State of the State Address - Budget to Be Unveiled

Governor Bredesen will give his State of the State Address to a joint convention of the Tennessee General Assembly this evening. The address is expected to focus on the proposed budget, which will also be unveiled tonight. Many interested parties are nervous about the changes to come, with 6-9% cuts expected in many state departments and agencies. These cuts come on the heels of last year's cuts and cumulatively reflect over a 20% reduction in some departmental budgets.

Since many governmental functions are shared between state and local government levels (K-12 education, corrections, transportation, the court system, etc.) changes in the size and funding of state government impacts county government. The state shares certain streams of revenue with local governments, it reimburses local governments for some services they provide and it funds some operations jointly. Absent a groundbreaking piece of legislation, the state budget proposed tonight will probably have a greater impact on county government in Tennessee than any other individual piece of legislation considered and passed by the General Assembly this year.