What's New on the Hill - Feb 10, 2023
What’s New on the Hill
Please join us in praying for the swift recovery and health of our Lt. Governor!
Randy McNally is a cherished friend of Harris Frazier and a trusted leader for our state. We look forward to his full recovery soon!
** REMINDER **
This is just a reminder that the 2022 year-end Employer Expenditure Report is due by February 14, 2023. The report covers July 1 through December 31, 2022.
If you are curious if all your employers have completed their reports, please check the public search site.
PT DAY ON THE HILL
This week we had a big day at the Capitol with our awesome PT clients we represent from across the state. Turn out for TN Physical Therapy Day on the Hill was exceptional this year. Impressive representation of physical therapists and physical therapist assistants from across the state!
RECAP: State of the State Address
Governor Bill delivered his 2023 State of the State address on Monday. Below are some of the key highlights to mention and you can read his full address at this link!
$27M to foster & adoption families with pecial needs children
Additional $193.5M allocation to the Dept. of Children Services
$10.25M for TN Foster Hope grant funding
$250M to pay off OPEB liabilities
$250M to the Rainy-Day Fund
$49.7M for school safety
$3B to the Transportation Modernization Fund
$300M directly to local county road dept
$37.8M for small business excise tax relief
$7.9M for small business franchise tax relief
$100M for Crisis Pregnancy Provider support grants
Friends of Harris Frazier
Q&A
Earlier this week we celebrated Secretary of State Tre Hargett’s birthday and he is featured in this week’s Q&A!
Tre Hargett III. of Ripley, TN was elected by the Tennessee General Assembly to serve as Tennessee’s 37th secretary of state in 2009 and re-elected in 2013, 2017, and 2021. Secretary Hargett is the chief executive officer of the Department of State with oversight of more than 300 employees. He also serves on 16 boards and commissions, on two of which he is the presiding member. The services and oversight found in the Secretary of State's office reach every department and agency in state government.
Q: What existing challenge do you think the state of Tennessee will overcome in the 113th General Assembly?
A: As Tennessee continues our efforts to lead the nation in outcomes-based education, our state has done a great job of investing in higher education. We continue to see an influx of unexpected non-recurring revenues flowing into our state's coffers. This is the rare and perfect opportunity for us to invest in much-needed capital maintenance in projects for our institutions of higher learning and more specifically Tennessee's Colleges of Applied Technology. A significant boost in funding would increase the bandwidth of TCATs and enable our state to better prepare our workforce for the advanced manufacturing and skills jobs Tennessee continues to attract.
Q: What motivated you to pursue and continue to serve in your position?
A: I have long had a passion for public service and was humbled in 2009 when many legislators asked me to consider becoming the Republican nominee to serve as Tennessee's 37th Secretary of State. As a result of the exemplary and dedicated employees of our department, we have established ourselves as the "can do" agency in state government. It is my honor to create and sustain a culture that values our privilege to service our fellow Tennesseans in ways big and small. Our support of Tennessee's libraries, our commitment to Tennessee's businesses, or our recent number one ranking for election integrity are just a few of the ways that we work to add value in each and every process and transaction. As much success as we have enjoyed, I believe we still have a lot of work to do.
Budget
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee proposed the Fiscal Year 23-24 state budget that includes investments in education, transportation and family planning during his State of the State address Monday before the General Assembly.
In the News
Tennessee House speaker mulls rejecting US education money
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — One of Tennessee’s most influential Republican lawmakers says the state should stop accepting the nearly $1.8 billion of federal K-12 education dollars that help provide support for low-income students, English learners and students with disabilities.
KTLA - Feb 8, 2023
2023 Mentoring Monday and the Nashville BizWomen Summit
On February 27th, the Nashville Business Journal will host Mentoring Monday — marking the 10th year for Business Journals to do so in 40 cities across the nation. This event is a shared mentoring and professional development experience, bringing together more than 8,000 businesswomen who are eager to learn from each other.
Bizjournals - Feb. 27, 2023
Tennessee Attorney General Applauds U.S. Rep. David Kustoff’s Bill to Protect Americans from Robocalls
Tennessee U.S. Representative David Kustoff (R-TN-08) recently joined his colleague, North Carolina U.S. Representative Deborah Ross (D-NC-02), to reintroduce the Deter Obnoxious, Nefarious, and Outrageous Telephone Calls (DO NOT Call) Act in the House of Representatives.
Tennessee Star - Feb, 6 2023
Local Hospital Team Performs Groundbreaking Procedure
Jackson, Tennessee (February 2, 2023) –Jackson Radiology Associates’ Dr. John Crocker and
The interventional Radiology team at Jackson-Madison County General Hospital (JMCGH) performed
Tennessee’s first (and the third in the world) arterial thrombectomy (removal of blood clot) using
Penumbra’s Lightning Flash thrombectomy catheter on January 26, 2023.
West Tennessee Healthcare - February 2, 2023
New 3D Atlas of Colorectal Cancer Promises Improved Diagnosis, Treatment
This year, too many Americans will go to the doctor for tissue biopsies to find out if they have cancer. Highly trained pathologists will examine the biopsies under a microscope for unusual cells that show the telltale physical features of suspected cancer. As informative as the pathology will be for considering the road ahead, it would be even more helpful if pathologists had the tools to look widely inside cells for the actual molecules giving rise to the tumor.
Nashville Medical News - Feb 06, 2023
Potocsnak family’s transformative gift creates Center for Undiagnosed and Rare Disorders
A transformative gift from the Potocsnak family has established the Potocsnak Center for Undiagnosed and Rare Disorders at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
The center will allow VUMC to accelerate research and serve more patients looking for answers and cures to diseases that, in some cases, have been undiagnosed for decades.
Nashville Medical News - Feb 05, 2023