The Tennessee General Assembly
Susan M. Lynn
House of Representatives
CAPITOL HILL REVIEW
A
weekly wrap-up of legislative news
General Assembly Hosts Vietnam Veterans Of America
Monday night, the House of Representatives
hosted members of the Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), Chapter 995 from
Jackson, Tennessee.
During their visit to the House chamber,
VVA members conducted the 13 Folds of the
U.S. Flag Ceremony
— a flag folding ceremony performed at funeral services of the men and women
who have served our country. They also played Taps, which is a bugle
call played at dusk, during flag ceremonies, and at military funerals by
members of the United States armed forces.
The VVA was originally created to serve
Vietnam veterans. They now preside at any funeral service involving our
nation’s heroes, offering their skills to families who have lost loved ones and
who desire to have their loved one buried with full military honors.
It was an absolutely amazing event.
House Republicans expressed our gratitude to the VVA, along with all of the
organizations across the state that support Tennessee military families.
House Republicans Cut Taxes On Automobiles For Tennessee’s Disabled Military Heroes
This week, House Republicans unanimously
passed legislation aimed at reducing taxes on automobiles for Tennessee’s
disabled veterans.
House Bill 15 exempts a new or
used vehicle that is sold, given, or donated to a disabled veteran or service
member from the sales and use tax. I was very proud to cosponsor this bill and
support it in Finance Committee.
House Bill 15 is the latest in
a series of Republican-led initiatives designed to support Tennessee veterans
and military families. During the 2017 legislative session, House Republicans
fought to reduce the amount of property tax owed by veterans, elderly, and
disabled homeowners.
Additionally, Republican lawmakers
supported several key pieces of legislation last year that helped veterans
pursue their educational dreams without fear of financial struggle — including
the Support, Training, and Renewing Opportunity for National Guardsman (STRONG)
Act. The measure provides last dollar-scholarships to our state’s service
members who meet eligibility requirements. House Bill 433 — also a
Republican-led initiative — unanimously passed last year. It assists veterans
by determining how their military training can count as college credit at
Tennessee’s colleges and universities.
For more information about how House
Republicans are advancing Tennessee’s conservative values, please visit: http://www.tnhousegop.org/.
Legislation To Improve Quality Of Care For Tennesseans Battling Addiction Gains Support
Legislation designed to improve the
quality of care for Tennesseans who are battling addiction gained support this
week in Nashville.
As part of the ongoing efforts of House
Republicans to address Tennessee’s opioid and drug crisis, House Bill 1929 —
known as the Stopping Addiction & Fostering Excellence (SAFE) Act —
ensures that patients who utilize recovery houses receive high quality care
that empowers them to end the cycle of addiction.
The SAFE Act enables providers at these
facilities to focus their efforts on implementing more customized and targeted
treatment plans for patients. Additionally, House Bill 1929 streamlines
operational guidelines while strengthening partnerships between the facility
and its local municipality.
Tennessee’s opioid epidemic claimed the
lives of more than 1,600 Tennesseans in 2016 alone. Every day in our state, at
least three people die from opioid-related overdoses. This is more than
Tennessee’s daily number of traffic fatalities.
While the federal government has only just
commenced conversation about the opioid epidemic, Tennessee leads the way in
fighting the situation here at home. In addition to House Bill 1929,
House leaders are also moving forward with other major pieces of opioid
legislation to combat the state’s opioid problem head on, including the
Tennessee Together plan.
Tennessee Together is a multi-faceted plan
comprised of legislation, $30 million in funds through Governor Haslam’s
proposed 2018-2019 budget, and other executive actions to battle opioids through
the three major components of prevention, treatment, and law enforcement. The
plan incorporates recommendations made by Speaker Beth Harwell’s Ad Hoc Task
Force on Opioid Abuse.
House Republicans Back Legislation Providing Tennesseans A Fresh Start Through Education
House Republicans this week introduced a
measure aimed at giving Tennesseans a fresh start in life by utilizing the
state’s available education opportunities.
House Bill 1780 permits an
individual who has a Class E felony conviction to apply for a records
expunction immediately after he or she earns a certificate or degree under the
Tennessee Reconnect program.
Passed in 2017, the Tennessee Reconnect
program offers all adults without a
degree access to community college tuition-free and at absolutely no cost to
taxpayers.
Currently, citizens who have paid their
fines, court costs, and restitution are eligible to apply for a Class E felony
records expunction after a five year waiting period. House Bill 1780
keeps current stipulations for Class E offenders in place, but reduces the
required wait time to apply for records expunction to as little as 12-18 months
in some instances.
This reduction provides a fresh start for
residents, decreases recidivism, and minimizes use of taxpayer funds to cover
incarceration costs.
According to the Tennessee Department of
Correction, instances of recidivism have decreased by more than three percent
statewide from 2010-2016. However, the state’s recent opioid crisis is leading
to a larger number of drug related arrests, as well as repeat offenders.
