State of Tennessee Archives: on Budget & Economy
Bill Lee:
Addressing maintenance the fiscally responsible thing to do
In this year's budget I'm proposing the largest capital maintenance budget in our state's history - more than 900 million dollars in capital improvements and maintenance on both state buildings and higher education campuses.
We are also eliminating the backlog of deferred maintenance at state parks with a 30 million dollar investment. Addressing maintenance is the fiscally responsible thing to do.
Source: 2021 State of the State Address to the Tennessee legislature
Feb 8, 2021
Marquita Bradshaw:
Raise minimum wage to $15/hr; end "Right to Work"
I support a living wage & worker's rights. Ensure a minimum wage of $15.00 an hour is enacted for Tennessee. Eliminate our status as a "Right To Work (For Less)" state. This will allow workers fundamental protections & rights within their companies.
Our rights as Tennesseans allows us to organize & unionize, workers need more protections and pay at their jobs, not less!
Source: 2020 Tennessee Senate campaign website MarquitaBradshaw.com
Aug 26, 2020
Manny Sethi:
Will fight out of control federal spending
Paul praised Sethi for supporting Trump but also said the Nashville trauma surgeon is a "physician, not another politician.""Tennessee deserves a true conservative who supports President Trump, is pro-liberty, and will fight out-of-control
federal spending," Paul said in Sethi's news release. "I believe Dr. Manny is the right choice, like me, he's a physician, not another politician. We need more outsiders in Washington, and I'm proud to endorse him today."
Source: Chattanooga Times Free Press on 2020 Tennessee Senate race
Jun 6, 2020
Bill Lee:
Investment & incentives to support rural counties
I'm also recommending $20 million for ECD's Rural Opportunity Fund, which supports site development, main-street development, and critical infrastructure assistance. We expanded an incentive program in
Tennessee medical schools that will grow the pipeline of primary care doctors locating in rural communities. We're adding more than $4 million for payment increases to rural health clinics and expanding rural access to dental care.
We're adding $7 million to the Ag Enhancement program and an additional $2 million for UT Extension Agents in distressed rural counties.
The Department of Tourism has created an Office of Rural Tourism, and we've set aside nearly $2.4 million for their efforts to draw attention to beautiful parts of Tennessee that are off the beaten path.
Source: 2020 State of the State Address to the Tennessee legislature
Feb 3, 2020
Bill Hagerty:
Work to get government out of the way of business
Bill knows what it takes to grow Tennessee's bustling economy, because he's done it. He knows the federal government should never punish success, nor failure in the free market. He'll work to get government out of the way, cut unnecessary bureaucratic
regulation, continue President Trump's winning streak on taxes, promote free trade, remove barriers to trade, strengthen the regulatory review process, and encourage companies to do business in Tennessee.
Source: 2020 Tennessee Senate campaign website TeamHagerty.com
Dec 24, 2019
Bill Hagerty:
Won't raise taxes; committed to cutting spending
Your family balances its budget every month, and Bill believes the federal government should too. Bill won't raise taxes. He will fight for a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution. He'll work to streamline an out of control federal government
that spends too much of our money and cut down on waste, fraud, and abuse. He's committed to cutting spending. He will stand strong against the liberal Democrats in the House who want to spend your hard-earned money recklessly.
Source: 2020 Tennessee Senate campaign website TeamHagerty.com
Dec 24, 2019
Bill Hagerty:
Democrats plan to undo Trump's economic success
In an interview with The Associated Press, Hagerty said the economy would be in greater jeopardy if Democrats win the White House, take control of the Senate and maintain their grip on the
House. "Democrats have made their plan clear. They'd like to undo the economic success of this president," Hagerty told the AP. "They've tried to talk the economy down in hopes of generating a recession. That hasn't worked."
Source: Nashville Business Journal on 2020 Tennessee Senate race
Sep 9, 2019
Bill Lee:
Better to save for emergencies than spend now
As a conservative businessman, I know a good budget needs to pay for what is needed, take on zero long-term debt, and, perhaps most importantly, save for a rainy day. I am particularly proud of this: in my budget, we are making the largest single
contribution to our Rainy Day Fund in the state's history. When this budget is implemented, our Rainy Day Fund will be $1.1 billion--the largest it has ever been in both real dollars and as a percentage of our overall revenue.
Source: 2019 State of the State address to the Tennessee legislature
Mar 6, 2019
Marsha Blackburn:
Across-the-board federal spending cuts
Q: Support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth?Marsha Blackburn (R): Likely no. Has supported across-the-board federal spending cuts.
Phil Bredesen (D): Yes. Empower TVA to help bring rural broadband internet access "just as
they did with electricity."
