Tennessee Legislature wraps up 2009 session - Memphis Business Journal:

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billion state budget that reflectsda 1.3 percent decrease in spendingt from last year’s The session began this year with the dethroning of Democratr Jimmy Naifeh, who served two decades as Speaker of the Hous e of Representatives before Republicans took over both houses of the Tennesseer Legislature for the first time since the Civil War. With a $1.2 billio n shortfall in revenuethis year, few billsw with any fiscal note attachexd were able to pass, and Republican legislators focusesd on bills that expanded gun owners’ rights and limiteed business taxes. Legislators didn’t substantially change Gov.
Phil Bredesen’s fiscal year 2009-2010 budget but did trim about $40 milliomn in spending. But Bredesen says he is “pleased” with the revisionz and says they largely reflect his spendinv outline first detailedin March. His budget proposa was unique because it wasa multi-yea plan to incorporate the billions of dollars in federal stimulues funds Tennessee is entitled to under the American Recoveryu and Reinvestment Act, which will flow through states agencies over several years. According to the the 2009-2010 budget: • Fullu funds the Basic Education the state’s funding formulaw for K-12 education; • Provides an additional $11.
6 million for new capital maintenance project on higher education campuses; • Fully fundes economic development projects currentlu underway, including in Bradley County, in Montgomery Countt and • Provides for development of a megasite in West including a five-megawatt 20-acre solarr farm as part of Bredesen’s Volunteer Stat Solar Initiative; • Utilizes bonds undeer a four-year plan to fund bridge replacementf and repair.
The governor also says he is pleasesd the legislature passed hiskey bill, the Tennessew Clean Energy Future Act of which he drafted to help attract greej business and green jobs to the statew and leave Tennessee a national modeol for such inititiatives as his gubernatorialk legacy. The bill requires statwe government to overhaul its fleets and buildings with more energg efficient productsand materials, and extends an emerging industry tax credit to qualified businesses in the clea energy technology sector. It also createsd a limited statewide residentialbuildingb code.