Well after a few years of economic uncertainty I
know many of you are ready to hear some good news,
and I have some for you. I really believe our
state's economy is showing signs of coming out of
the recession. We're in a strong position in
Tennessee, with a low tax rate and a very low level
of debt. However we can't ignore the fact that we
will have more than a billion dollars less in
revenue to work with this year. During my first
state of the state address I explained where we are,
where we plan to be, and how we will get there.
I also want to emphasize that our current financial
constraints are not a temporary condition. I think
that what we are seeing in government today really
is the new normal. Every Government, ours included,
will be forced to transform how it sets priorities,
and how it makes choices. Ten years from now we will
not, and cannot, be governing the same way we did
twenty years ago. The time is right, to go on a
rigorous diet, that consumes less and exerts more
energy. Department of health spending will drop 1.7
percent with minimal impact on public health as the
cuts are focused on administrative expenses. While
supporting health care access Tenncare expenditures
will go down 2.1 percent. But we will add funds for
Cover Kids and approval of the hospital coverage
assessment will allow us to avoid deeper reductions
in basic Tenncare services. Higher education is
being reduced two percent but there will be no drop
in financial aid for low-income students. In state
government, as in the private sector, the largest
cost is for the people who provide the goods and the
services. And like the private sector, state
government is faced with having to adjust its
workforce to reflect economic realities. There will
be 1,180 fewer state positions next year. Almost 90
percent of those coming from eliminating unfilled
positions and non recurring state and federal funds.
The tough economic times, spawned by the national
recession, meant state employees have gone for
several years without salary adjustments. Once again
state government, the same as in business, held the
line on increased wages. But if we are going to have
a great higher education system and hardworking
state employees, we cannot continue to ask them to
go without raises. Our budget proposes a 1.6 percent
salary increase, the first increase in four years.
One of the areas where all of us want to aspire to
be more is education. As we all know there has been
a lot of discussion about education and particularly
the role of teachers, already in this legislative
session. I want to be very clear. My goal is to
treat teaching like the important and honorable
profession that it is. My goal is to make Tennessee
a place where great educators want to teach, and
feel rewarded and appreciated for their efforts.
Because at the end of the day there is nothing,
nothing, that makes as much difference in a child's
academic progress as the teacher standing in front
of the classroom. The future hinges on decisions we
begin making tonight, in this chamber, and in the
thousands of homes of Tennesseans who are seeing
this address. A governor makes a difference by
listening, learning, and then leading. The general
assembly makes a difference by casting votes for a
new and better tomorrow, and not being satisfied
with propping up the past or becoming sidetracked.
It is easy to spin when times are good, but the real
test is whether we are willing, together, to make
the hard decisions when things are more difficult.
This is not an easy time to govern, but the people
of Tennessee have hired us to solve problems, and we
are committed to making the volunteer state the
number one place to live, work and play.
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Scenes from Gov. Bill Haslam's inaugurationby knoxnews1,222 views
GO BILL!!!
1960arch 11 months ago