NASHVILLE – Tennessee lawmakers began a rush Thursday to wrap up their work before an eight-week recess, focusing largely on must-do bills before taking up Republican Gov. Bill Lee’s $40.9 billion budget now re-shaped to address coronavirus-related efforts and brace for an expected economic recession.
Last-minute bills included renewing an annual hospital assessment that maintains nearly $1.7 billion in state and federal funds for the state’s TennCare Medicaid program and a similar levy on nursing homes generating $395 million.
Another measure, led by Rep. Patsy Hazlewood, R-Signal Mountain, for the Lee administration, requires marketplace facilitators that handle financial transactions for companies’ selling products online to collect sales tax.
It is expected to generate $84.84 million for the state and $28.28 million for local governments.
Several last-minute controversies remained in play Thursday afternoon. Sen. Janice Bowling, R-Tullahoma, successfully moved a resolution through the upper chamber that allow local 911 emergency districts to hike their fees from $1.16 per line to $1.50 over the objections of Sen. Todd Gardenhire, R-Chattanooga, Senate Finance Chairman Bo Watson, R-Hixson, and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Mike Bell, R-Riceville.