►
Description
House Commerce Committee of the 2nd Extraordinary Session (B)- House Hearing Room I- October 19, 2021
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
We
can
ask
any
questions
we
would
like
of
her.
Then
we
are
going
to
ask
a
few
more
questions
to
the
administration's
team.
Then
we
will
go
back
into
session,
talk
amongst
ourselves
and
then
decide
the
ultimate
disposition
of
this
bill
as
we
have
it
here
in
front.
Does
that
sound
like
good?
I
hope
everybody
likes
that
your
benevolent
dictator
has
decreed
it.
So.
A
B
Hi
there.
Thank
you.
I
am
deborah
fisher,
I'm
the
executive
director
of
tennessee
coalition
for
open
government,
which
is
an
organization
that's
been
around
since
2003
tracking
access
to
public
records
and
open
meetings
and
promoting
the
right
to
know
of
citizens
of
this
state
what
their
government
is
doing.
B
The
tennessee
public
records
act
was
passed
in
1957
and
it's
basically
the
machinery
that
assures
access
to
public
records,
even
just
in
this
committee
earlier,
I've
heard
information
from
references
to
the
memo
of
understanding
to
a
proposed
pilot
agreement,
information
that
the
675
000
was
for
eight
months
and
there's
estimates
on
whether
it
would
be
after
that
and
running
the
authority.
I
want
you
to
know
that
those
records
that
memo
of
understanding
that
proposed
pilot
agreement-
those
are
things
that
are
not
being
released
as
public
records
right
now.
B
We
learned
about
them
because
they
were
brought
about
here.
Yet
you,
you
are
basically
voting
on
this.
The
public
doesn't
have
a
right
to
see
that
there's
been
a
journalist
who
has
requested
some
of
that
information.
So
when
we
talk
about
these
new
public
records
exemptions
for
the
authority,
you
know
I
just
put
that
out
there
in
terms
of
the
public
records
and
access
to
public
records
is
part
of
what
builds
in
accountability
for
our
our
government
entities.
B
We
assume
voted
on
in
a
public
meeting
by
the
mega
sites,
authorities,
board
of
directors,
but
the
details
of
that
pilot
agreement
or
any
other
agreement.
That's
voted
on
by
the
board
under
this
exemption
in
b
could
be
kept
secret
prior
to
the
vote
and
even
after
the
vote.
If
the
agreement
is
not
yet
entered
into
or
signed,
that
language
was
taken
directly
out
of
ecd's
current
exemptions,
but
they
don't
have
a
governing
body
that
votes.
B
It
would
be
a
public
vote
on
secret
details
and
we
think
that
flies
in
the
face
of
the
open
meetings
act
as
well
as
the
public
records
act.
We
suggest
that
language
be
added
that
the
contract
of
their
agreement
is
open
for
public
inspection
at
the
time
that
it's
presented
to
members
of
the
governing
body.
You
know
before
the
vote,
and
that
would
be
more
in
line
with
how
idbs
work
that
would
be
more
in
line
with
how
county
commissions
and
boards
of
alderman's
work
when
they're
approving
contracts,
like
that.
B
Probably
the
most
troubling
part
of
the
bill
is
c
113
c,
and
it
allows
the
ceo
of
the
mega
site
authority
to
keep
any
public
record
of
the
authority
confidential
for
five
years.
If
the
ceo
makes
a
determination
that
the
record
is
sensitive
and
would
harm
the
ability
of
the
authority
to
do
its
job
in
in
that
person's
opinion,
the
bill
does
propose
that
the
attorney
general
has
to
agree
and
sign
off
on
that.
However,
this
discretionary
authority
for
a
government
ceo
to
close
records
with
little
oversight
with
is,
is
really
disturbing.
B
The
ceo
could
decide,
for
example,
that
some
details
of
the
ford
agreement
or
some
other
agreement,
or
any
of
the
many
of
things
that
you
guys
have
talked
about
today,
which
would
normally
generate
public
records,
could
be
confidential
and
not
release.
Those
and
five
years
is
a
long
time
to
obscure
or
keep
information
confidential,
and
when
the
five
years
run
out
do
all
the
memos
and
records
associated
with
that
issue
still
exists.
B
B
A
A
A
At
this
point
in
time,
I
will
request,
if
there's
any
conversations
for
the
commissioners
and
from
the
from
our
miss
merrick,
our
capable
legal
staff.
I
have
one
question
and
I
think
this
this
kind
of
sums
it
up
from
from
where
I
I
sit,
and
I
think
you
could
probably
tell
by
now
that
I
have
my
concerns
about
the
the
authority
and
and
what
it
what's
going
on
in
it,
but
but
then
again.
A
A
A
I
guess
that's
my
point
is:
is:
is
this
y'all's
work
or
was
it
given
to
you
as
part
of
the
deal
during
the
deal-making
process?
That
would
be
my
question
because
if
it's
your
work,
that
leads
us
to
that.
That
gives
me
a
whole
different
perspective,
but
if
you
would,
whoever
wants
to
take
that
one?
I
would
appreciate
it,
commissioner,
ross.
C
C
D
As
part
of
that
memorandum
of
understanding,
we
have
appendix
and
addendums
that
talk
about
the
actual
lease
agreement,
the
pilot
agreement
and
the
accountability
agreement,
and
what
we
want
to
make
sure
that
all
tennesseans
understand.
Is
we
don't?
While
we
negotiate
those
agreements
once
they
have
been
negotiated,
they
are
presented
to
the
various.
I
think
the
state
building
commission
will
be
signing
off.
D
D
In
this
case,
we've
asked
for
that
same
potential
that
same
protection.
