Education, health care, taxes key ’07 state agenda
By John Rodgers, jrodgers@nashvillecitypaper.com
January 02, 2007

• In health care, the United Health Foundation ranked Tennessee 47th in its health rankings released in early December.
  
• In a study on children, which included education, Tennessee ranked 46th in the overall well-being of kids, according to the 2006 Kids Count Data Book.
  

On taxes, the state has one of the highest sales taxes on food in the nation at 6 percent while having the 47th lowest cigarette taxes at 20 cents per pack.

Besides those mainstay issues, one area that could see significant attention is the regulating or outlawing of smoking in bars and restaurants or at least giving local governments the authority to do so.

It all adds up to a year in state government when proposals that seek to improve or change these rankings will be debated among Gov. Phil Bredesen’s administration, Democrats and Republicans in the state Legislature, and the special interest groups that lobby them.

The Legislature convenes Jan. 9.

“I think it’s going to be a wide open session and all kinds of issues are going to come up,” said Ed Cromer, editor of the nonpartisan Tennessee Journal newsletter. “It will be a very lively session.”

HEALTH CARE

Last year, the state Legislature passed into law Bredesen’s umbrella Cover Tennessee health insurance initiative. It came toward the tail end of the main public outcry over Bredesen cutting about 170,000 people from the TennCare rolls.

This year, eligible Tennesseans can actually enroll in the various Cover Tennessee programs and start to receive coverage.

The rollout of Cover Tennessee makes 2007 the beginning of the program’s testing ground to see if large numbers of state residents will enroll, especially when they have to pay a portion of the costs as required by two of the initiatives.

One of those plans, CoverTN, which is targeted at the working poor who currently lack health insurance, requires the both the individual and employer to pay about $50 a month, while the state chips in an additional $50.

“I just think that’s a healthier and much better platform to build on,” Bredesen said of the shared responsibility of the costs rather than a completely government-funded program.

In addition, Bredesen started Get Fit Tennessee to raise awareness among Tennesseans about the risks associated with the high number of obese state residents.

EDUCATION

As usual with state government and education, funding and where to spend those funds will likely be the largest point of discussion.

Urban school districts, such as Nashville’s, would like to see more state money for growing numbers of youngsters who speak English as a second language and for poor K-12 students. Metro has the highest number of English language learner students in the state.

Also, Bredesen will like to see his pre-K program expanded to encompass more classrooms so that more 4 year olds can attend.

TAXES

Many say the sales tax on food is the state’s most stable source of revenue since food is a constant need. But in election year 2006, many state candidates said the state needed to start cutting the sales tax on food, which currently sits at 6 cents per dollar.

Last year, Republicans in the state Legislature announced they would again push in 2007 to start cutting the sales tax on food. But some Democrats and Bredesen are cautious since it provides a continuous stream of revenue.

“We believe we should give the money back by cutting taxes, specifically the sales tax on food,” Sen. Mae Beavers (R-Mt. Juliet) said in a press release announcing the agenda.

Also, proposals to raise the state’s per-pack cigarette tax may be discussed. Last year, Sen. Rosalind Kurita (D-Clarksville) backed a measure to raise the tax by 71 cents – which at that time would put Tennessee at the national average - and devote much of the raised revenue toward expanding health care.

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