Q: Address debt and deficit?
Blackburn: Promote "balanced budget; cut bureaucracy," and "across-the-board spending cuts."
Bredesen: "Pay for corporate tax cuts by closing loopholes."
Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on Tennessee Senate race
Oct 9, 2018
Bill Lee:
Made hard decisions needed on company budget; it worked
Lee was forced to lay off about 400 employees in 14 months. "When you cut a company's budget from $100 million to $70 million, you have to make a lot of hard decisions," Lee said. "I had to say, `I know you have been here for 14 years, but today is your
last day.' It was brutal." [One observer] said˙Lee could have resigned himself to the CEO office and delegated the duties, but didn't.The cuts and reductions worked. Three years later, Lee says the company was rebuilt, and stronger than before.
Source: The Tennessean on 2018 Tennessee Gubernatorial race
Jul 21, 2018
Bob Corker:
Adding $2T to deficit was fiscally irresponsible
Corker lamented that his recent vote for the GOP tax bill could be one of the worst of his career if projections that it will add nearly $2 trillion to the deficit prove to be accurate. "None of us have covered ourselves in glory," Corker, who is
retiring at the end of the year, said. "This likely will go down as one of the most fiscally irresponsible administrations and Congresses that we've had."Corker was referring to a recent report by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget,
which concluded that the vote to increase the discretionary spending caps in the recent $1.4 trillion spending package, if made permanent, would add $2 trillion to the national debt.
Corker voted against the spending bill, calling it "one of the
most grotesque pieces of legislation I can remember." But in December, he voted in favor of the Republican tax reform bill after voting against an earlier version, complaining that the legislation did not do enough to address the national deficit.
Source: The Tennessean on 2018 Tennessee Senate race
Apr 12, 2018
James Mackler:
Investment in infrastructure means jobs
James will push for investments in vocational education and job re-training, put Tennesseans to work rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure, and fight for simpler tax policies that help businesses create jobs in both rural and urban areas.
Nobody should have to live in poverty or leave their family and community behind just to make ends meet.
Source: 2018 Tennessee Senatorial website JamesMackler.com
Oct 1, 2017
Diane Black:
Get government off the backs of job creators
Government doesn't create jobs, the private sector does.
We can help by getting government off their backs.
Source: 2018 Tennessee Gubernatorial website black.house.gov
Aug 31, 2017
Karl Dean:
Economic development statewide instead of just Nashville
Karl Dean, the former mayor of Nashville, says if he's elected governor, he would turn his economic development efforts far outside the city limits. Dean says folks in West Tennessee and parts of Memphis feel a bit left out as the state's capital city
boasts low unemployment and a booming real estate market. "We need to really focus on the areas that have not had the same success that Nashville has had," Dean says. "People are happy for Nashville. They're proud of Nashville, but at the same time,
they want something to happen in their communities too."The state-owned industrial site in West Tennessee, for example, still hasn't landed a tenant. Dean says he would make that a priority. "When you go to rural counties and the only job news has
been companies closing or companies moving out, or if you go there and their biggest concern is that none of their kids are returning, that there are no jobs for them in the future, those are things we need to address," he says.
Source: Nashville Public Radio on 2018 Tennessee gubernatorial race
Apr 19, 2017
David Kustoff:
Oppose tax-and-spend policies, as well as over-regulation
Creating Jobs: As a small businessman, I understand the importance of having an environment that allows job creators to create and grow businesses.
President Obama's tax-and-spend policies, as well as over-regulation, have prevented our economy from making a true comeback. I will fight for lower taxes, a balanced budget, and an economy that puts Americans first.
Source: 2016 Tennessee House campaign website KustoffForCongress.com
Nov 8, 2016
Gordon Ball:
Balanced budget amendment to restore fiscal discipline
America is still recovering from the worst recession since the Great Depression and still facing a jobs crisis. At the same time, our rising debt threatens America's ability to pursue our priorities and to respond to such crises.
I'm for a constitutional amendment that would require the federal government to balance its budget and restore fiscal discipline in Washington.
Source: 2014 Tennessee Senate campaign website, GordonBallSenate.com
Aug 7, 2014
Bill Haslam:
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
Phil Bredesen:
Adjust our expenses to match our income, like family budget
My goal throughout this recession has been to remain true to the principle of the "family budget" that I talked about when I first became governor. It's nothing more than the commonsense idea that we're going to adjust our expenses to match our income,
and we're going to be very careful about using money from our savings account. It's the way sensible families have to manage through these times, and while the numbers for state government are much larger than for any family, the principle is the same.
Source: Tennessee 2010 State of the State Address
Feb 1, 2010
Page last updated: Oct 14, 2021