FROM
BACK
BACK INSIDE TENNESSEE WITH GOVERNOR BILL LEE AND SUSAN, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR BUT I JUST
WANT TO SET THE STAGE WITH THIS
NOTE FROM SENATOR KENIGER OF
EAST TENNESSEE ABOUT THE
BROADBAND INCREASE IN YOUR
BUDGET GOVERNOR GOING FROM 50
MILLION LAST YEAR TO 200
MILLION THIS YEAR, SUSAN?
>> YEAH, I WANTED TO ASK YOU
ABOUT THAT AND CLEARLY WE NEED
SOME HELP AND KNOXVILEL SINCE
DON HAD A DIFFICULT TIME
GETTING HERE, THEY >> WANTED
THE RURAL AREAS REALLY ARE IN A
TOUGH SITUATION AND MAKING
VIRTUAL LEARNING FOR OUR
STUDENTS DURING THIS PANDEMIC
HAS BEEN ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE
BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE BROADBAND
IN ALL AREAS OF OUR STATE.
THE TO MILLIONS SHOULD HELP.
BUT GO AHEAD AND TALK ABOUT
THAT WHAT YOUR EXPECTATIONS ARE
WITH THAT MONEY >>.
A COUPLE OF THINGS YOU
MENTIONED THERE WERE IMPORTANT
RURAL TENNESSEE AS YOU KNOW, IS
NEAR AND DEAR TO MY HEART.
IT'S SOMETHING THAT I THINK IS
VERY IMPORTANT.
WHAT HAPPENS IN RURAL TENNESSEE
MATTERS EVETTY TENNESSEE AND
WE'RE ECONOMICALLY CONNECTED
ACROSS THE STATE.
SO WE GOT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE
HAVE OPPORTUNITY IN RURAL
COMMUNITIES.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THE
PANDEMIC HAS SHOWN US IS THAT
THAT >> LIFE WILL BE DIFFERENT
GOING FORWARD TECHNOLOGICALLY
FOR SURE PEOPLE ARE WORKING
FROM HOME THAT NEVER DID BEFORE
AND MAY NEVER RETURN SOME OF
THOSE FOLKS PEOPLE ARE
ACCESSING HEALTH CARE THROUGH
TELEMEDICINE IN PART BECAUSE OF
A SPECIAL SESSION WE CALLED IN
THE FALL TO ADVANCE
TELEMEDICINE LEGISLATION AND WE
CERTAINLY KNOW THAT KIDS LEARN
VIRTUALLY IT'S BETTER FOR THEM
TO BE IN THE CLASSROOM BUT THEY
CERTAINLY CAN BE SUPPLEMENTED
WITH VIRTUAL LEARNING.
BUT IN ORDER TO HAVE THAT YOU
GOT TO HAVE BROADBAND >>.
WE HAVE INVESTED SIGNIFICANTLY
IN THE LAT AND IN THE TWO YEARS
I'VE BEEN IN OFFICE TO EXPAND
BROADBAND BUT WE DECIDED WITH
THE NON-RECURRING REVENUE THAT
WE HAVE AVAILABLE >> TO US IN
OUR BUDGET THIS YEAR THAT WE
SHOULD GET THIS ISSUE OFF THE
TABLE ONCE AND FOR ALL AND >>
AND REALLY WORK TO DETERMINE
HOW TO GET BROADBAND IN
VIRTUALLY EVERY COMMUNITY IN
THE STATE THAT TWO HUNDRED
MILLION DOLLARS WILL BE WILL BE
MATCHED WITH PRIVATE INVESTMENT
AS WELL.
AND THOSE DOLLARS COMBINED WITH
THAT PRIVATE INVESTMENT WILL WE
BELIEVE THAT WE'RE DEVELOPING
THAT PLAN RIGHT NOW ABOUT HOW
WE WILL HOW WE WILL GET IT DONE
BUT WE BELIEVE THAT IT'LL PUT
BROADBAND IN VIRTUALLY EVERY
COMMUNITY.
