NASHVILLE, Tenn. — After thanking guests and reminiscing on the previous address, Governor Bill Lee began the 2024 State of the State address by talking about Nehemiah, an ancient Jewish figure whose story centered around rebuilding Jerusalem after Jewish people were exiled from Babylonia.
"He directs every person of all ages, trades, and ability to 'take their spot on the wall’ that surrounds the city, as the story says, in order to protect the progress that was to be made and to ensure that the work being done would not be done in vain," Lee said during the address. "By the end of this story, the people of Jerusalem find success thanks to their work together, and it becomes clear that through the experience of restoring the city, the people restore themselves as well."
He then started talking about Tennessee's economy, and said for the past five years the state has been ranked among the fastest-growing economies across the U.S. He also said it was a top state for businesses. During the address, he said leaders planned to propose tax cuts and make legislation "simplifying" the state's franchise tax.
He said this year, the state would put around $20 million into its Rainy Day Fund and raise the state's reserve of funds to around $2 billion.
He said that companies spent around $35 billion in the state since 2019, hiring around 211,000 people. He also said there are around eight distressed counties in the state, down from 15 counties in 2019.
"Since day one, I’ve believed that Tennessee’s success can be measured in part by the strength of our rural communities. We’ve prioritized economic investment across rural counties and developed a workforce strategy that works for every Tennessean, and it’s paying off," he said.
Lee also recently championed legislation meant to protect singers and songwriters from having their work copied by artificially intelligent programs.
"We’re calling this bill the ELVIS Act to honor our very own King of Rock and Roll, as well as his family who is still working to protect his legacy today," he said. "It’s only right that we lead the nation in this effort. Tennessee is the music capital of the world, and we intend to keep it that way."
Afterward, Lee began speaking about his proposal to use public funds to pay for non-public education. According to the state budget, he proposed spending at least $141 million to effectively expand the state's school voucher program. According to the state budget, it would take a recurring $144 million to fund "Education Freedom Scholarships."
Under the program, families could apply for scholarships from the state to pay for education expenses regardless of the school they attend. It could be used to pay for tuition at faith-based schools, private schools and charter schools, which may not need to follow state education guidelines.
"We can give parents choice and support public schools at the same time. You’ll hear me say that over and over again – these two ideas are not in conflict," Lee said. "Now, there are some who say that parents don’t belong in the decision-making process about their child’s education. But our responsibility is to the student and to the family, not to the status quo."
Immediately after Lee started discussing the proposal, he was met with shouts of "No!" from attendees. The address was punctuated by shouts condemning previous decisions by the administration and new proposals. Critics of school vouchers said the proposal would take public funds away from public schools, and several boards of education passed symbolic resolutions condemning the proposal.
One person shouted that the ideas he proposed were in conflict, and other shouts later accused him of lying. Lee called for civility before continuing the address.
"Some are concerned that more choices for families could mean fewer resources for public schools, but that is simply not true. As a father who sent his child to public school, with grandkids in public school, and as Governor – visiting countless schools across the state – I feel very strongly that public schools are invaluable," Lee said during the address.
He also spoke about the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement, a funding formula that determines how much money public schools get from the state. Lawmakers said it is based on individual student needs, effectively changing how much money schools get based on whether students have disabilities or come from low-income families, for example.
Lee also said he planned to introduce a bill that would give parents more power over content children see and post on social media, as a way to address mental health concerns. He said it would require social media companies to get parental consent for minors to create their own social media accounts in Tennessee.
In a similar vein, he also said the administration was planning to combine the Commission on Aging and Disability with the Department of Intellectual and Development Disabilities, creating the new Department of Disability and Aging.
It would be headed by Brad Turner and is meant to enable more coordination, he said.
"Since I became Governor, one of our top objectives has been making government work better for the people of Tennessee," he said. "In my view, less government is better government."
Lee also said he would propose spending $200 million over the next five years to improve rural healthcare, and another $100 million over five years to support behavioral health and substance abuse programs across Tennessee.
He also proposed changing the state's permitting rules to accelerate the building of new homes, hoping to lower the cost of buying and renting in the state. While the proposal may make development faster, it would not require homes to be priced lower. Around two-thirds of Knox County cannot afford a median-priced home in the area, according to a recent report.
Another $150 million is expected to go towards the state's Violent Crime Intervention Fund, Lee said. He then spoke about the Covenant School Shooting and said the state spent around $140 million to hire armed school resource officers.
"You can prevent it," one person shouted during the address.
He did not mention any proposals on gun ownership and did not mention a previous proposal allowing law enforcement officers to ask judges to remove guns from people who pose a threat to themselves or others.
Democratic lawmakers responded to the State of the State address by saying Lee overlooked the challenges the state faces.
"We knew ahead of time that Tennessee, we're going to be saddled with a scam, that defunds our neighborhood public schools to subsidize private school tuition for wealthy families. And what we also know is that he wanted to give taxpayers who are wealthy another tax break. Big corporations, — another tax wait. While we everyday working Tennesseans are footing the bill and paying higher taxes than the CEOs and corporations," said Sen. London Lamar (D - Memphis).
Democratic lawmakers previously said their legislative agenda would focus on working families. They said proposals would be designed so they could access healthcare, collect more wages and bring down prices on household goods.
"People's lives are literally getting shorter and their commutes to work are getting longer. Working families have less financial security and more problems affording health care and childcare in this state. Affordable homes are hard to find, while opioid abuse is ravaging our state. Our kids are growing up in communities with too much gun violence, but they're learning in schools with too little funding. Governor Lee and Republicans like to brag that Tennessee is leading the nation in all of these different avenues. Well, I'm here to tell you that Tennessee Republicans are leading the nation at the top of valid crime, personal bankruptcies and maternal deaths," said Lamar.