Only
because
a
lot
of
that
information,
we
certainly
don't
want
in
the
hands
of
our
competing
states
and
other
competing
companies
we
just
so
that
was
some
history
there.
With
respect
to
the
mou,
we
again
with
ford
motor
company
had
proposed
an
agile
body
that
ford
motor
company
could
work
with
and
again
it
was
to
streamline
the
entire
process,
whether
it's
roads,
whether
it's
tcat,
whether
it's
the
infrastructure,
whether
it's
water
and
sewer
services,
whether
it's
the
ed
capital
grant.
D
So
that's
really
where
our
conversations
with
ford
landed
with
respect
to
some
of
the
nuances
of
the
specific
language.
We
did
not
actually
go
to
the
great
details
to
think
through
thoughtfully,
exactly
the
nuances
of
this
potential
board
and
so
I'll
defer
to
the
governor's
team
and
their
legal
counsel.
E
Yes,
aaron
merrick
again
good
afternoon,
chairman
commissioner,
is
is
right
in
that
the
the
mou
and
the
nature
of
the
deal
that
was
negotiated
was
the
basis
with
which
we
drafted
the
legislation.
So
this
is
to
make
sure
I
understand
your
question
correctly.
This
was
by
no
means
a
situation
where
some
attorney
at
ford
sent
us
some
language
and
said
this
is
exactly
what
your
legislation
needs
to
look
like.
E
It
was
not
that
environment
the
environment
is
that
after
ecd's
extensive
negotiations,
those
set
a
a
background
against
which
we
drafted
this
legislation
to
make
sure
that
the
state
and
the
authority
had
all
the
powers
that
it
needed
to
do.
What
the
state's
obligations
would
be
under
this
mou
and
also
to
meet
ford's
expectations
as
far
as
how
the
state
would
operate,
nimbly
and
quickly,
which
was
one
of
their
largest
selling
points.
C
D
Of
context-
and
thank
you,
commissioner
ely,
so
historically,
we
would
not
go
through
the
the
efforts
of
an
mou.
I
think
the
last
mou
was
maybe
lgg,
electronics
and
or
hon,
kook
and
or
maybe
nokian
tire,
and
these
were
very
complicated
transactions.
99
of
our
projects
don't
go
through
an
mou
that
defines
the
business
points.
A
D
D
I
can
say
I've
been
involved
in
five
or
six
hundred
of
these
projects
since
being
at
ecd
that
our
team
has
been
a
part
of,
and
rarely
if
ever
do,
we
ask
for
this
kind
of
information
and
again
think
of
it
as
the
marketing
the
negotiating.
It's
all
the
back
and
forth,
and
just
here's
an
example
that
mou.
I
think
we
put
our
pencils
down
that
monday
night
before
the
announcement
and
it
was
iteration
number
38.
That's
how
many
rounds
we
had
gone
back
and
forth
with
in
negotiating
now.
D
The
great
news
about
this
mou
that
we're
talking
about
is,
ladies
and
gentlemen,
it's
all
of
about
14
pages.
So
it's
not
like
this
is
going
to
be
the
secret
sauce
to
the
globe.
At
the
same
time,
it
does
identify
business
points
so
that
when
we
now
move
forward
again,
every
we
didn't
sign
anything
only
because
you
have
not
legislated
and
provided
the
authority
for
us
and
the
financial
resources
for
us
to
move
forward.
So
that's
why
we
don't
have
any
signed
documents
now.
D
D
Now
again
they
did
four
did
one
assurances.
You
know
there's
a
great
exit
there
and
they
want
assurances
that
we
would
add
a
second
exit,
and
so
that's
tdot's
fairway,
so
tdot's
been
working
with
them
on
creating
those
assurances
and
again
no
binding
promises
other
than
this
is
an
understanding
of
a
best
efforts
from
tdot.
D
We've
got
the
tcat
again,
that's
not
binding.
That
is
our
best
efforts
that
the
general
assembly
will
fund,
in
this
case
a
40
million
dollar
tcat
facility
and
then,
of
course,
all
of
the
infrastructure.
That's
wrapped
around
general
services
and
again
those
again
are
best
efforts
and
only
will
turn
into
contracts.
If
and
when
you
appropriate
the
dollars
required
to
execute
those
contracts.
A
It
really
does
that's
that's
part
of
doing
business
and
part
of
transacting
business
and
what
the
thing
is
just
kind
of
you
know
it's
kind
of
one
of
those
things
that
that
you
ever
eat
cornbread
and
you
kind
of
suck
it
down
the
wrong
hole,
and
you
start
coughing
and
you
just
never
can
get
comfortable,
that's
kind
of
where
I
that's
where
I
am
on
on
this,
this
authority
board.
I
love
the
deal.
I
love
the
fact
that
ford
is
gonna,
bring
new
technology
to
us.
A
It's
gonna
change
the
outlook
for
people
throughout
particularly
our
region.
By
the
way
carville
tennessee
is
on
34
minutes.
I
tracked
it
the
other
day
from
the
exit,
but
the
the
things
that
have
been
outlined
in
here,
I
think
even
in
y'all's,
minds,
you'd
have
to
admit,
are
pretty
extraordinary
and
I
would
ask
you:
is
the
five
years
contemplated
for
sealing
records
the
initial
five
years
or
a
five
rolling
year
period?
Is
that
how
you
see
it
or
is
it
just
for
the
initial
five
years.
D
E
E
I
was
speaking
with
the
general
counsel
of
ecd
about
that
particular
provision
and
how
it's
been
used
in
the
past,
and
she
notified
me
that
in
her
10
years
of
of
serving
in
that
role,
there
have
been
two
maybe
three
instances
where
ecd
has
requested
something
like
that,
and
then
it
goes
to
a
review
process
with
the
attorney
general
which
I've
discussed
with
them
as
well
and
which
I
understand
to
be
very
robust.