IT'S INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT FOR A
NUMBER OF REASONS.
BUT AND BY THE WAY, THAT ACCESS
TO THAT TECHNOLOGY IS NEEDED
NOT ONLY IN RURAL COMMUNITIES
BUT IN EVERY EVERY AREA OF THE
STATE AND THERE ARE ZIP CODES
THAT ARE NOT RURAL THAT ALSO
WILL BENEFIT FROM SOME
IVESTMENT >> DON VOSOT, >> I
WANT TO SHIFT GEARS, GOVERNOR.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT YOU'VE
TALKED ABOUT IS CRIMINAL
JUSTICE REFORM AND THAT'S
SOMETHING OF COURSE NEAR AND
DEAR TO MY HEART IN MY
PROFESSION.
AND I'M CURIOUS TO WHAT YOUR
YOUR TWO OR THREE BIGGEST ITEMS
IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM ARE
AND WHAT YOUR POSITION IS ABOUT
PRIVATE PRISONS.
I'VE BEEN A STRONG CRITIC OF
PRIVATE PRISONS AS HAVE MANY OF
MY COLLEAGUES AND I'M CURIOUS
TO WHAT YOUR POSITION IS ABOUT
THAT AS WELL AS WHAT YOU HOPE
TO SEE IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE
REFORM AND LITIGATION THIS
SESSION.
YEAH, SO CRIMINAL JUSTICE
REFORM REALLY IMPORTANT TO ME
TOO ON SOMETHING I'VE YOU KNOW
,I WORKED IN A REENTRY PROGRAM
FOR 20 YEARS BEFORE I GOT INTO
PUBLIC SERVICE, HAD A LOT OF
EXPERIENCE WITH MENTORING MEN
COMING OUT OF PRISON,
RECOGNIZED YEARS AGO THAT THE
WAY WE REENTER PEOPLE IN
PARTICULAR THOSE WHO'VE BEEN
INCARCERATED WHO ARE COMING
BACK INTO OUR COMMUNITIES AND
PEOPLE HAVE TO REMEMBER 95
PERCENT OF EVERYONE SITTING IN
A JAIL CELL WILL REENTER OUR
COMMUNITIES.
THAT THAT'S A FACT AND ABOUT
HALF OF THOSE FOLKS WILL COMMIT
A CRIME AND GO BACK UNLESS WE
CHANGE THE WAY WE REENTER FOLKS
AND HAVE THEM REENTER SOCIETY
AND NOT REENTER PRISON.
SO REENTRY AND THE WAY WE DEAL
WITH FOLKS WHEN THEY COME OUT
IS A BIG PART OF THE CRIMINAL
JUSTICE REFORM WORK THAT I WANT
TO DO.
ALSO WHO GOES INTO PRISON?
HOW DO WE HAVE HOW WE SET ASIDE
OUR INCARCERATION >> FOR THOSE
WHO NEED TO BE INCARCERATED,
THOSE WHO ARE A THREAT TO
SOCIETY, THOSE WHO ARE VIOLENT
CRIMINALS, NOT LOW LEVEL
OFFENDERS, NONVIOLENT
OFFENDERS.
SO WE'RE WE'RE STRENGTHENING
OUR COMMUNITY SUPERVISION.
WE'RE INVESTING ABOUT FIVE
MILLION DOLLARS IN ADDITIONAL
DAY REPORTING CENTERS.
WE WILL ENHANCE OUR DRUG COURTS
,VETERANS COURTS, SAFE BABY
COURTS, MENTAL HEALTH COURTS SO
THAT WE DON'T INCARCERATE
PEOPLE THAT DON'T NEED TO BE
INCARCERATE.
AND I WILL SAY THIS TOO.
THERE WILL BE THERE WILL BE
PENALTIES THAT WE STRENGTHEN.
