What’s mission critical? Business groups take issue with bill to change property tax appeals
A bill to change the way the state handles appeals of property assessments is raising red flags among members of the state’s business community.
The state Chamber of Commerce and the National Federation of Independent Business argue the proposal sponsored by Sen. Kerry Roberts (R-Springfield) and Rep. Esther Helton (R-East Ridge) will result in higher property taxes. It’s the sort of bill that would usually draw a lot of debate between various interests, but the closure of the Capitol complex to the public means there has been no expert testimony or ability for advocates to speak with members about the measure.
The business groups question whether the proposal falls under the heading of mission critical legislation that needs to be passed before the General Assembly goes on at least a two-month break due to the spread of the coronavirus. Similar concerns are being raised about bills seeking to govern election registration drives and to grant local governments more leeway on public meetings requirements.
Here’s the letter sent by the business associations to House members this morning:
Good morning, Members of the House Local Government Committee.
NFIB asks for your vote of NO on HB 2348 by Rep. Helton. We share the following concerns with regards to transparency and open debate and the potential impact on Tennessee taxpayers.
- The bill is NOT listed on the posted public calendar for today’s 8 a.m. hearing but is listed as being scheduled for today under the actual bill page, at the time of this email transmission.
- Because of understandable restrictions placed on access to public buildings, you will not be hearing arguments either from proponents or opponents on this very substantive bill today that impacts property-owning taxpayers and local governments.
- We disagree with some who say the legislation is “mission essential” to pass now. This debate has been ongoing since last fall and can wait until you hear from experts when session reconvenes later this year.
- The Senate amendment was only adopted yesterday, with no testimony from interested parties and experts on both sides. The House amendment adopted in subcommittee is still not on the state website as of this morning.
- The vote will undo Tennessee law that has been in existence since 1984 (Laurel Hill Apartments), under which the full State Board ruled “as a matter of law, property in Tennessee is required to be valued and equalized according to ‘Market Value Theory.’ … Property is to be appraised annually at full market value and equalized by application of the appropriate appraisal ratio.”
- Many taxpayers will see significantly higher property tax rates, if this bill passes, which arguably will be viewed by some as a backdoor tax increase.
Rep. Andy Holt says he won’t run for re-election
Rep. Andy Holt (R-Dresden), left, attends a meeting at the state Capitol in Nashville on Jan. 8, 2019. (Erik Schelzig, Tennessee Journal)
Rep. Andy Holt (R-Dresden) has announced he won’t seek another term in the state House this year.
Holt tells Thunderbolt Broadcasting he wants to spend more time with his family and on his agritourism business.
State Representative Andy Holt: I Will Not Seek Another Term
House District 76 comprises all of Weakley and parts of Obion and Carroll counties. Holt was first elected to the seat in 2010.
Gov. Lee’s latest update on the coronavirus
Gov. Bill Lee arrives for a press conference on the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic on March 16, 2020. (Erik Schelzig, Tennessee Journal)
The latest from Gov. Bill Lee’s office:
Announcements
COVID-19 Testing Sites
Remote assessment sites for COVID-19 are quickly becoming available through the help of private providers. Remote assessment sites, casually referred to as “drive through testing” allow Tennesseans to safely pursue COVID-19 testing without creating unnecessary risks in traditional clinical settings. The updated list of remote assessment sites is available here.
School Closures
On Monday, March 16, Gov. Lee urged school districts across Tennessee to close by Friday, March 20, and all districts have agreed to do so.
Below is Gov. Lee’s full statement:
“As the response to COVID-19 evolves, I urge every school district in Tennessee to close as soon as practically possible, with all schools expected to close by Friday, March 20, 2020 at the latest. Schools should remain closed through March 31, 2020 to further mitigate the spread of this infectious disease and we will issue further guidance prior to March 31. Superintendents and local leadership have the full support of my administration to determine effective dates for closure this week as they evaluate what is best for families within their respective districts. We understand the tremendous burden school closure places on families, and we will continue to work with both the federal government and school districts to ensure we continue essential supports like meals for students in need. Every Tennessean has a role to play in preventing the spread of COVID-19 and I urge Tennesseans to be quick to help neighbors as new needs surface with the closure of schools.”
