Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen, Congressman Zach Wamp Recap 2007

As we start looking back at 2007, we find that two of Tennessee's top political figures have been keeping track of the year that was.  While Bredesen prepares for the start of a legislative session that could include budget cuts, Wamp heads off to Iowa to help his buddy Fred Thompson campaign for President.  Here are the recaps provided by both.

The following is Bredesen's recap: 

This year, Tennessee achieved real progress in education, promoting access to health care and healthier lifestyles, job creation and conservation.  A look back at 2007:

BREDESEN INAUGURATED FOR SECOND TERM 

January - Governor Phil Bredesen took the oath of office for a second term as Tennessee's 48th Governor after being re-elected in a landslide victory, winning all 95 counties in Tennessee. "Hear me now: I am rolling up my sleeves. I want these next four years to be the time when we set Tennessee on the path of truly putting our children and their education at the head of the list," Bredesen said. "Lots of things are important: health care and jobs and social services, but education needs to head the list because it is the most important way government pulls its weight to make things a little better for the next generation. To do this, we are going to have to be bold ... but that has never been a problem for Tennesseans."

TENNESSEE LAUNCHES COVER TENNESSEE PROGRAMS 

March - CoverTN and CoverKids were officially launched to provide health insurance for working Tennesseans and uninsured children. CoverTN creates a partnership between the state, small businesses and employees to provide coverage for the most needed medical services. Not a mandated or entitlement program, CoverTN is a voluntary initiative for uninsured Tennesseans to obtain private insurance in which the individual owns the plan, not the state or the company. CoverKids offers comprehensive health insurance coverage for children 18-years-old and younger, with an emphasis on preventive care and services most needed by children, including vaccinations, well-child visits, healthy babies program and developmental screenings.

FEDERAL AID DISASTER DESIGNATION REQUESTED FOR ALL 95 COUNTIES 

April - Governor Phil Bredesen requested the first of two federal designations for all 95 counties in the state of Tennessee.  In April, Bredesen requested a designation of agricultural disaster to help farmers suffering crop damages as a result of the spring's deep freeze and record low temperatures.  A second request for a designation of natural disaster for agriculture for all 95 counties would follow in July to help farmers suffering crop and livestock losses as a result of extreme drought conditions. Both designations were ultimately granted by the federal government, allowing farmers to apply for low-interest emergency loans to help them manage losses and plan for 2008.

HISTORIC EDUCATION LEGISLATION SIGNED INTO LAW 

June - Bredesen signed three education bills into law that marked historic investment in Tennessee public schools. "We are raising the bar for education in Tennessee with these important reforms and the adoption of a funding source to sustain this progress," said Governor Phil Bredesen. The three pieces of legislation signed into law by Bredesen included the Schools First/cigarette tax increase, BEP 2.0 and new accountability measures. As the legislative session ended with passage of the FY 2007-2008 budget, $25 million in new money was provided to fund 250 additional pre-K classrooms, bringing the state's total investment in pre-K to $95 million, and lottery scholarships for four-year colleges and universities were increased to $4,000 to help keep pace with the rising cost of college tuition. 

MOODY'S UPGRADE AFFIRMS TENNESSEE'S FISCAL STABILITY 

August - The upgrade of Tennessee's general obligation bond rating by Moody's Investors Service, following upgrades in 2006 from Fitch and Standard & Poor's, confirms that Bredesen's commitment to common sense budgeting, smart investments in education and health care, and record rain day reserves continue to move Tennessee in the right direction. With $250 million approved in the FY 2007-2008 budget, the state's Revenue Fluctuation Fund was lifted to a record $750 million in "Rainy Day" savings, and the upgraded bond ratings build the state's credentials toward a return to Triple-A credit rating. "While there are direct financial benefits from this upgrade, what this really means to Tennesseans is that our house is in order and we can keep our eyes focused on the future," said Bredesen. 

TENNESSEE RECEIVES 2007 SECRETARY OF DEFENSE EMPLOYER SUPPORT FREEDOM AWARD 

September - Governor Bredesen accepted an award on behalf of the State of Tennessee during ceremonies in the nation's capitol for outstanding support of state employees who are members of the National Guard and Reserve. The State of Tennessee was one of 15 employers nationwide to receive the 2007 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award, which is the highest recognition given by the U.S. government to employers. "It is an honor for the State of Tennessee to receive this award, and it is important that we continue to do our part to support state employees in the guard and reserve and limit the many sacrifices made by them and their families."  

BREDESEN CELEBRATES THE NON-SMOKERS PROTECTION ACT 

October - October 1 marked the first day of enforcement of the Non-Smokers Protection Act. The Act, which Bredesen signed into law in June, prohibits smoking in all enclosed public areas across the state with few exceptions. "This is an important step that will have a positive effect on the health of all Tennesseans," Bredesen said, "It's also a historic occasion as Tennessee becomes the first traditional tobacco state to enact such a comprehensive statewide smoking ban."