A survey conducted by the Vera Institute
of Justice estimates that the state spent $723,680,760 on prison expenditures
in 2015 alone.
While House Republicans have worked to
reduce recidivism in Tennessee, citizens still have to bear the high expenses
of incarceration. This new initiative not only saves taxpayer money, but also
encourages those who desire a fresh start to take advantage of the state’s many
education opportunities so they can capitalize on a greater number of high
quality jobs currently available.
National Motto In The Classroom Act Moves Forward
Initiative
displays “In God We Trust” in prominent locations within schools
My bill that calls for our national motto
— “In God We Trust”— to be displayed in schools across Tennessee was introduced
this week in Nashville.
House Bill 2368 enacts the
National Motto in the Classroom Act. It requires each local education agency
across the state to display “In God We Trust” in a prominent location within
Tennessee’s schools.
“In God We Trust” has served as the
official motto of the United States since 1956. It first appeared on the
two-cent penny in 1864 and on paper currency in 1957.
I was so proud as during his recent State
of the Union Address in front of Congress, President Donald Trump reminded the
nation’s lawmakers and all citizens that the foundation of American life is
faith and family, not government and bureaucracy. President Trump also
emphasized to the congressional and national audience that our country’s motto
has been and still remains “In God We Trust.”
Supporters of the legislation agree that
The National Motto in the Classroom Act is an opportunity to help future generations
of students better understand the importance of faith in the narrative of
Tennessee and the nation.
TDOT Meeting Regarding SR 109
At Life Church on SR109, on Tuesday, Feb
27th, at 6:00 pm TDOT will hold a neighborhood forum to provide information on
the widening of 109. The Q&A style event will include TDOT staff and
contractors. The meeting will last two hours.
The Excise Tax - What it is and how it is different from a Sales Tax
Recently a constituent stated to me that the
increasing price of gas was caused by the gas tax in the Improve Act. I
explained that it was truly market conditions affecting the price of gas and
sent her an article that backed me up. She insisted that the .04 cent per
gallon increase to .24 cents has multiplied the effect.
It was then that I realized that she did not
understand that the gas tax is an excise tax which means that the amount of tax
we pay at the pump is not affected by inflationary market conditions.
The gas tax is charged by the number of units
purchased not the sales price, I explained. Therefore, since I normally
purchase 14 gallons of gas a week at this time of year, I will pay the same
amount of tax whether the price of gas is $2.00 per gallon or does something
really scary like go up to $5.00 per gallon.
Gas
|
Per Gallon
|
Per Gallon
|
Price
|
$2.00
|
$5.00
|
Tax
|
24₡
|
24₡
|
Total
|
$2.24
|
$5.24
|
Excise taxes are generally used for
commodities like gasoline whose price tends to be unstable; it helps to cushion
against the harmful effects of large price fluctuations. No matter the
price – the tax is by the number of units purchased.
A sales tax on the other hand, is a
transactional tax where we are charged a percentage of the price of the
item. That is why we feel the effects of inflation on consumer goods so
greatly - we pay more taxes on each item as the price increases.
That is also why lowering the food tax
through the Improve Act was such a great help for Tennesseans; especially the
poor, elderly and young families. Our ultimate goal is to get rid of the
food tax entirely - we are just .04 cents away from that goal.
Education Update on www.susanlynn.us
Please visit www.susanlynn.net to see updated
information on testing in Tennessee.
The Governor’s Infographic on His Opioid Bill
I expect to hear from a lot of people about this policy –
and I want to hear from you. Please write or call any time; 615-741-7462.
Report: Tennessee Gains Manufacturing Jobs
Competition with neighboring
states is a challenge
Tennessee
manufacturing employment inched up for a sixth straight year, according to new data
collected by Manufacturers' News Inc. (MNI) .
MNI reports the state added 3,251 jobs over the past year, a 1 percent
increase, and is now home to 6,517 manufacturers employing 382,972
people . Manufacturing employment in Tennessee has grown at a steady
clip over the past six years, rising 5 percent since October 2011.
Manufacturing
job gains in Tennessee were spread across multiple sectors and were strongest
in furniture/fixtures, rubber/plastics and electronics. Primary metals,
textiles/ apparel and food processing each grew by 3 percent, while fabricated
metals and paper products grew by 1 percent. Industrial employment losses
were reported in the stone/clay/glass, industrial machinery and
printing/publishing industries. All other industries remained stable.
Join the Mt. Juliet Republican Women Tomorrow Night
The Mt. Juliet Republican Women is tomorrow night, February, 12 at Courtney's Restaurant. Arrive at 6pm for food and fellowship or 7 pm for the meeting. We will have installation of officers as follows:President - Pam Kelley
Vice President - Programs - Susan Lynn
Vice President - Membership - Gwynne Queener
Secretary - Barbara Berlau
Treasurer - Diana Harper
We are pleased to have Yvonne Hunter, our Area 5B Vice President do the installation.
We will have a business meeting to handle a few housekeeping items and to discuss plans for
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