Essential Supports for Students Continue Through Closure
The Department of Education applied for and received two nutrition waivers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide School Food Authorities (SFAs) flexibility to continue to provide meals to at-risk students who rely on meals. This will permit eligible districts to serve meals in a flexible delivery model. Additional information can be found here.
Department Actions for Targeted Relief
Child Care Facilities
- We are encouraging child care facilities to remain open to continue to meet growing needs in their communities. Each facility will decide whether to remain open based on the needs in their own community.
- Gov. Lee has directed the Department of Human Services to relax the regulatory burden on child care centers.
- To support these efforts, the administration is providing $10 million in COVID-19 emergency response and recovery grants to support existing child care facilities that are facing greater needs.
- Child care facilities that currently receive subsidies will continue to receive them regardless of a potential loss in the wake of COVID-19 through the end of March.
- As Tennesseans step up and consider providing child care for friends and neighbors, please contact the Department of Human Services here for guidance on how to safely accomplish this especially in the wake of COVID-19.
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
- The Tennessee Department of Human Services has issued a new policy offering emergency cash assistance for those impacted at this time by utilizing Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds.
- These funds will be up to $1,000 for a family of 5+ who qualifies and has had a loss of a job as a result of COVID-19.
- These efforts will be up and working within one week, and we encourage Tennesseans in need to apply online when the application becomes available here.
Expanded Unemployment Relief
- The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development is actively working with economists to determine how economic downturn could affect our state’s economy and how to best use the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund.
- The department will extend unemployment benefits to employees who suddenly find themselves out of work as businesses temporarily cease operations during the pandemic.
- The department is also extending unemployment benefits to those who are quarantined by a physician for COVID-19 and are temporarily away from their job.
- The department is also working with the federal government to gain more flexibility in job search requirements.
- The department is suspending certain regulations so those who are approved will get paid more quickly.
- Tennesseans are encouraged to apply online here.
Relief for Local Governments
- The COVID-19 pandemic has placed a strain on local governments.
- Gov. Lee’s amended budget includes $200 million to provide specific support and relief to our county and city governments in the wake of this pandemic.
Lee looks to tap TANF funds to mitigate economic impact of coronavirus
Gov. Bill Lee speaks at a press conference on Tennessee’s coronavirus response in Nashville on March 16, 2020. (Erik Schelzig, Tennessee Journal)
Gov. Bill Lee wants to tap the state’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funds and other reserves to pay for coronavirus relief programs. The Republican governor also announced Tuesday he will double the $100 million grant program for local governments he had outlined earlier in the year.
“We certainly never wanted this day to come and we didn’t know it would come this severely, but we’re prepared in this state in ways many other states are not,” Lee said.
The state’s reserves in TANF funds had grown to more than $700 million by the start of this year.
Average TANF benefits currently stand at $243 per family, according to The Tennessean. The state’s could start issuing up to $1,000 for a qualifying family of five.
The Department of Human Services says these new cash payments for folks who lose jobs due to COVID-19 are unrelated to existing cash benefits for TANF recipients. Existing enrollees will not necessarily see an increase. Have little info on it otherwise. https://t.co/AYBXXDuXAc
— Natalie Allison (@natalie_allison) March 17, 2020
Day 1 of the ‘coronasession’ in pictures
Lawmakers attend a House floor session in Nashville on March 16, 2020. Watching from the gallery are, from left, Reps. Johnny Garrett (R-Goodlettsville), Bob Freeman (D-Nashville), and Bill Beck (D-Nashville). (Erik Schelzig, Tennessee Journal)
Here are some images from the first day of what has been dubbed the “coronasession.”
