House Republican Caucus Weekly Wrap
March 27, 2009
Week of March 23-27,2009
Budget proposal presented to lawmakers- Stimulus funds will foot much of the TennCare bill
- Higher Education may dodge a bullet
- Unemployment Insurance
- Testimony on “wine in grocery stores”
- Is the Tennessee Plan constitutional?
After months of uncertainty while the United States Congress wrangled over details of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the Governor presented his initial budget proposal Monday night to a Joint Convention of the House and Senate. Because of the unprecedented economic situation facing Tennessee, the Governor is proposing a multi- year approach, and laying out possibilities for the next four years. He explained that much of the ARRA money, which totals approximately $5 billion over two years for Tennessee, comes with strings attached and has essentially already been earmarked by Congress.
According the Administration, about “two-fifths” of the money are “Tennessee” funds—monies that will allow the state some leniency regarding where to use them—while the remainder are “Congressional” funds that have multiple strings attached. [Read more]