YOU HAVE TO BE TOUGH ON CRIME
AND SMART ON CRIME AT THE SAME
TIME YOU CAN DO BOTH AND >>
REFORM THE CRIMINAL >> JUSTICE
SYSTEM IN A WAY THAT CREATES AT
THE END OF THE DAY IT'S GOING
TO CREATE SAFER NEIGHBORHOODS
ACROSS TENNESSEE WHEN WE ARE
SMART ABOUT WHO WE WHO WE
DIVERT FROM >> GOING INTO
PRISON SO THAT WE DON'T CREATE
HARDENED CRIMINALS WHO WE PUT
IN PRISON APPROPRIATELY BECAUSE
OF THE CRIMES THAT THEY'VE
COMMITTED AND HOW WE REENTER
PEOPLE WHEN THEY GET OUT THE
WAY WE DO THAT AND THE PIECES
OF LEGISLATION WE'RE BRINGING
FORTH WILL WILL STRENGTHEN BOTH
ENDS OF THAT INCARCERATION SIDE
.
THAT'S HOW
WILL
WILL CREATE REALLY SAFER NEIGHBORHOODS BECAUSE WE WILL ELIMINATE AND
LOWER CRIME.
AND BY THE WAY, IT ALSO
SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCES THE COST
TO THE STATE OF INCARCERATION.
>> GOVERNOR HEUP 30 SECONDS
QUESTION WOULD YOU CONSIDER
ABOLISHING THE DEATH PENALTY?
WHAT'S THAT?
WOULD YOU CONSIDER >>
ABOLISHING THE DEATH PENALTY IN
OUR STATE >>?
NO, I THINK THAT I THINK THE
DEATH PENALTY IS AN APPROPRIATE
PENALTY.
I THINK THAT THE PEOPLE OF
TENNESSEE HAVE SAID THAT THAT
AS SOMETHING THEY BELIEVE
SHOULD BE IN PLACE AND SO I'M
NOT ADVOCATING FOR REMOVING IT
.
GOVERNOR, ONLY ABOUT 30 SECONDS
LEFT.
WHAT IS THE ONE THING THE
LEGISLATURE COULD DO THIS
SESSION TO WRAP MORE PEOPLE
AROUND STATE CARE WHEN IT COMES
TO MEDICAL PROBLEMS THAT PEOPLE
ARE HAVING EITHER PHYSICAL OR
MENTAL >>?
YOU KNOW, I THINK THERE ARE A
NUMBER OF THINGS THAT WE'RE
DOING AND THE LEGISLATURE IS
DOING THEY'RE STRENGTHENING THE
SAFETY NETS THAT EXIST ACROSS
OUR STATE.
THAT'S ONE OF THE MOST
IMPORTANT THINGS WE CAN DO AND
WE'RE IN FUNDING FOR OUR HEALTH
CARE SAFETY NET THAT PROVIDES
SERVICES PRIMARILY TO CHILDREN
THE THE >> OVERALL HEALTH CARE
SAFETY NET THAT PROVIDES
SERVICES TO THOSE THAT ARE
UNINSURED.
AS YOU KNOW, WE JUST PASSED A
HISTORIC I MEAN WE JUST
NEGOTIATED HISTORIC MEDICAID
BLOCK GRANT WAIVER THAT'S GOING
TO ACTUALLY INCREASE SERVICES
TO OUR MEDICAID POPULATION AT A
LOWER COST TO THE STATE.
BUT HIGHER SERVICES WILL ALLOW
US TO USE THE LOWER COST MONEYS
THAT WE SAVE TO INVEST IN
THINGS LIKE ADDITIONAL
POSTPARTUM CARE FOR MEDICAID
MOMS >> INVESTING IN THOSE
PROGRAMS THAT ARE GOING TO
PROVIDE SERVICES FOR THOSE WHO
HAVE THE LEAST ACCESS TO IT.
I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE
THINGS THAT THIS LEGISLATURE IS
INTERESTED IN AND I CERTAINLY
AM >>.