So
it
is
a
it
is
a
five-year
period.
E
A
All
righty,
thank
you
and-
and
I
have
something
to
say
about
that,
but
but
we'll
let
that
slide
for
now.
My
last
question,
though,
has
to
do
with
the
structure
of
the
pilot
payments.
We've
got,
as
you
know,
there's
several
there's,
I
guess
haywood
and
fayette
county.
How
is
the
payments
in
lieu
of
taxes
will
that
go
to
the
county?
D
So
that's
the
backdrop
of
how
the
local
communities
and
what
the
communities
do
to
be
competitive
to
recruit
business
to
their
community.
Is
they
take?
What
would
be
the
normal
taxes
assessed
value
taxes
on
the
tax
rolls
and
then
they
basically
discount
those
payments
and
give
that
company
what
I'll
just
call
a
payment
in
lieu
of
tax
break?
D
And
so
in
this
case
the
locals
provided
a
pilot
program
for
us
to
present
to
ford
motor
company
and
we
negotiated
what
we
think
is
a
better
deal
for
the
local
community
and
again
in
a
traditional
pilot
program.
It's
the
community
where
the
assets
are
developed
and
built
out
that
take
the
advantage.
They
negotiate
the
pilot
and
then
they
receive
those
partial
payments.
D
And
in
this
case,
those
partial
payments
would
historically
go
for
school
system
improvements
or
sidewalks
or
other
infrastructure
emt.
I
can
just
think
of
all
of
the
requirements
for
the
community,
so
that
is
what
we've
negotiated
with
with
ford
motor
company
and
the
beauty.
Is
it's
not
only
an
escalating
amount
over
the
next
30
years,
the
sum
total
of
269
million
dollars,
but
it
also
has
a
whole
host
of
clawback
provisions
and
I'm
just
gonna.
D
The
state
has
the
ability
to
terminate
that
pilot
and
you're
going
to
say.
Well
what
does
that
mean?
As
soon
as
you
terminate
that
pilot,
then
the
tax,
those
assets,
5.6
billion
dollars
end
up
on
the
tax
rolls
in
this
case,
because
these
assets
are
being
built
in
haywood
county
and
then
it's
haywood
county's
opportunity
to
make
their
appropriate
assessments
and
generate
obviously
a
significant
tax
bill
on
an
annual
basis.
D
As
I
said,
there
are
a
couple
hundred
acres
that
are
in
fayette
county,
so
any
improvements
made
in
fayette
county
one
would
argue
that
pilot
program.
Those
dollars,
would
go
there.
At
the
same
time,
I'm
very
mindful
of
the
challenges
of
not
only
haywood
county,
but
the
adjacent
counties
and
the
needs
that
they're
going
to
be
experiencing
as
they
all
expand
and
grow.
A
Oh
that,
thank
you,
sir.
Thank
you
for
answering
that
does
anyone
else
have
a
question
for
our
witnesses
because
they
have
been
very
patient
with
us.
They
have
been
very
thoughtful
and
we
appreciate
that
very
much.
So
what
we'd
like
to
do
is
get
those
questions
out
to
them
and
then
so
that
we
can
go
back
into
session
and
conclude
our
confirmation
conversation
amongst
us
alrighty.
We
do
have
a
few
representative
miller.
F
Thank
you,
mr
chairman,
commissioner,
you
mentioned
earlier
the
relationships
between
snk
and
ford.
The
joint
venture
has
not
been
formed,
but
with
the
modu
now
that's
in
place,
although
you
haven't
signed
off
on
anything
until
we
pass
the
legislation,
so
is
the
mou
with
ford
exclusively
or
does
that
include
snk
in
the.
D
D
They
have
the
sole
right
to
do
that,
and
should
they
do
that
they
will
be
on
the
hook
for
an
accountability
agreement
for
the
5760
jobs.
They
will
be
responsible
for
the
payment
of
those
pilot
payments
made
over
the
next
30
years.
So
that's
one
extreme
scenario,
sir.
In
that
case,
ford
motor
company
does
have
the
option
to
take
down
all
of
that
money
and
again
they
have
to
deliver
the
number
of
jobs,
create,
commit
the
capital
expenditure
amounts,
etc.
D
F
F
D
An
hour
no,
so
we
put
our
pencils
down
in
that
negotiation.
You're
asking
the
right
question:
does
we
open
up
exposure?
No
sure,
but
I
can
promise
you
this.
We
were
focused
on
landing
ford
motor
company
as
an
oem.
That
was
the
big
prize.
This
joint
venture
is
not
noise.
It's
certainly
important.
It's
point:
it's
2.5
billion
dollars
of
capital,
it's
probably
of
the
5700
jobs,
approximately
2500
jobs.
D
I
mean
it
has
it's
it's
very
important
to
the
success
of
the
oem,
but
we
spent
all
of
our
energy
negotiating
with
ford
motor
company
and
then
that's
what
took
some
time
to
think
through
all
of
these
one-offs
that
you're
bringing
up,
but
I
can
promise
you,
we
again
engage
the
best
council
to
protect
the
state
to
make
sure
that
there's
not
a
gotcha
moment.
Sir.
D
Yes,
sir,
so
representative
bobby
rafkin
at
ecd,
the
short
answer
is:
we
engage
the
bradley
law
firm
and
we
engaged
the
bradley
law
firm
because
that
seemed
to
be
who
represented
everybody.
That
was
on
the
counter
party
on
all
the
other
transactions
that
we
had
worked
on
there.
So
there
are
three
or
four
fabulous
law
firms
that
are
very
focused
on
this.
