NASHVILLE – Amid soaring unemployment in their districts and pleas from voters to focus on jobs and the economy, Tennessee Republican lawmakers are flying to Arizona on Friday to present a do-nothing resolution to Arizona’s governor.
“Apparently Tennessee Republicans think political junkets to Arizona are more important than unemployment in [...]
NASHVILLE – State Senator Eric Stewart (D-Belvidere) joined Thursday with Governor Phil Bredesen and Economic and Community Development Commissioner Matt Kisber in applauding Miniature Precision Components, Inc’s decision to locate a distribution facility for thermoplastic injection-molded, extrusion- and blow-molded products for the automotive, lawn and garden and commercial industries in Morrison, Tennessee. The company has [...]
Sen. Eric Stewart (D-Belvidere) praised state and local officials for their quick and potentially life-saving response to a massive sinkhole that opened on Interstate 24 East near the Coffee County line on Tuesday.
“Pictures can’t show how enormous this sinkhole is. It truly is a miracle no one was hurt,” said Stewart, who saw the sinkhole [...]
NASHVILLE – State Sen. Eric Stewart (D-Belvidere) announced Tuesday that he would fight to maintain a 25-year-old program to reward high-performing teachers, despite Republican efforts to cut it from the state budget.
“Our teachers have worked with us throughout the legislative session on difficult decisions that helped us secure federal education dollars,” Stewart said. “To go [...]
NASHVILLE – State Senator Eric Stewart (D-Belvidere) celebrated the announcement Wednesday of 10 federal energy efficiency grants worth a combined $886,777 in State Senate District 14.
“I applaud these local governments for making energy efficiency an integral part of improving and updating their infrastructure,” Stewart said. “These funds will help save [...]
Spring is here, and that means we’re getting closer and closer to discussing the state budget. The final proposals were due this week, meaning you will see and hear a lot about the budget in the coming days. This week, however, I want to let you know about my efforts to support teachers in our [...]
PIKEVILLE - The Tennessee Department of Correction will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the new state-of-the-art Bledsoe County Correctional Complex. The prison expansion project was first announced in 2004 based on population projections which indicated the need for additional beds.
The new facility will have the capacity to house more than 1,444 inmates and create approximately [...]
NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Department of Agriculture has released the 2010 application for the Tennessee Agricultural Enhancement Program. Applications can be submitted June 1-7 and should not be postmarked prior to June 1. Applications are accepted on a first come, first serve basis, so producers are encouraged to apply early. Producer Diversification remains a competitive [...]
Last week Tennessee was named the big winner in the Race to the Top competition for federal education funds. The state will receive $500 million in federal money for our schools as a result of our commitment to innovation and reform.
But what happens now? Over the next four years, we will be expected to raise [...]
The Tennessee state legislature faced another full week of work with packed schedules and hundreds of bills to address. This week I want to update you on a bill affecting Tennessee farmers’ tax rates, and focus on two bills that impact the safety of our families and our environment by banning foreign nuclear waste and [...]