Gov. Bill Lee and aides arrive for a press conference on the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic on March 16, 2020. (Erik Schelzig, Tennessee Journal)
Gov. Bill Lee speaks at a press conference on Tennessee’s coronavirus response in Nashville on March 16, 2020. (Erik Schelzig, Tennessee Journal)
Reporters practice social distancing during Gov. Bill Lee’s press conference on Tennessee’s coronavirus response in Nashville on March 16, 2020. (Erik Schelzig, Tennessee Journal)
Gov. Bill Lee speaks at a press conference on Tennessee’s coronavirus response in Nashville on March 16, 2020. (Erik Schelzig, Tennessee Journal)
Gov. Bill Lee speaks at a press conference on Tennessee’s coronavirus response in Nashville on March 16, 2020. (Erik Schelzig, Tennessee Journal)
Rep. Michael Curcio (R-Dickson) watches a briefing on the coronavirus pandemic from the House gallery in Nashville on March 16, 2020. (Erik Schelzig, Tennessee Journal)
Rep. Tim Rudd (R-Murfreesboro) attends a briefing on the coronavirus pandemic in Nashville on March 16, 2020. (Erik Schelzig, Tennessee Journal)
From right, Reps. Kirk Haston (R-Lobelville), Mary Littleton (R-Dickson), Bud Hulsey (R-Kingsport), and Ryan Williams (R-Cookeville) attend a briefing on the coronavirus pandemic in Nashville on March 16, 2020. (Erik Schelzig, Tennessee Journal)
Rep. Daniel won’t seek re-election to Knoxville seat
Rep. Martin Daniel (R-Knoxville) listens to a briefing on the House floor on March 16, 2020. (Erik Schelzig, Tennessee Journal)
Republican state Rep. Martin Daniel has won’t seek a fourth term in the state House this fall. Daniel, who won re-election by just 3 percentage points in 2018, said he made his decision the night of that vote.
“I have determined that I will not be a candidate for re-election in November 2020 as Representative of our State’s 18th District,” Daniel said in a Facebook post. “It has been a privilege to represent West Knoxville over the past 5 ½ years and I am eternally grateful for the responsibility and honor that you have bestowed on me.”
Here is Daniel’s full statement:
Dear Friends:
This letter is to inform you of a decision that I essentially made on election night November 2018.
After much consideration before then and since, I have determined that I will not be a candidate for re-election in November 2020 as Representative of our State’s 18th District. It has been a privilege to represent West Knoxville over the past 5 ½ years and I am eternally grateful for the responsibility and honor that you have bestowed on me.
In 2014, I was motivated to represent West Knoxville because of my love for our great state, for West Knoxville, and for freedom and liberty. Since you sent me to Nashville, among other things, I have consistently worked for a smaller, more efficient government, to foster freedom, and to thereby enable all Tennesseans to pursue happiness to their heart’s content with minimal government interference. I hope that I have played a small part in making Tennessee a better place now and for those who will come after us.
With recent Republican leadership, Tennessee has enjoyed a great period of prosperity. I believe, however, that its greatest moments lie ahead of it. I hope to continue to be involved in politics and government in other ways, but very soon, I look forward to spending more time with my children – Sophie and Matthew – and tending to my business, both of which have been neglected in the past few years.
Please know that I am here to serve you until November of this year, and I will be gladly taking care of the duties for which you elected me.
Senate Education holds meeting in largely empty committee room
The Senate Education Committee meets on March 16, 2020, amid a ban on public attendance in the Cordell Hull Building. (Erik Schelzig, Tennessee Journal)
The Senate Education Committee was the first panel to hold a meeting Monday under emergency rules preventing the public from entering the Cordell Hull Building. The committee advanced the state Education Department’s budget and then adjourned.
“We indeed live in interesting times,” Sen. Dolores Gresham (R-Somerville), the chair of the committee, said. “It’s been the hallmark and tradition that each member who brings a bill to this committee can expect a fair hearing on their proposal…. We have approximately 110 bills yet to have been heard in this committee, but these interesting times make that somewhat challenging.
“Our state’s priorities are clear, however. We are required by our constitution to address a budget and appropriations plan. Therefore, today we will only consider briefly the budget for the Department of Education in order to refer it to Finance for their appropriate action. Education bills are our next priority, and hope to have an opportunity to consider those before we adjourn sine die, whatever that date that may be.”
One curiosity was the attendance of political activist Kevin Baigert, the husband of a writer for a conservative website. Baigert is the treasurer of a PAC that has targeted Republican House incumbents during campaign season. It’s unclear how he got into the building when members of the public, advocates, lobbyists, and other visitors have been barred.