BREDESEN LEADS LARGEST TRADE MISSION TO ASIA IN STATE HISTORY                                                                           

October - Governor Bredesen led the largest and most wide ranging trade mission to Asia in Tennessee's history, traveling first to Japan to attend the annual meeting of the Southeast U.S.-Japan Association and then to China. The delegation visited Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong with a focus on building greater economic and cultural ties with one of the state's fastest growing customers. As part of the trade mission, Bredesen opened the state's first economic development office in the People's Republic of China. The Tennessee China Development Center is located in the Chaoyang District of Beijing.

TENNESSEE AIR NATIONAL GUARD'S 118TH AIRLIFT WING RECEIVES NEW MISSION 

October - Governor Bredesen and Maj. Gen. Gus Hargett announced the selection of the Tennessee Air National Guard's 118th Airlift Wing for the proposed stand-up of a C-130 transport aircraft Formal Training Unit. The unit will conduct day-to-day peacetime training of international airmen in preparation for the wing's federal wartime mission. The decision was the culmination of efforts by Tennessee National Guard Bureau and U.S. Air Force officials who worked tirelessly to insure that the 118th would continue to fly out of Berry Field, Nashville. 

HISTORIC LAND ACQUISITION PROTECTS 127,000 ACRES ON THE NORTHER CUMBERLAND PLATEAU 

November - Tennessee celebrated the completion of a historic 127,000-acre conservation acquisition on the northern Cumberland Plateau.  The project, called "Connecting the Cumberlands" because it connects the acquired property with other publicly owned land, creates a swath of protected forestland for preservation and public enjoyment that totals 200 square miles - about twice the size of the City of Knoxville. "This marks the successful conclusion to the largest land conservation initiative in our state since the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was dedicated in 1940," Bredesen noted.

The following is Wamp's recap: 

The new Democrat leadership in Congress failed to build a consensus to bring several critical bills to the floor for a vote in a timely manner this year. Instead of working all throughout the year in a bipartisan manner, the Democrat leadership waited until the last minute to compromise on bills that fund the federal government and our troops, and address how to proceed on critical issues like the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), Medicare physician reimbursement, an Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) patch and an energy bill.

The budget process has been sloppy this year with irresponsible spending levels that were well above the President’s original budget request. Republicans held our ground against the new majority, standing firm in our roots of fiscal discipline. Once the President and the Democratic leadership came to an agreement on adequate funding for our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, I was able to support their compromise on the year-end spending bill to fund the federal government and its programs.

This year was particularly hard for our farmers because of the natural disasters that have adversely impacted much of our nation. Tennessee has been one of the states most affected by the drought that began earlier this year and swept across much of the southeast United States. Congressman Lincoln Davis and I sent a letter to the Appropriations Committee leaders asking them to include disaster assistance to cover losses incurred by Tennessee farmers. As part of the year-end spending bill, Congress agreed to provide more than $600 million in vitally needed aid to farmers in the Southeast. 

Throughout the year, I have consistently supported a 33 percent increase in funding for SCHIP without expanding the program to illegal immigrants and children of upper-income households. We must make sure that the needs of millions of children, who would otherwise not have access to quality health care, are met. And at the end of the session, after not being able to reach an agreement on a long-term solution, the majority compromised and we were able to pass the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Extension Act. The final bill extends SCHIP for 15 months with additional funding for states that are expected to exhaust current budgets.

In addition, it includes a provision to allow Medicare to reimburse doctors at near current levels for the next six months. This temporary fix will keep a scheduled 10 percent cut in doctor reimbursements from taking place. Now is the time to encourage doctors to see new Medicare patients, not discourage them. While these are not permanent solutions, this bill will provide funding and reimbursement until a more comprehensive agreement can be reached.

The alternative minimum tax (AMT) was originally enacted in 1969 to make sure that a small number of very high-income taxpayers, paid at least a minimum amount of federal taxes. Because the AMT is not indexed for inflation, every year, more and more taxpayers are subject to increased taxes and Congress needs to change that. With the compromise legislation that passed, the AMT patch will keep more than 20 million American taxpayers from paying an average AMT bill of $2,000 in additional taxes next year.

The new majority proposed two energy bills earlier this year, which I opposed because instead of providing incentives and easier access to a variety of energy sources, they created more regulation on our industry and increased taxes. However, I was able to vote for a third compromise bill, as it no longer contained the tax increases or mandates for utility companies that would have caused energy rates for consumers to rise. Even though the compromise energy bill does not go far enough in encouraging domestic production or providing incentives to promote nuclear energy, we can’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. There are some things not included that are disappointing, and there are things in there that shouldn’t be, but at the end of the day this is the best chance we will get anytime soon to advance alternative energy solution and move towards energy independence.

Congress still has a great deal of work to complete in the months ahead to address the crucial issues facing our country, such as immigration reform, long-term solutions to make health care more accessible and affordable for all Americans, reforming the national education law called No Child Left Behind that should have been reauthorized by this year’s end and closing the gaps in our foreign intelligence gathering. Neither political party has cornered the market on great ideas. My sincere hope is that we can work together to make meaningful progress on these and the many other matters that are significant to the American public.