It
just
happened
to
be
that
we
engaged
bradley,
and
so
they
did
help
us.
They
helped
our
general
counsel.
D
We
have
a
general
counsel
and
legal
team
inside
of
ecd,
but
needless
to
say,
as
good
as
they
are,
and
they
are
the
best
could
not
grasp
the
magnitude
of
this
project,
so
they
bradley
was
very,
very
instrumental
in
helping
us.
They
also
helped
us
with
some
of
the
modeling
of
the
language,
some
of
the
protections
that
would
be
their
fingerprints
on
some
of
the
those
protections
now
again,
but
going
back
to
the
basic
documents,
the
accountability
agreement.
That
is
our
state,
our
ecd,
are
you
know
so
those,
but
you
know
the
lease
agreement.
D
They
were
certainly
very
instrumental
in
helping
us
with
now.
At
the
end
of
the
day,
yes,
sir,
this
was
one
of
ford
motor
companies,
big
issues.
They
thought
there
are
so
many
moving
pieces
they're
in
such
a
hurry
and
they
create
the
nuances
of
a
joint
venture
and
all
of
those
they
were
looking
to
make
sure
that
the
state
of
tennessee
put
forth
its
very
best
effort
and
I'll.
D
Go
back
to
that
earlier
comment
that
bill
ford
told
governor
lee
and
bobby
roth
that
we
were
head
and
shoulders
ahead
of
everybody
and
that's
a
heck
of
a
statement
that
you
guys
deserve
to
have,
because
you
put
the
policies
in
place
to
make
us
a
successful
state,
and
so
that's
some
of
the
background
behind
this.
It
was
not
in
a
way
to
cut
out
or
limit.
D
It
was
a
way
to
be
agile
and
helpfully
have
the
right
people
the,
and
I
say
that
ecd
look,
I'm
not
looking
for
another
role
to
serve
on
another
board,
sir.
I
promise
you
at
the
same
time,
ecd
is
going
to
be
recruiting
another
12
to
15
suppliers,
general
services.
We
wanted
them
on
the
board,
because
general
services
has
a
150
or
60
million
dollar
build
out.
General
services
has
to
provide
water
and
waste
water
and
there
were
no
more
options.
D
G
I
may
just
follow
up
and
lastly,
on
the
confidentiality
issue,
let
me
let
me
ask
you
fair
to
say
kind
of
analogy.
You
know
the
titans
won
34
to
31
against
the
bills.
Last
night
you
know,
tennessee
is
in
competition
with
alabama,
mississippi
north
carolina
kentucky
everybody
like
that.
If
we
don't
have
this
confidante
confidentiality
provision
in
place,
we're
kind
of
giving
up
the
titans
playbook
to
everybody
else
in
the
nfl,
when
we
get
ready
to
go
up
against
another
match
the
next
weekend
is
that.
D
Yes,
sir,
again
bobby
roth
and
yes,
sir,
that's
exactly
that!
That's
a
very
relevant
point,
and
so,
while
we
don't
have
what
I'll
call
super
special
trade
secrets,
how
we
go
about
recruiting
and
some
of
the
some
of
the
nuances
and
how
we
go
about
negotiating
these
transactions,
there's
a
lot
of
give
and
take,
and
if
you
open
it
up,
which
you
know
if,
if
the
attorney
general
says
open
it
up
we're
going
to
do
that.
But
we
are
really
trying
to
protect
what
I'll
call
tennessee's
recruiting
sauce.
H
You
recognize
me
thank
you,
mr
chairman,
and
I'm
I'm
going
to
stay
on
that
open
records
issue,
because
I'm
somewhat
confused
with
this
bill,
which
authorizes
the
creation
of
the
authority
and
its
business.
I
don't
see
why
the
records
of
ecd
or
tdot
or
anything
else,
would
be
open
to
the
public.
Under
this
legislation
I
mean
this
legislation
deals
with
the
functioning
of
the
authority,
so
it's
it
just
seems
like
we're.
H
D
E
Aaron
merrick
again
representative.
Thank
you
for
your
question,
so
I
want
to
start
with
the
premise
that
is
also
stated
in
the
legislation
that
the
records
start.
As
is
open.
That's
our
starting
point:
unless
there
is
an
exception
that
is
applied,
so
I
don't
want
that
to
get
lost
in
our
discussion
of
particular
nuances
of
confidentiality.
E
The
documents
and
and
such
that
ecd
is
going
to
be
working
on
with
respect
to
this
deal
and
negotiations
and
working
on
projects
for
other
partners
to
come
to
the
mega
site
is
inextricably
intertwined
from
the
work
that
the
authority
is
going
to
be
doing
with
respect
to
managing
that
mega
site.
In
so
many
ways,
and
so
in
the
in
the
normal
course
of
affairs.
E
We
think
it's
highly
likely
that
some
of
those
ecd
documents
which
are
presented
in
the
hands
of
dcd
could
also
end
up
in
the
hands
of
the
chief
executive
officer
of
the
authority
or
others
who
are
doing
a
lot
of
the
management
work
to
get
this
done.
And
so
it
doesn't
make
sense
for
a
record
the
same
thing
to
be
confidential
in
one
place
and
not
confidential
somewhere
else
and
another
thing
that
I'd
like
to
point
out
about
items
that
that
the
board
itself
will
be
voting
on.
E
So
the
board
meetings
and
the
board
votes
are
subject
to
the
the
full
force
of
the
open
meetings
act
which
we've
laid
out
in
the
legislation
as
well
and
so
implicit
in
that
is
the
same
type
of
notice
and
public
access
to
to
the
meeting
materials
that
are
going
to
be
discussed
at
the
board
meeting.
