 28, 2013
On Education:
Drive to 55: Increase college graduation to 55% by 2025
Today, we base funding on the number of students who are actually graduating [instead of on enrollment]. This shift puts the focus where it should be--on graduates. And because we're seeing results, this year's budget fully funds, for the first time, the
Complete College Act outcomes formula. Only 32% of Tennesseans have earned an associates' degree or higher. That's not good enough. Our goal is to move the needle so that Tennessee is on track to raise that number to 55% by 2025.
Tonight we begin our "drive to 55"--a strategic initiative to have the best trained workforce in America. To do that, we must improve affordability and access in higher education. To help us achieve this goal, we're partnering with
Western Governors University to establish "WGU Tennessee." It is an online, competency-based university that is geared to the 800,000 adult Tennesseans that have some college credit but didn't graduate with an associate or four-year degree.
Source: 2013 State of the State speech to Tennessee legislature
Jan 28, 2013
On Government Reform:
We reduced wait times for licenses from 38 minutes to 18
Two years ago, I stood up here and said that we would be working hard to speed up the process to receive a license, and we're making progress.
At the Fayette County center, wait times went from an average of 38 minutes in 2011, to 30 minutes in 2012, and only 18 minutes in the month of December. Thanks to [that] team for giving our customers -- Tennessee's taxpayers--great service.
In Tennessee, we are different. We have a lot to brag about, but this isn't the time to coast along or to be satisfied.
This is a time to take advantage of our strengths and face our challenges head on, and I look forward to the executive and legislative branches working together on the issues that matter to Tennesseans.
Source: 2013 State of the State speech to Tennessee legislature
Jan 28, 2013
On Homeland Security:
ObamaCare costs TN $350M; cut but preserve rural hospitals
In this budget, TennCare costs will be $350 million more this year than last year. That increase takes into account the higher cost of medical care, more people who qualify for Medicaid in tough economic times, and primarily, the impact of the
Affordable Care Act. Expanding Medicaid is not reflected in this year's budget. I am hesitant to commit additional dollars to Medicaid when it's already eating up so much of our budget, and we have to remember what the state went through seven years ago
when it made the difficult decision to cut a lot of people from the TennCare rolls. There are hospitals across this state, many of them in rural communities, that are going to struggle if not close under the health care law without expansion, and
that's not something to take lightly. Most of us in this room don't like the Affordable Care Act, but the decision to expand Medicaid isn't as basic as saying, "No ObamaCare, No expansion."
Source: 2013 State of the State speech to Tennessee legislature
Jan 28, 2013
On Jobs:
Created 80,000 jobs by making TN a good place for capital
Since January 2011, nearly 80,000 new jobs have been created in Tennessee, and the unemployment rate is the lowest it's been since October 2008. Tennessee ranks first in the Southeast in new manufacturing jobs created and first in the growth of
manufacturing jobs in 2012. That's good news, but it doesn't mean we can take our foot off of the gas. You've heard me say many times before that I don't believe government creates jobs, but I do believe it's our role to create an environment that
encourages investment. Jobs are created when people are willing to risk capital. We want Tennessee to be as low of a risk as possible. To provide certainty to businesses, we overhauled our tort laws. To build on those efforts, this year we're proposing
legislation to reform our worker's compensation laws. During my first year in office, I held business roundtables across the state where we heard from businesses over and over that worker's comp is an issue in Tennessee.
Source: 2013 State of the State speech to Tennessee legislature
Jan 28, 2013
On Tax Reform:
TN thinks differently: don't spend money; give back taxes
So what makes Tennessee different? Why are we coming out of one of the worst recessions this country has ever seen in a place of strength? I believe it's because we think differently. We have a long history of fiscal restraint that crosses party lines.
We have been deliberate about not spending money that we don't have and in making a concerted effort to save for the future. A good example was last year when there was temptation for some to quickly commit and spend funds that were coming in above
estimates, but in the tradition of our state's discretion, we held the line. And now we are well-positioned to continue to invest in a thoughtful, strategic manner. Unlike Congress, this body is willing to make hard decisions.
You've voted to cut the budget; you've voted to make key investments; and you've voted to set reserves aside for the future. You've also given Tennesseans their money back by cutting taxes.
Source: 2013 State of the State speech to Tennessee legislature
Jan 28, 2013
Page last updated: Dec 05, 2018