Poster for the Duck Race was created by youngsters at the Signal Centers
District 27 Rep. Patsy Hazlewood told the Chattanooga Kiwanis Club on Tuesday she has encountered a myriad of lobbyists at the General Assembly.
Rep. Hazlewood has just completed her first half term of a two-year cycle and is a member of the Finance Ways and Means Committee, which reviews the budget from every department of the government.
She gave a brief description of the environment at the capital and of how the legislature operates.
First, she said the government moves in a hurry with an incredible amount of work tackled every day. Moving around in the hallways some days is difficult with crowds of activists who are very passionate about their causes attempting to speak to the members of the legislature. They are very much “in your face,” she said and sometimes logic has little to do with it.
She said that Governor Bill Haslam has dinners at the governor’s mansion and invites a random mix of legislators, both Republicans and Democrats, as a way to interact and have casual conversation. At these dinners he is known to ask people that have previously served in the government how it is different today. Without fail, she said, people respond that relationships are less cordial. In the past, committees and caucuses went to dinner, talked and met people on a personal level. Accentuating the division is that now there has been a huge turnover with 17 freshmen out of 99 members and the state has moved from a Democratic majority to a Republican super majority.
In the last term, big issues that were discussed were education, health care, economic development and guns, she said. Less press is given to some issues that businesses are most interested in, she said, because most business is accomplished during the committee process. Once the issue reaches the floor, there is little discussion. Social issues are another matter, she said, with everybody wanting to say something about them on the floor.
According to the state Constitution, the only responsibility that the legislature is required to carry out is to pass a balanced budget. This year the budget is a mind-boggling $33.3 billion. She said that she has learned that just a miniscule amount of that is discretionary because health care and education eat it all up, leaving just a half billion that the legislature has control over.
A positive financial decision that was made during the term that just ended is a $189 million reduction in recurring costs. Another is that money was added to the reserves. During the recession, she said, the state dipped into the reserve funds leaving $76.5 million. The governor and legislators are dedicated to building this fund back and, with action taken this year, it is now up to $568 million.
A big commitment was made to education, which is 50 percent of the total budget. The budget allows for a four percent raise for teachers, figured by a state formula involving the number of teachers in a school system. Hamilton County will have to kick in to achieve that number, she said. There will also be a two percent raise for state employees. However, it is not an across-the-board raise. Some of it will be merit-based, which she said is a novel approach for government. Another savings will come from eliminating longevity pay, which is an amount put aside for each year of employment. This benefit will not be offered to workers hired after July 1, 2015.
The amount of $200.8 million in incentives will be paid to the Volkswagen and Nissan factories, with Volkswagen receiving $177 million of the total. This issue received a lot of publicity, but incentives are necessary to attract diverse businesses in a very competitive environment, she said. Economic development and education go hand in hand because companies will not move into an area if qualified workers are not there, she stated. In the opinion of Ms. Hazlewood, these are the two best and highest uses of tax dollars because an educated workforce and jobs can help deal with poverty and other issues.
One bills of interest that was passed, said the representative, was the right of schools to sue the state over the funding of education. However, state tax dollars cannot be used for legal fees to do it.
Funding will be provided for the training of law enforcement officials in human trafficking, which is a growing problem, and there is a requirement to have rape kits tested. Another bill will allow contractors to use some of their licensing fees to be used for a public relations campaign to attract and promote jobs to their industries. The Tennessee Right-to-Try Act, which Ms. Hazlewood sponsored, will allow a terminally ill person to try medications that have not yet been approved for the condition, if they choose to do so.
Rep. Hazlewood said that knowing people of Tennessee have put their faith and trust in her is a great honor.
The Kiwanis Club is preparing for its annual fundraiser. The Great Kiwanis Duck Race will take place on June 13 at 2 p.m. starting at the Walnut Street Bridge.
Tickets to buy 5,500 rubber ducks are being sold for $5 apiece. This year the fundraiser is in conjunction with the Signal Centers, which will benefit equally from the event.