Due to low interest rates, the state of Tennessee is going to save over $37M in the coming years.  With the economy beginning to recover, today is the time to look at refinancing.  Just as someone with a mortgage knows, if you have the ability to lower your interest rate to save money, you do it.  That is what the state did with this bond sale.

On Wednesday, the State of Tennessee sold 0ver $449 million of General Obligation Refunding Bonds. The goal of this refinancing was to achieve debt service savings over the life of the debt equal to four percent of the present value of the refunded bonds. The State surpassed this goal, achieving 7.46 percent present value savings totaling more than $34 million.

Gives Tennessee flexibility to measure progress with state-specific goals and rigid standards

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam lauded the approval byU.S. Department of Education officials of Tennessee’s waiver request from certain portions of the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).

Tennessee was the first state to request a waiver and was one of only 10 recipients of the first round of waivers. The Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) accountability model under NCLB has been an ongoing obstacle for schools and districts because it does not fully account for schools’ growth.

Re: Animal Control still a hot topic in Sumner County, 2/8/12

I was disappointed in the article published on 2/8 and feel it was not a true representation of what happened in the Emergency Services meeting. Even though it was not on the agenda, Chairman Jim Vaughn was gracious enough to allow some of the animal representatives in the audience to voice our concerns regarding animal control issues. I felt the talks by both Diana Townsend and myself was presented in a positive and constructive manner, both expressing the concerns of not just ourselves but of the animal community. Several Commissioners voluntarily made themselves available for further discussion after the meeting adjourned.

It won’t make the front page of many big papers or lead the nightly news, but Congress is taking real steps forward in reforming the way we spend your tax dollars.

For too long the federal budgeting process has been dysfunctional and dishonest. A combination of faux-savings, gimmicks and loopholes has created a system where Washington is predisposed to spend more money each year. My freshman class was sent to Washington to shake up the system, restore accountability and stop spending money we don’t have. And while we have made progress by changing the conversation from “How much can we spend?” to “How much can we cut?” there’s more to be done.

We are attacking business as usual on multiple fronts. In the Senate, Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions has introduced legislation to strengthen the Senate’s rules against budget trickery. I along with my friend Marthy Roby from Alabama and 27 members of the freshman class are taking up the effort in the House.

Every year, the Tennessee General Assembly convenes in a joint session and invites the Governor to give an address known as the State of the State.  During this speech, the Governor typically unveils his legislative priorities, as well as his budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Recently, Governor Bill Haslam delivered his second State of the State address in Nashville.

Let me say that I have a great deal of respect for Governor Haslam and I stand ready to work with him on the major issues facing our state. And I certainly look forward to working with Governor Haslam on the most important issue facing Tennesseans – jobs.