ISSUE
ISSUE IS
ISSUE IS FACING TENNESSEANS TODAY FROM TEN NEWS. THIS IS INSIDE TENNESSEE.
GOOD MORNING >> AND WELCOME TO
INSIDE TENNESSEE.
I'M YOUR MODERATOR JOHN BECKER,
ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL
POLITICAL PEOPLE IN THIS STATE
IS OUR GUEST THIS MORNING.
HE LEADS THE TENNESSEE GENERAL
ASSEMBLY HOUSE WHICH HAS NINETY
NINE MEMBERS A BANKER BY TRADE,
A UTC GRAD AND A GRADUATE OF
OAK RIDGE HIGH SCHOOL.
SPEAKER CAMERON SEXTON OF
CROSSVILLE IS OUR GUEST THIS
MORNING.
HE'S HELD THAT TOP LEADERSHIP
POST SINCE THE SUMMER OF TWENTY
NINETEEN.
MR. SPEAKER, GREAT TO HAVE YOU
AS ALWAYS.
ALSO WITH US THIS MORNING,
RAMSEY COHEN WHO IS A MARKETING
MANAGER AND A DEMOCRAT.
AND SUSAN RICHARDSON WILLIAMS
WHO RUNS HER OWN OWN PR FIRM
AND IS A REPUBLICAN.
MR. SPEAKER, THREE BROAD
POLITICAL QUESTIONS.
BEFORE WE JUMP INTO THE
LEGISLATIVE SESSION AGAIN, YOU
GAVEL IN ON THE 12TH OF THIS
MONTH WHICH IS TUESDAY.
WE ARE JUST ON THE AND AS WE
TAPED THIS IT'S THURSDAY PEOPLE
ARE SEEING THIS ON SUNDAY OF
ONE OF THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY
WEEKS
WEEKS IN
WEEKS IN THE HISTORY OF THIS NATION. YOU HAVE THE EAR OF THE
PRESIDENT FOR THE NEXT 20
SECONDS.
WHAT DO YOU SAY TO DONALD J.
TRUMP >> GO OUT WITH GRACE AS
SIMPLE AS THAT.
ALSO, MR. SPEAKER, I WANTED YOU
TO WEIGH IN ON ON ANOTHER
LEADER, GOVERNOR BILL LEE.
GIVE HIM A GRADE A TWO F ON HIS
HANDLING THUS FAR OF THE CORONA
VIRUS FIGHT AND THEN EXPLAIN
WHY.
WELL >>, I GIVE HIM A IF YOU
LOOK AT EVERYTHING THAT WE'VE
HAD TO DEAL WITH OVER THE LAST
YEAR, THE UNKNOWN AND THEN
MOVING INTO THIS MIXED IN WITH
OTHER THINGS THAT HAVE TO BE
GOING ON NOW WE LED THE NATION
IN TESTING.
WE'RE LEADING THE NATION IN
VACCINATIONS.
WE'RE IN THE TOP FIVE JUST IN
THE NUMBER BUT PER CAPITA WE'RE
REALLY HIGH.
HE'S MADE THE RIGHT DECISIONS.
THERE'S BEEN SOME HARD
DECISIONS WHERE PEOPLE HAVE
DISAGREED.
BUT YOU KNOW, THE NICE THING
ABOUT GOVERNOR LEE IS HE MAKES
A DECISION THAT HE THINKS IS
BEST THAT'S NOT POLITICALLY
MOTIVATED.
SO NO, FOR THAT REASON ALONE I
THINK HE'S DONE A REALLY GOOD
JOB.
LIKE EVERYTHING THOUGH I MEAN
YOU DON'T KNOW EVERYTHING AT
THE TIME.
IF YOU GO BACK AND LOOK AT
RETROSPECT, YOU MIGHT MAKE SOME
DIFFERENT DECISIONS.
BUT THAT'S NOT HOW GOVERNMENT
WORKS SOMETIMES.
SO I THINK HE'S DONE A REALLY
GOOD JOB UNDER THE THE PRESSURE
THAT HE'S BEEN UNDER.
>> WE'LL TALK ABOUT THE SPECIAL
SESSION TIDA EDUCATION.
I'M SURE THAT'S AN ISSUE WE'LL
TOUCH ON BUT JUST IN IN A BROAD
LOOK.
MR. SPEAKER, WHAT DO YOU THINK
THE ISSUE WILL BE THAT WILL
DOMINATE THIS SESSION?
ASIDE FROM THE CORONA VIRUS
FIGHT >> WELL AS ALWAYS WILL
PAY ATTENTION TO THE BUDGET.
OUR BUDGET'S DOING REALLY WELL
RIGHT NOW SO WE'LL LOOK AT THAT
.