So
it's
implicit
in
that
open
meetings,
access
that.
The
things
that
the
the
board
is
going
to
be
voting
on
are
going
to
be
open
for
all
comers
who
who
are
in
attendance
and
watching
that
meeting.
H
Kind
of
follow
up
on
that
again.
I
know
this
we're
creating
kind
of
a
super
board,
but
I'm
just
go
back
to
a
county.
Industrial
board
and
tdex
keeps
their
secrets
pretty
tight
and
and
again
in
and
but
the
and
so
from
a
county
industrial
board.
Nothing
ever
gets
released
until
usually
ever
well.
If
I
will
say
that,
but
but
I'm
just
don't
understand
why
we're
putting
this
public
records
restrictions
in
this
authority
when
we
don't
have
it
in
most
counties.
H
Industrial
boards
tdec
keeps
their
secrets
and,
and
I'm
not
asking
them
to
divulge
their
secrets
and
negotiations
or
marketing
or
anything
like
that,
but
all
actions
of
the
authority
itself
in
their
dealings
with
doing
their
business,
I
think,
has
the
right
a
public
and
of
view,
and
I
don't
think
the
ceo
should
be
able
to
arbitrarily
send
something
into
the
abyss
and
for
five
years
it
just
seems
like
we're.
Putting
a
lot
of
extra
restrictions
on
this
body
that
we're
not
doing
other
places.
E
So,
as
I
mentioned
a
moment
ago,
the
board
meetings
are
subject
to
the
open
media
acts
which,
which
covers
what
I
think
is
that
primary
concern
of
the
board
taking
action
in
secret.
That's
not
something
that
would
be
occurring
here
because
of
that
opens
meeting
protection
that
we
have
as
far
as
the
counties
and
municipalities
and
other
groups
that
are
doing
these
sorts
of
development.
E
There
are
comparable
statutes
that
deal
with
certain
types
of
public
records
protections
in
those
areas,
but
because
of
the
interaction
between
this
authority
and
ecd,
we
were
of
the
opinion
that
it
just
made
the
most
sense
to
choose
as
our
mirroring
statute
the
language
that
you
all
have
enacted.
Regarding
the
ecd
records.
I
Thank
you
chairman.
I
was
just
going
to
make
an
analogy
and
I
hope
I'm
on
point
maybe
help
the
committee.
I
had
a
business
for
24.
I
came
up
here.
I
had
a
business
for
20
years
and
I
still
wake
up
in
cold
sweats
at
night
thinking
how
hard
it
was
to
keep
that
business
going
for
those
years.
You
know
24-hour
days.
I
Sometimes
after
about
10
15
years,
we
built
up
a
competitive
edge
because
we
had
to
work
and
figure
out
what
it
what
it
was
like
to
to
beat
the
competition,
and
I
would
think
in
the
department
of
ecd
y'all
trying
to
build
up
a
competitive
edge
against
the
other
49
states
or
the
other
14
in
this
case.
So
I
would
we
would
work
hard
and
after
14
15
years
of
our
business,
we're
about
to
have
a
pretty
good
competitive
edge.
I
Well,
I
have
people
come
along
and
sometimes
they'll
be
wanting
to
start
their
own
business,
which
is
great,
but
they
say
well.
Where
did
you
get
that
product
from
I
said
you
know
it
took
me
15
years
to
figure
that
out,
and
so
my
point
being,
if
ecd
is
working,
to
have
a
competitive
edge
on
how
to
attract
industry
to
tennessee.
I
D
Yes,
sir,
and
as
we
all
know,
every
project
this
one
was
ultra
competitive,
but
today
every
project
is
competitive,
and
so
your
analogy
would
be
accurate,
and
so
that's
why
we
are
so
protective
of
again
our
secret
selling
sauce.
I
know
that
sounds
a
bit
silly,
but
at
the
same
time
the
results
we
are
so
proud
of,
and
the
last
thing
we
want
to
know
we
want
the
world
to
know
is:
do
we
don't
want
georgia,
knowing
what
we're
doing
we
don't
want
kentucky?
Basically,
the
contiguous
states
here,
that's
why
that
we
are
so
protective.
I
A
But
with
all
due
respect,
I
don't
think
it's
the
harboring
of
ecd's
secret
selling
sauce,
that's
giving
us
any
heartburn.
I
think
it's.
The
closing
of
records
of
a
yet
to
be
established
board
is
what's
giving
us
concerns
before
we've
ever
even
seen
them
operate.
That's
that's
at
least
that's
my
perspective.
I
want
ecd
to
continue
to
do
the
great
job
that
they're
doing
representative
parkerson.
You
got
something
to
share
with
us.
A
J
J
J
Of
course
I
wanted
in
shelby
county,
but
in
the
state
of
tennessee,
namely
women,
being
able
to
contract
people
of
color
being
able
to
contract
and
being
part
of
you
know,
being
able
to
benefit
from
the
onset
of
this.
This
big
deal
that
we're
all
of
us
are
sinking
one
billion
of
our
our
diverse
population
tax
dollars
into
yeah.
D
D
The
f
series
is
about
a
45
billion
dollar
brand
to
this
great
company
to
just
put
in
perspective.
That
alone
would
be
a
fortune
50
company,
just
the
ford
f-series
ford
motor
company
is
so
tied
in
so
sensitive
to
all
of
their
customers
and
how
they
treat
their
suppliers
and
their
interest
in
making
sure
that
they
engage
with
the
local
community
and
I'm
not
when
I
say
local
community,
I'm
talking
from
jackson
to
the
local
asset
at
the
mrm
to
memphis
tennessee.
