It’s been another busy week on the hill with routine departmental budget hearings making their way through various committees. Here are a few links to select hearings.
On Monday, the House Finance Committee welcomed Treasurer Lillard and the Department of Treasury to present their budget proposal. During the session, in response to a few questions from Rep. Charlie Baum, Treasurer Lillard discussed the funding of TCRS. You can view that conversation here: https://tnga.granicus.com/player/clip/29460?view_id=726&redirect=true&entrytime=5543&stoptime=7435
Tuesday saw TDOC presenting their budget to the Senate State and Local Government Committee. For those interested, the presentation is available for viewing here: https://tnga.granicus.com/player/clip/29472?view_id=760&redirect=true&entrytime=1241&stoptime=2464&autostart=1
Higher Education budget presentations were on the agenda for House Finance on Wednesday, featuring insights from the TN Higher Education Commission, TN Board of Regents, Locally Governed Institutions, and the University of Tennessee System. To view these presentations, visit this link: https://tnga.granicus.com/player/clip/29492?view_id=726&redirect=true
Or you can view PDF’s of those Higher Education presentations here:
Locally Governed Institutions
TBR
THEC
Additionally, we’ve begun preliminary discussions with treasury and budget committee members about the possibility of reinstating the 401(k) temporary $100 match in the final budget, should the funding be available. If this funding does not materialize, it will revert to the $50 match TSEA secured in 2021.
Bills we’re monitoring:
(NOTE: We may add additional bills to this list as legislative session progresses)
SB1545/HB1554 Rose, Slater
Salaries and Benefits – As introduced, establishes a program under which a state employee may receive up to six weeks of paid leave if the employee becomes a foster parent of a minor child. – Amends TCA Title 3; Title 8; Title 16 and Title 50.
SB1941/HB2143 Haile, Matin, G
State Employees – As introduced, permits employees of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of state government to complete Tennessee foster parent training and in-service training during the course of their employment without having to use paid sick, annual, or compensatory time up to a certain amount of time. – Amends TCA Title 4; Title 8; Title 37 and Title 71.
SB2007/HB1960 Campbell, Powell
Hospitals and Health Care Facilities – As introduced, authorizes public hospitals, upon approval of the hospital’s governing body, to establish a state employee and retiree healthcare incentive program that will allow for the waiver of applicable out-of-pocket expenses associated with medical care at the public hospital for state employees and retirees and their covered dependents participating in the state group insurance plan. – Amends TCA Title 8, Chapter 27.
SB2081/HB2088 Johnson, Lamberth
Military – As introduced, authorizes the military department to administer a critical skills retention bonus program to be used to award retention bonuses of up to $10,000 to enlisted service members in the Tennessee National Guard; entitles certain state employees who are members of a reserve component of the armed forces of the United States or the national guard to special leave with partial pay during a period in which the members have been called to active duty. – Amends TCA Title 58, Chapter 1, Part 1.
Northeast Legislative Event
We are holding the Northeast Legislative Event in Elizabethton on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024, at 9:00 a.m.
Our regional legislative events allow TSEA members to hear directly from their state legislators in person and in their own communities. These events allow our members priority access to their state elected officials outside their hectic state legislature schedules.
Details about the Northeast Legislative Event are included below. If you want to attend, please RSVP by the date below.
We look forward to seeing you soon!
TSEA’s Northeast TN Legislative Event
Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024
9:00 a.m.
Elizabethton TCAT
426 Highway 91 North
Elizabethton, TN 37643
Please RSVP by Wednesday, Feb. 21 at the link below:
https://tseaonline.formstack.com/forms/netn2024legeventrsvp