I THINK IF YOU'RE LOOKING
EDUCATION IS GOING TO DOMINATE
EARLY DO THE SPECIAL SESSION
AND WHAT'S GOING IN OUR STATE
AND OTHER STATES AS WELL
DEALING WITH LEARNING LOSS AND
LITERACY AND EVERYTHING ELSE.
I THINK YOU'RE GOING TO SEE A
LOT OF HEALTH CARE STUFF
SURPRISE BILLING AND AND MAYBE
SOME CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM.
SO I THINK YOU'LL SEE A WDVX
RADIO STUFF.
BUT FIRST AND FOREMOST IS
ALWAYS THE BUDGET TENNESSEE
SUZANNE, ONE TO LEAD OSSOFF
WITH ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE >>
.
MR. SPEAKER, LET'S TALK A
LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE SPECIAL
SESSION THAT WILL BE COMING UP
ON JANUARY 19TH.
ONE OF THE ONE OF THE TOPICS
THERE IS OBVIOUSLY TO ADDRESS
LOST LEARNING DURING THE
PANDEMIC.
SOME OF THE KIDS THAT ARE
HAVING TO DO VIRTUAL LEARNING
ARE PROBABLY GETTING A LITTLE
BIT BEHIND.
AND WE'VE BEEN IN AND OUT AND
IN AND OUT.
SO IT'S REALLY BEEN A CHAOTIC
YEAR FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS.
WHAT DO YOU SAY AS THE I GUESS
THE BIGGEST TAKEAWAY FROM THIS
SPECIAL SESSION?
I KNOW THERE'S A HUNDRED
MILLION DOLLARS THAT WE'RE
GETTING WHICH IS AN ASTOUNDING
AMOUNT OF MONEY.
AND SO JUST TALK THROUGH THAT
THAT YOU KNOW WHAT'S SO WE YOU
KNOW WHAT'S COMING SO WE CAN
KNOW WHAT'S COMING.
>> YEAH.
THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION.
YOU KNOW, I THINK WE ALL KNOW
THERE'S SOME LEVEL OF LEARNING
LOSS.
THERE'S MAYBE IN SOME DISTRICTS
MIGHT BE MORE THAN OTHERS
DEPENDING ON IF THEY'VE BEEN IN
SCHOOL OR NOT IS VERY HARD TO
MAINTAIN THE ACHIEVEMENT LEVELS
VIRTUALLY FOR A WHOLE ACADEMIC
YEAR.
SO I THINK WE'RE LOOKING AT
LITERACY AND LEARNING LOSS OF
THE TWO MAIN THINGS WE'RE
LOOKING AT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
.
THE NICE THING ABOUT THE
LEARNING LOSS, BILL, IS THE
GOVERNOR HAS PUT IN THAT
TEACHERS WILL GET A STIPEND FOR
THE EXTRA WORK.
SO FOR SUMMER SCHOOL AND AFTER
SCHOOL TUTORING AND MENTORING
WHICH IS IMPORTANT, I DON'T
THINK IT'S A GOOD MESSAGE THAT
WE TELL OUR TEACHERS THAT YOU
CAN ONLY GET PAID EXTRA MONEY
IF YOU COACH SPORTS BUT NOT IF
YOU TRY TO IMPROVE IS ACADEMIC.
AND SO THAT'S THE NICE THING
ABOUT THE LEARNING LOSS.
I THINK IT WILL BE A LONG TERM
SOLUTION.
THIS IS NOT A SHORT TERM WE
HOPE TO IMPLEMENT THIS FOREVER
AND THE SIDES SAID TENNESSEE
FOR THOSE >> BUT ALSO FOR ALSO
NO.
I THINK THOSE ARE THE TWO BIG
ISSUES COMING OUT AND HOPEFULLY
WE'LL GET THOSE PASSED HERE TWO
WEEKS >> TO GO BY.
YES, SPEAKER.
I AM ENCOURAGED THAT YOU GUYS
ARE GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT
EDUCATION BUT I'M A LITTLE
DISCOURAGED THE WAY YOU GUYS
ARE HANDLED IT IN THE PAST.
I KNOW THE BUDGET AS YOU
MENTIONED FIRST AND FOREMOST IN
TENNESSEE IT FEELS LIKE THERE
WAS ROOM WITHIN THE BUDGET TO
ALLOCATE TOWARDS THINGS LIKE
TEACHER PAY.
IF YOU LOOK AT WHAT TEACHERS
COMPENSATED TODAY ADJUSTED FOR
THE COST OF LIVING, THEY'RE
MAKING LESS THAN THEY DID 20
YEARS AGO.