D
They
wouldn't
be
coming
to
our
state,
and
I
can
just
promise
you
knowing
the
company
and
the
partnership
that
we've
created,
they
will
be
ultra
sensitive
and
ultra,
mindful
of
making
sure
that
all
of
these
small
to
medium-sized
businesses
are
considered
and
hopefully
will
be
not
only
taking
part
in
the
construction
but
providing
all
of
the
ongoing
ancillary
services
for
the
next
50
years.
Sir,.
J
J
If
we
have
a
dismal
track
record
and
and
you
know
here,
we
have
an
an
outlay
of
one
billion
of
their
dollars
and
and
then
and
and
the
proximity
to
memphis
and
shelby
county.
You,
you
hit
the
nail
on
the
head
here.
You
have
a
population
in
the
city,
that's
approximately
70,
plus
percent
african-american,
and
there
are
those
businesses
and
yet
the
the
the
business
outlay
for
for
those
that
are
even
in
that
city
is
dismal.
J
J
Is
you
know?
A
lot
of
women
have
not
been
able
to
to
do
that
same
thing,
and
a
lot
of
people
of
color
have
not
been
able
to
do
that
same
thing.
So
what
it?
What
it
boils
down
to
there
will
be
a
lot
of
white
males
that
they
create
generational
wealth
for
for
their
families,
and
we
want
everyone
to
be
able
to
benefit
from
their
tax
dollars.
You
know
on
this
big
deal,
because
this
is
everybody's
tax
dollars
that
are
being
outlet,
and
I
don't
know
how
we
get.
A
D
Yes,
if
I
could
just
close
to
respond
again,
this
is
a
partnership,
sir.
I
know
this
company,
we
know
them
well
and
what
you're
talking
about
is
just
as
important
to
ford
motor
company
and
that's
making
sure
that
everybody
enjoys
this
prosperity.
At
the
same
time,
you
mentioned
the
demographics
of
the
city
of
memphis.
D
The
great
news
about
the
kinds
of
jobs
that
are
going
to
be
30
minutes
away,
are
going
to
be
targeting
memphians
to
come
to
that
site
and
enjoy
those
great
wages
that
is
going
to
raise
their
prosperity
outlook
and
I'm
talking
about
significant
wages
that
are
available
that
are
going
to
be
available.
Maybe
are
not
available
in
the
city
of
memphis,
sir,
and
the
great
news
is
they
of
suff
such
family
wages
that
that
will
certainly
bring
anybody
that
chooses
to
come
from
whether
it's
memphis
or
jackson,
or
anywhere
in
between
to
work.
J
F
F
It
will
not
cost
any
money
and
or
legislation,
but
what
you
consider,
based
on
the
conversation
with
representative
parkerson
every
six
months
or
annually,
pretty
much
given
a
report
of
the
number
of
women
minorities
across
the
board
and
again
that
that
doesn't
cost
anything.
But
my
question
concerning
the
board:
will
the
board
have
an
office
in
haywood
county
or
on
the
grounds.
C
I
think
that
they
will,
I
mean
we
haven't,
I
don't
think
that's
been
finalized,
you
know,
but
it's
practical,
that
they
do.
As
I
mentioned
earlier,
as
we
as
we
look
forward
to
the
tcat
being
there
on
site,
I
think
it
makes
sense
to
probably
put
a
presence
there,
and
so
so
so
I
would
think
in
all
practical
terms.
Yes,
I
mean,
so
we
should.
Thank
you.
Thank
you,
mr
chairman.
A
We're
going
to
representative
todd
and
first
off,
let
me
say
to
our
witnesses:
y'all
done
a
great
job
today.
We
appreciate
you
spending
time
with
us
shedding
some
light
on
this.
This
issue-
and
we
appreciate
your
patience
with
us
and
thank
you
and
and
y'all
y'all
can
go,
do
the
great
things
that
y'all
do
every
day.
So
we
appreciate
it
very
much
and
miss
fisher.
If
you
could
come
answer
some
questions
from
representative
todd.
I
Thank
you,
mr
chairman,
and,
and
I
appreciate
miss
fisher
being
here
today
and
expressing
the
concerns
of
of
her
organization
and
herself
before
this
committee,
and
I
don't
want
her
to
think
that
we
take
what
she
said
very
lightly,
because
we
don't
that's.
This
is
certainly-
and
I
think,
as
you
can
see
from
the
follow-up
questions
and
comments
that
we
don't
take
it
lightly.
These
things
are
are
a
concern
to
us
as
well.
I
I'm
hoping
that
that
gives
some
based
on
what
we've
already
heard
about
the
reasoning
behind
some
of
the
the
trade
secrets
and
the
secret
sauces
that
that
can
give
some
level
of
confidence
that
certain
things
may
have
to
be
kept
secret.
But
with
the
oversight
that's
built
in
here
with
the
attorney
general
with
the
legislature.
I
B
Yeah
I
have
heard
some
things,
such
as
the
documents
being
available
at
the
governing
body
meeting
before
the
governing
body
meeting.
I
thought
I
might
clip
that
in
the
video
to
keep
that,
but
I
am
concerned
about
what
actually
gets
written
into
the
law,
because,
if
ecd
or
the
authority
were
interested
in
keeping
the
secret
sauce,
you
know
confidential.
B
That's
what
would
have
been
written
into
this.
That's
not
what
it
says
you
can
get
an
exemption,
a
narrow
exemption
for
their
playbook.
You
know,
that's
not
what
it
says.
It
just
says
a
public
record,
including
propriety
information.
So,
while
I
am
you
know,
I
do
appreciate
the
intentions
of
the
governor
and
of
this
body
when
it
comes
down
to
it.
The
statute
is
what
controls
when
you're
in
this
situation.
