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From Mark's Desk: May 25, 2007 A Watershed Week in Nashville The week of Memorial Day weekend often heralds the last days of legislative session. Not so this year. Why? Because, as Phil Bredesen said several weeks ago, “tax relief is in Republicans’ DNA.” We refused to proceed with the Bredesen agenda until we got meaningful education reform and tax relief for families, seniors and local governments. At the beginning of the week, the Bredesen Administration had failed to deliver what it promised in pledging to support the Republican education plan – accountability. We refused, and continue to refuse, to approve any appropriations bill the revenues from which fail to hold school systems accountable in tangible, new ways. That is why, as Senate Republican Leader, I refused to proceed with consideration of the Democratic Leader’s cigarette tax legislation when initially presented on Tuesday, May 22. At the Senate Finance Committee hearing that day, Commissioner of Finance, Dave Goetz, ultimately apologized for disseminating inaccurate information about the Education Plan and promised to remedy the accountability problems. The education proposal we have put forth will ultimately provide Memphis and Shelby County schools an additional $110 million annually, Tipton County $5.1 million, Lauderdale County $2.4 million and Dyersburg/Dyer County $5.4 million. By funding 75% of teacher salaries and other costs, the state is alleviating pressures on local governments to raise property taxes. With a more cooperative attitude by the Administration since Tuesday, our education reform legislation seems to be back on track. On Wednesday, the Finance Committee took up Bredesen’s call to triple the cigarette tax which Republicans oppose. We were able to cut it in half before voting the bill out of committee to the Senate where it will be held in calendar awaiting approval of the education reform package. The 20-cent tobacco tax envisioned by Republicans is “revenue neutral;” that is, it provides as much or more tax relief as it raises in new revenue. After funding the new education reform package from existing revenue, it funds a cut in the sales tax on food, the “Crooks with Guns” legislation I am sponsoring in the Senate, and an investment of about $150 million in our “rainy day” savings fund among other savings. Democrats have been anxious for us to proceed with their tax hikes since March. Fortunately, Republicans held the line. The result appears to be more funding for schools which will be held more accountable to taxpayers, and tax relief to those who need it most. Mark Norris * * * * * Working Together for a Safer Tennessee
Nationwide, Tennessee ranks second in the number of violent crimes. These include murder, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault. That’s what happens all too often in West Tennessee like Memphis last week where a mother was raped and beaten with a pistol in front of her 12 year son in their own home. In East Tennessee, four hoodlums kidnapped, raped and murdered two innocent victims before setting one on fire and stuffing the other in a garbage bag in Knox County. In both cases, repeat offenders were on the loose to ruin lives once again. Monsters like these can be stopped. That’s why I am proud to sponsor Senate Bill 1967, “Crooks with Guns,” at the request of the Tennessee Public Safety Coalition of police chiefs, sheriffs and district attorneys from across the state. The bill toughens sentences against repeat offenders who use guns. Mandatory sentences of additional three, six or ten years depending on the crime, to be served consecutively in addition to the sentence for the underlying crime, would become the order of the day. Similar laws in Florida reduced violent crime by 30 percent; in New York by over 50 percent. Ranking number 2 in violent crime doesn’t mean much to folks who haven’t been exposed to it. When they have friends who are raped and pistol whipped, that changes. That’s what happened this week. Rape and murder across the state brought whites and blacks together with legislators in Nashville. Two groups, “Stop the Killing” and “Citizens against Crime,” came to support the Public Safety Coalition and those of us who are tired of coddling criminals. Governor Bredesen did not show up. He told a reporter that he supports law enforcement but “can’t justify spending millions on the Crooks with Guns bill when that money could go toward other programs.” Other programs? Like switch grass studies (how to convert grass into gas) for $70 million. Or $82 million to buy land and easements on the Cumberland Plateau. These are the governor’s priorities in the budget we are now debating. Switch grass or safer streets? Cumberlands or Crime Fighting? Our crime package would cost $42 million or about half what Bredesen would spend on his other priorities. On Thursday, the Senate Finance Committee passed a 20 cent cigarette tax designed to fund our crime fighting package while reducing the sales tax on food. It’s a small price to pay considering the costs of continuing to do nothing. |