YOU GUYS HAVE SCHEDULED TO HAVE
I THINK 250 MILLION GO INTO THE
RAINY DAY FUND.
IF NOW ISN'T A RAINY DAY FOR
OUR EDUCATORS, WHEN WILL IT BE
WHAT?
WHY ARE YOU OPPOSED TO PUTTING
MONEY TOWARDS BETTER
COMPENSATION FOR TEACHERS
EDUCATING OUR KIDS TODAY >>?
THANK YOU.
I DON'T THINK THAT STATEMENT IS
ACCURATE.
I THINK IF YOU LOOK AT THE
HOUSE LAST YEAR WE ACTUALLY
PROPOSED TO PUT MONEY IN THE
BUDGET FOR THE PAY RAISE OR DO
A BONUS SITUATION.
WHAT I WILL TELL YOU TOO THOUGH
IS YOU CAN'T USE THE RAINY DAY
FUND.
YOU'RE SAYING THAT WE SHOULD
USE THE RAINY DAY FUND TO PAY
FOR TEACHERS THAT USE A ONE
TIME MONEY FOR A REOCCURRING
EXPENSE.
AND IF YOU BUDGET THAT WAY,
TENNESSEE, YOU'D A WORLD OF
HURT.
SO YOU CAN'T USE THE RAINY DAY
FUND MONEY.
IT'S ONE TIME MONEY HAS TO BE
REOCCURRING MONEY.
AND SO WHEN WE MAKE A CHOICE >>
AND I WASN'T REFERRING TO I'M
SORRY TO INTERRUPT BUT I SHOULD
CLARIFY NOT REFERRING TO RAINY
DAY MONEY.
I'M REFERRING TO BUDGET SURPLUS
THAT IS SCHEDULED TO GO INTO
THE RAINY DAY FUND >>.
NOT NOT TAPPING INTO THE
CURRENT >> RAINY DAY FUND.
RIGHT.
BUT WHAT YOU ALSO HAVE TO KNOW
IS NOT ALL THE MONEY GOING INTO
THE RAINY DAY FUND IS RECURRING
MONEY.
THAT'S ONE TIME MONEY.
SO EVEN WITH THE MONEY GOING IN
,THERE WAS NOT REOCCURRING
MONEY.
BUT WHAT I WILL SAY IS IS WHEN
WE LOOKED AT THE BUDGET LAST
YEAR AND WE WERE IN THE MIDDLE
OF A PANDEMIC, WE WERE TRYING
TO FIGURE OUT AND PROJECT WHAT
WOULD HAPPEN.
THE COUNTRY WAS BEING SHUT DOWN
AS COMMERCE WAS BEING SHUT DOWN
AS BUSINESSES WEREN'T BEING
ABLE TO GO BACK IN TRYING TO
MAKE SURE THAT WE KEPT THE
STABILITY OF OUR STATE TO WHERE
WE COULD COME OUT OF THIS
STRONGER.
SO WE TOOK EXTRA PRECAUTIONS.
SOME PEOPLE SAY THEY DIDN'T
LIKE IT BUT WHAT I WILL SAY IS
COMING OUT OF THIS WE PASSED
THE FAIR TAX AND ALLOW THAT TO
HELP LOCAL BUSINESSES COMPETE
AGAINST BUSINESSES FROM OTHER
STATES.
AND SO WHERE WE'RE COMING OUT
OF THIS EVEN WITH NASHVILLE AND
DAVIDSON COUNTY AND MEMPHIS AND
SHELBY COUNTY KIND OF BEING NOT
100 PERCENT BACK, THEY'RE STILL
CHURNING VERY SLOWLY.
OUR STATE IS STILL PERFORMING
VERY, VERY WILKOS THE RURAL
COUNTIES IN OUR STATE ARE OVER
PERFORMING.
SO WE DO HAVE THE CAPABILITY
RIGHT NOW.
WE DO ARE PROJECTING TO HAVE A
BUDGET SURPLUS.
WE'RE GROWING ABOUT THREE POINT
TWO PERCENT WHICH I THINK'S
BETTER THAN ANY STATE PROBABLY
AROUND US.
WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE
GOVERNOR'S I THINK IS GOING TO
PROPOSE TO DO A TEACHER PAY
RAISE AND STATE EMPLOYEE PAY
RAISE LIKE HE HAD PROMISED.
SO I THINK IT'S ONE OF THE
THINGS THAT I THINK PEOPLE WANT
US TO MAKE SURE WE'RE CAUTIOUS
WITH THEIR MONEY.
AND THEN WHEN THE TIME'S RIGHT
,IF IT LOOKS LIKE EVERYTHING'S
OK, WE CAN ALWAYS GO BACK AND
DO IT.
AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT YOU'LL