Just to be clear, neither are credentialed members of the Tennessee Capitol Hill Press Corps. https://t.co/tPDvp2sDJ6
— CapitolPressTN (@CapitolPressTN) March 16, 2020
Lee, speakers announce plan to pass budget then recess General Assembly
The state Capitol was closed to visitors on March 16, 2020. (Erik Schelzig, Tennessee Journal)
Per Gov. Bill Lee, Senate Speaker Randy McNally, and House Speaker Cameron Sexton:
Over the last week, we have remained in close contact with the state’s health leaders, and we have continued to carefully monitor the complex and aggressive COVID-19 virus in Tennessee. The latest guidance from both the CDC and Department of Health requires us to take unprecedented action. In the best interests of public health, we have jointly decided to limit all remaining legislative business to fulfilling our constitutional requirement of passing a balanced budget, and any associated actions that will ensure Tennessee can keep its doors open. This is a serious time for our state and country, and we all must make adjustments in response to this threat. Our approach will take into account the unique public health challenges this complex virus presents, as well as the economic disruption likely to occur as a result of its spread. Passing an amended budget now and recessing will allow the General Assembly to focus on an immediate plan of action, while still determining needs down the road. This pathway forward should only be reserved for extraordinary circumstances. We will continue operating out of an abundance of caution and take additional action if it becomes necessary.
Lawmakers contemplate 8-week break to legislative session
The doors of the state Capitol were closed to the public on March 16, 2020. (Erik Schelzig, Tennessee Journal)
A series of secret meetings were being held in the closed-door Cordell Hull Building on Monday to determine how the General Assembly should proceed amid the coronavirus pandemic. Reporters got Senate Republican Caucus Chairman Ken Yager (R-Kingston) to shed some light on what was discussed among members. Here’s a transcript of what he had to say:
Ken Yager: The urgency of the situation dictated prompt action, so we just decided to talk to a few folks.
Q: What did you tell them?
KY: I just told them that we recognize the need to comply with the CDC guidelines, which have eight weeks. We’re looking at doing that. We’re tying to stay in compliance with the CDC guidelines. It’s important for us to follow the same guidelines that we’re asking other people to do…. We’re just trying to get word out to everybody, some of the members as they’re coming in.
This week we’ll focus on mission critical bills that we need to pass. We’ll let the speakers announce the rest of that.
New: Starting immediately and for the next 8 weeks, CDC recommends cancelling all events of 50 or more people. Full recommendation here: https://t.co/LrjUt4rl7B #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/OroIqhTYJo
— CDC (@CDCgov) March 16, 2020
Q: Is it being contemplated to pass a temporary budget and then recess while awaiting developments?
KY: I’ve not heard the word temporary mentioned. I think mission critical – there’s a discussion about whether we’re going to adjourn or recess. And if you adjourn, you pass a budget. If we recess to a date certain, then we certainly have the opportunity to continue to work on the budget during that recess.
Q: Why the sudden urgency when last week everything seemed fine?
KY: This issue is an evolving issue. And I think that we’ve had a chance to look at it. I’ll speak for myself, I think I’ve had a chance to talk to my local professionals and to review these guidelines with greater scrutiny after our discussions last week. And I’ve just drawn the conclusion, as my colleagues have, that we need to stay in compliance with what the CDC is asking, and set the example.
Q: How to you decide what’s mission critical? There’s a lot of key legislation that people care very deeply about still hanging out there. Does everything go by the wayside other than the budget?
KY: Those things that are mission critical, those are the things that we’ll keep. The budget, and those things that keep the state running that we have to do.
Lee calls on schools around Tennessee to shut down for rest of month
Gov. Bill Lee welcomes delegates to a summit on economically distressed counties in Linden on Aug. 13, 2019. (Erik Schelzig, Tennessee Journal)
Gov. Bill Lee is calling on schools around the state to close for the rest of the month to help stem the spread of the coronavirus pandemic:
As the response to COVID-19 evolves, I urge every school district in Tennessee to close as soon as practically possible, with all schools expected to close by Friday, March 20, 2020 at the latest. Schools should remain closed through March 31, 2020 to further mitigate the spread of this infectious disease and we will issue further guidance prior to March 31. Superintendents and local leadership have the full support of my administration to determine effective dates for closure this week as they evaluate what is best for families within their respective districts. We understand the tremendous burden school closure places on families and we will continue to work with both the federal government and school districts to ensure we continue essential supports like meals for students in need. Every Tennessean has a role to play in preventing the spread of COVID-19 and I urge Tennesseans to be quick to help neighbors as new needs surface with the closure of schools.
Lee is scheduled to begin holding daily media briefings on the state’s handling of the coronavirus crisis on Monday afternoon. Reporters attending the press conferences will have to undergo coronavirus symptom and temperature checks prior to entering the room.
