FW&M appropriations panel adopts wide-ranging earmarks, grant pools and disaster relief funding

A preparation subcommittee meeting of the Finance, Ways & Means appropriations process approved dozens of amendments and earmarks after a long series of voice votes and procedural calls.

The panel adopted major disaster-relief and capital funding measures including a $25 million earmark for Northeast Tennessee disaster relief related to Hurricane Helene, a $20 million earmark to Erwin Utilities Authority for wastewater plant replacement, and a $78 million TennCare services buyback funded from shared savings. Members also approved a $37.5 million appropriation for a TCAT Nashville Robertson County replacement campus under the Tennessee Board of Regents and $10.3 million for replacement equipment at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.

Why it matters: the package bundles many local earmarks, capital projects and statewide grant pools that will direct one-time and recurring funding to local governments, educational institutions, health-care providers and emergency-response entities across Tennessee.

Body

The committee proceeded primarily by calling amendment numbers and taking voice votes. Several items were adopted after motions and seconds; several others died for lack of a second or were included in larger “AA” (attached amendment/allocations) packages, according to the meeting record.

Major approved items called during the meeting included: - Hurricane Helene disaster relief: $25,000,000 earmarked from the relief and recovery fund for Northeast Tennessee disaster relief (adopted). - Erwin Utilities Authority: $20,000,000 from the relief and recovery fund for local match to replace a wastewater treatment plant (adopted). - TennCare buyback: $78,000,000 in buyback for TennCare services funded through the annual hospital segment and shared savings (adopted). - Tennessee Board of Regents: $37,500,000 for a TCAT Nashville Robertson County replacement campus (adopted). - University of Tennessee Health Science Center: $10,300,000 for replacement of educational and scientific equipment (adopted). - University of Memphis: $5,400,000 from the victim crime intervention fund for campus safety and security (adopted). - Veterans, emergency-response and community grants: creation of a $20,000,000 nonrecurring grant pool for volunteer fire departments, a $5,000,000 pool for rescue squads, and a $5,000,000 pool for emergency medical services (all adopted). - Buyback and shared-savings allocations: the committee approved the TennCare buyback (see above) and other shared-savings allocations identified in the record.

Local and program-specific earmarks adopted (representative list): - Bean Station Sewer Project: $1,500,000 (adopted). - Veil Bulls Gap (town): $450,000 (adopted). - Special Olympics of Tennessee: $250,000 nonrecurring (adopted). - Middle Tennessee State University scholarships (public–private partnership): $1,400,000 recurring (adopted). - Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office: $400,000 nonrecurring (adopted). - City of Kingsport: $500,000 nonrecurring as local match to a TDOT grant (adopted). - Bledsoe County water lines: $1,000,000 nonrecurring (adopted). - Lane College comprehensive wellness program: $150,000 nonrecurring (adopted). - Pediatric dental rate increase to TennCare: $4,000,000 recurring (adopted). - Mel Malone Family Foundation (finance administration): $250,000 nonrecurring (adopted). - Sevier County waterline extension: $2,000,000 nonrecurring (adopted). - Claiborne Heritage Center (Graham Kibbit House restoration): $750,000 from Historic Property Land Acquisition Fund (adopted). - Department of Agriculture regional agricultural affairs: $1,500,000 nonrecurring (adopted). - Johnson City Railroad Experience (museum grant pool): $50,000 (adopted). - Construction of a turn lane in Tellical Plains: $131,350 nonrecurring (adopted). - Epilepsy Foundation of East Tennessee (caregiver support): $500,000 nonrecurring (adopted). - City of Milan (land purchase for industrial park, ECD fast-track funds): $6,800,000 (adopted). - Interfaith Health Clinic renovation and equipment: $500,000 nonrecurring (adopted). - iJAMS Nature Center accessibility improvements: $50,000 nonrecurring (adopted). - City of Oak Ridge body-worn cameras: $2,500,000 from the victim crime intervention fund (adopted). - Live Like Lou Foundation — ALS research via Vanderbilt: $1,000,000 nonrecurring (adopted). - YMCA of Metropolitan Chattanooga — youth hub makerspace: $500,000 nonrecurring (adopted). - Building construction workforce center (vocational school): $100,000 nonrecurring (adopted). - Overton Park Shell, Inc. renovation and preservation: $1,000,000 nonrecurring (adopted).

The committee also approved a range of grant pools and program-level appropriations, including museum capital grants, courthouse restoration grants, senior citizen center grants, and targeted support for food bank operations and flood preparedness in western Tennessee.

Items that failed or were not moved

Several amendment calls “died for lack of a second,” and many items were noted as “included in the AA” with no separate vote recorded. Examples explicitly recorded as failing for lack of a second included Senate amendment numbers 101 and 103; multiple other numbered amendments were also announced as dying for lack of a second during the meeting. The transcript records many entries where the chair called for a motion and none was offered.

Procedure and committee process

The meeting proceeded in serial order by amendment number; the chair called out each senate and house amendment number, members indicated motions and seconds where offered, and the committee took voice votes. Where items were bundled into the AA (the attached/aggregate amendment), the chair indicated the funding would be provided in that package rather than on standalone votes. The committee also voted to reconsider one previously acted item (Senate Amendment 47) and approved adding a recurring grant for maintenance of the Tennessee Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Bell Buckle.

Ending

After completing votes on the second sheet of amendments and the house unique amendments, the chair declared there was no further business and asked for a motion to adjourn. Members moved and the meeting adjourned.

Votes at a glance (representative — all adopted items were approved by voice vote unless otherwise noted): - Hurricane Helene disaster relief (Northeast Tennessee): $25,000,000 — adopted. - Erwin Utilities Authority (wastewater replacement): $20,000,000 — adopted. - TennCare buyback (annual hospital segment/shared savings): $78,000,000 — adopted. - TCAT Nashville Robertson County replacement campus (TBR): $37,500,000 — adopted. - UT Health Science Center equipment: $10,300,000 — adopted. - University of Memphis (campus safety): $5,400,000 — adopted. - Volunteer fire department grant pool: $20,000,000 — adopted. - Rescue squad grant pool: $5,000,000 — adopted. - Emergency medical services grant pool: $5,000,000 — adopted. - Numerous local earmarks and museum/cultural/historic preservation grants as listed above — adopted.

(For a full item-by-item record, see the committee minutes and official roll-call minutes maintained by the clerk’s office.)