The twelfth week of the second session of the 113th General Assembly is now complete. We will be wrapping up the session in a couple weeks, so if you would like to visit to watch legislative proceedings or have a child in grades 5-12 who wants to serve as a Senate Page, please reach out to me soon. As a Senate Page, your child can be a part of state government and learn how laws are made. This is a unique opportunity, and I will do my best to accommodate all senate page requests.
Last week was very busy as the Governor presented his budget amendment proposal. The coming weeks will focus mainly on the budget as the Senate Finance, Ways and Means Committee is the only remaining open committee. Below are bills that I will be hearing in the Senate Finance, Ways and Means Committee this week, as well as some bills that passed last week.
TennCare for Working Individuals with Disabilities Act — TennCare for Working Individuals with Disabilities Act aims to establish a buy-in program so that individuals with disabilities can continue gainfully working without losing their health insurance coverage through TennCare. Current TennCare policy strictly limits eligibility for supports and services based on income. These restrictions limit the types of work individuals with disabilities can do without losing health coverage. Senate Bill 2791 will allow enrollees to pay a monthly premium of 5% of their income to receive the care and benefits needed, allowing the individual to still work gainfully. This legislation can change the lives of these individuals without fear of losing access to care.
Reporting funding for broadband services — It is important for Tennessee to ensure recipients of taxpayer funds are held accountable for the services promised. This bill would require bi-annual reports from broadband providers that received state or federal grants to provide broadband internet to unserved areas.
The reports must be submitted to the Department of Economic and Community Development and must include the list of locations that remain unserved and the date on which they plan to serve these locations. Senate Bill 2907 passed the Senate floor this week
Inmate sentencing — Senate Bill 2044 would ensure that an inmate’s actual sentence could not be reduced with good-time credits. The Tennessee Department of Correction can issue good-time credits for inmates, but the bill clarifies that these credits can only be used toward release eligibility, not towards reduction of the actual sentence. The bill advances to the Senate Finance Committee.
It is an honor to serve as the State Senator for nine of the finest counties in the state of Tennessee. If I can ever be of assistance to you, please contact me at 615-741-1449 or sen.ken.yager@capitol.tn.gov.
