Gov. Haslam’s budget hearings feature proposals to fight Tennessee’s opioid crisis

Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam speaks during the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee during a hearing to discuss ways to stabilize health insurance markets, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017. ( AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam speaks during the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee during a hearing to discuss ways to stabilize health insurance markets, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017. ( AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

By Andy Sher November 10, 2017 4 min read

NASHVILLE – Tennessee’s opioid crisis and ways to fight it were on full display during Gov. Bill Haslam’s budget hearings this week as official after official presented various proposals totaling millions of dollars to combat the addictive painkillers and deal with their devastation.

Children’s Services Commissioner Bonnie Hommrich, for example, pitched a $2.1 million plan to hire 30 more case workers, pointing to a 500-child jump in department custody cases from 8,100 to 8,500 children.

“We believe a lot of that is the result of the opioid crisis,” Hommrich told the governor and top administration officials earlier this week.

Meanwhile, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director Mark Gwyn said he certainly could use the 25 new anti-drug agents recommended earlier this year by a opioid task force created by House Speaker Beth Harwell, R-Nashville.

“I can spread them throughout the state and let them come together as a unit and go into these areas,” Gwyn told the governor of increasing the number of TBI agents from 125 to 150. “I really believe we can make a difference.”