B
I
Well-
and
we
appreciate
you
being
here
and
and
bringing
this,
as
I
said
previously
and-
and
I
think,
with
the
mechanisms
that
are
here
with
the
ag
overseeing
this
and
and
having
to
give
authority
to
hold
certain
things
in
secret,
it
gives
me
some
more
concern.
I'm
not
concerned
but
more
comfort
and-
and
I
think
alleviate
some
concern
that
I've
had
on
it,
because
that
was
a
flag
to
me
as
all
as
well.
I
If
we
mimic
that
or
do
something
even
better,
then
I
think
that
gives
us
all
even
more
comfort
that
your
elected
representatives
that
are
closest
to
you
are
going
to
have
direct
oversight
and
input,
because
we
would
then
be
able
to
remove
those
members
of
the
board
if
they're
acting
outside
of
what
the
intent
of
this
is.
So
I'm
hoping
that
can
help
alleviate
concerns,
still
protect
the
secret
sauce,
but
but
alleviate
the
concern.
So
thank
you
again
for
for
bringing
what
you
have
today.
Thank
you,
mr
chairman,.
K
Thank
you,
mr
chairman,
and
in
closing
I
would
I'll
stand
before
you
today
and
thank
each
one
of
you
chairman.
Thank
you
for
your
insight
and
the
insight
and
the
questions
from
all
the
committee
members,
and
I
appreciate
the
time
of
the
of
the
commissioners
and
and
legal
to
to
clarify,
and
hopefully
your
answers
have
been
have
put
you
at
ease
and
made
you
feel
good
about
this
legislation
and
the
impact
it
will
have
on
communities
across
tennessee.
K
A
If
this
were
presented,
I
would
I
would
struggle
with
this
matter
if
it
were
not
bundled
into
the
mega
site,
deal
the
package
the
way
that
it
is
because,
frankly,
I
think
that
this
need
this
body,
this
mega
site
authority
needs
more
work
done
on
it.
I
think
that
there's
some
issues
that
can
go,
but
frankly,
whenever
you
don't
have
any
leverage,
because,
on
the
one
hand
you
have
share
some
administrative
concerns
about
a
board
that
is
yet
to
be
constructed.
A
Yet
the
opportunity,
in
the
other
hand,
is
so
big
and
so
massive
and
so
opportunistic
for
so
many
people
across
not
just
west
tennessee
but
but
in
the
entire
region
that
I
feel
like.
I
have
no
leverage,
and
you
know,
whenever
you're,
whenever
you're,
you
can't
say
no
to
something
and
walk
away,
you're,
really
not
negotiating,
and
that's
frankly,
that's
the
position
I
feel
like
I'm
in
today
is
that
this
on
one
hand
the
mega
site
deal
what
it
can
do
for
families,
families
that,
frankly,
have
not
had
many
opportunities.
A
A
It's
kind
of
like
saying
do:
am
I
not
going
to
eat
that
carrot
cake
because
it
doesn't
have
pecans
in
the
icing?
I
still
love
carrot
cake.
Would
I
prefer
it
to
have
pecans
in
it
yeah
I
would,
but
if
it
doesn't,
I'm
still
gonna
eat
it
and
that's
kind
of
the
way
I
am
about
this.
This
mega
site
deal
on
this
mega
site
board,
because
it's
it's
not
great.
A
The
fashion
that
it
came
to
us
in
was
not
great,
but
frankly,
the
end
product
and
the
mean
the
ends
that
it's
trying
to
reach
is
a
very
great
thing,
and
so
I
don't
know
how
each
of
you
are
going
to
be
voting
on
this.
I
always
ask
you
to
vote
your
conscience,
but
I'm
gonna.
I'm
gonna
keep
my
eye
on
the
prize
and
I'm
gonna
keep
what's
happening
there
off
the
off
the
exit
around
stanton
and
see
what
it
can
become
for
an
entire
portion
of
our
state
and
I'm
gonna.
I
Thank
you,
mr
chairman.
My
my
beard
caress
has
turned
into
some
contemplation
and
turned
into
another
question
and
you're.
You
led
to
another
question
and
I'll
ask
this
of
leader
lambert
because
of
his
his
vast
background,
not
only
here
but
in
the
legal
realm.
Is
there
anything
in
this
that
we're
voting
on?
That
would
prevent
this
legislature
from
going
back
and
changing
things
about
this
authority
later
on.
Does
it
does
it
set
in
motion,
something
that
we
just
can't
change.
L
L
This
is
what
is
necessary
today
to
get
this
ball
rolling,
because
there
is
zero
investment
there
now
and
zero
jobs
there
now
and
zero
tax
has
been
paid
to
the
locals,
and
what
we
have
is
an
opportunity
for
for
exponential
growth
there,
but
as
that
growth
comes,
I
hope
that
all
of
these
questions
continue
to
be
addressed,
and
there
is
nothing
in
here
that
cannot
be
changed.
The
contracts
that
are
signed,
even
as
the
commissioner
said,
can
be
amended
as
time
goes
by
and
other
joint
partners
come
in.
L
This
all
is
subject
to
continual
discussion
within
the
legislature.
I
will
say
that
I
hope
that
the
basic
tenets
of
this
we
stick
with,
because
that
is
a
promise
to
ford
or
sk
or
anybody
else
that
comes
into
this
state,
that
we
would
not
drastically
change
this
agreement
once
they
have
invested
billions
of
their
hard-earned
dollars.
I
mean
it
is
a
private
company,
but
all
of
this
can
be
changed
at
any
point.
H
Thank
you,
mr
chairman,
and
I
agree
with
your
remarks
that
this
is
this.
