Greetings, NFIB Member in Tennessee!
The Tennessee General Assembly adjourned Wednesday, May 10. Once again, small business fared well, as most mandates on your business met a swift ending in various committees. Here’s a recap of key events:
– Governor Haslam’s IMPROVE Act (the “gas tax”) passed in late April after a spirited debate on the House floor. The Senate, which made alterations to the bill in committee, easily passed the final version. NFIB was neutral on this bill based on poll results our members, but successfully worked to eliminate indexing and cap potential tax increases in the local option referenda for transit improvement programs. Lawmakers agreed to increase the gas and diesel taxes six and 10 cents, respectively, over the next three years, while offsetting with various tax decreases. TDOT released a three-year road improvement plan in early May.
– The $37 billion budget passed, but not before a raucous debate in the House. Disgruntled House Republicans teamed with Democrats to pass several amendments that forced a vote to be postponed on May 4. The next day, a compromise was struck that shuffled $55 million to be used by local governments for road projects.
– Harmful mandates like minimum wage, paid leave and a new state-run system to “supervise the payment of wages” failed. The legislature also preempted local governments from establishing “predictive or restrictive scheduling” laws being enacted in cities outside our state.
– Unfortunately, Tennessee lost an opportunity to host a planning convention this summer for the purpose of preparing rules and recommendations for an Article V Convention to propose a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Due to opponents’ misinformation, proponents have moved the convention to Arizona in September.
NFIB will keep you posted on important hearings and news until the legislature reconvenes January 9, 2018. On behalf of the entire NFIB Team, I thank you for your critical support that helps us keep government off your backs so you can continue to invest, grow and prosper in our great state.
Have a great summer, y’all!
Jim Brown
Tennessee State Director
615.874.5288
[email protected]