Bill
is
probably
98
99
a
great
piece
of
legislation,
but
I
didn't
I'd,
never
understood
it
could
not
be
tweaked
or
changed
or
it
was
it
was.
You
know
the
bill
as
presented
in
its
entirety,
for
for
a
piece
of
legislation
that
we
all
only
at
least
I
only
saw
last
night.
I'm
surprised
that
we
only
have
one
or
two
amendments.
H
You
know
it
almost
seems
like
several
amendments
would
have
flushed
out
by
there
so,
but
maybe
I'm
still
new
to
the
process,
but
I
I
guess
the
question
is
I
mean
between
there.
I
mean
this
committee
votes
for
this
legislation
between
there
and
tomorrow.
When
we
vote
on
it,
is
there
still
opportunities?
I
mean
if
there
are
going
to
be
amendments
to
the
floor.
If
someone
feels
strong
enough
to
do
anything,
is
that
the
appropriate
vehicle.
A
A
A
But
I
would
tell
every
member
here
is
that
the
hou
the
house
rules
is
adopted,
for
this
extraordinary
session
are
still
in
play,
that
if
someone
does
not
see
this
bill
coming
to
the
house
floor
in
the
shape
that
they
feel
passionate
about
it,
that
they
can
offer
up
an
a
thoughtful
amendment
to
it.
I
think
what
what
this
chair's
desire
to
do
for
today
is
for
us
to
pass
it
out
and
put
it
into
the
hands
of
finance
ways
and
means.
A
I
think,
though,
the
point
that
the
chairman
todd
leader,
lambeth
brought
up
is
is
one
that
frankly,
I
did
think
about
was
that,
while
this
seems
to
have
been
presented
to
us
in
a
manner
in
which
gave
it
leverage,
it
will
not
be
the
same.
In
january,
ford
motor
company
will
have
received
the
the
the
reassurances
that
the
state
legislature
is
behind
this
project
and
is
trying
to
give
them
the
best
opportunity
to
succeed
in
our
state
that
it
can.
A
Then
I
would
think
that
we
would
come
in
and
be
looking
at,
amending
amending
this
and
working
on
this
structure
at
that
point
in
time.
But
I
think
that
the
administration's
concern
and
ecd's
concern
is,
is
that
we
signal
to
ford
motor
company,
the
state
of
tennessee
and
the
elected
leaders
of
the
state
of
tennessee
want
to
do
business
with
them,
and
I
think
that
we
all
agree
that.
A
That's
something
that
that
that's
a
similar
signal
that
we
want
to
send
and
then,
if
we
need
to
work
on
our
deal
as
long
as
it
doesn't
basically
violate
any
of
the
primary
tenants
of
it,
because
what
I
heard
from
these
folks
today
was
is
that
this
is.
This
is
ecd
in
the
administration's
bill.
This
is
not
ford's
bill,
so
we
could.
We
can
open
that
back
up.
A
Let's
send
the
signal
we
need
to
signal
send,
and
I
think
there's
no
doubt
that
folks
understand
what
our
concerns
with
regards
to
this
project
moving
forward,
whether
it's
the
makeup
of
the
board,
whether
it's
the
contracting
vehicles,
that
they
use,
whether
it's
incentive
for
minority
or
women
owned
businesses.
Whatever
those
issues
are,
we
have
the
chance
to
continue
to
reiterate
that
to
them
and
for
that,
if,
if
there's
nothing
else,
do
we
we've
got
the
most?
The
motion
is
on
the
floor.
A
A
L
And
I
apologize,
I
was
not
providing
a
copy
of
the
amendments.
If
I
could
thank
you,
I
just
merely
wanted
to
follow
along
just
as
a
sponsor
the
bill.
I
was
kind
of
curious
what
amendments
have
been
filed
since
they
were
not
timely
filed,
and
I
think
it's
because
we
took
a
break.
I
think
that's
the
discussion,
but
I
think
I've
got
him
now.
Somebody
just
handed
me
something.
L
F
L
F
A
F
Code00995
would
simply
expand
the
board
from
seven
to
eleven
members,
two
members
from
the
senate
and
two
members
from
the
house
of
representatives
now
the
opposition
that
I've
gotten
on
this
has
come
this
way,
two
forms
it
makes
the
board
too
political.
That's
what
I've
heard
and
I've
never
understood
that
rationale.
It
makes
it
too
political.
F
What
do
you
think
we
even
hear
I
mean
come
on
and-
and
the
other
reason
is
that
we're
looking
for
experts
on
this
board
and
then
I
think
about
that
in
in
defense
of
my
legislative
colleagues,
we
have
some
of
the
best
lawyers
in
the
general
assembly.
We
have
some
of
the
best
engineers,
bankers,
doctors,
blue
collar
workers,
you
name
them.
We
represent
the
general
assembly,
but
to
tell
us
we're
not
skillful
enough
to
add
elected
officials
on
this
board.
F
F
Thank
you,
mr
chairman,
for
that
zero,
zero,
nine,
nine
five
four,
mr
chairman,
do
you
have
a
copy
of
this?
Yes,
sir?
We've
got
this
memphis
simply
says
that
and
we're
not
talking
about
the
seven
members
that
are
appointed,
especially
not
the
three
members,
the
commissioners,
but
the
other
remaining
members
that
are
appointed
by
the
governor
and
speakers
must
be
confirmed
by
a
majority
of
the
house
in
the
senate.
F
A
As
you
were
discussing.
This
is
that,
at
least
without
with
the
people
that
are
sitting
here
on
this
diocese.
We
face
the
scrutiny
of
the
voters
every
two
years
and
if,
if
someone
has
a
problem
with
what
we're
doing,
they
have
an
opportunity
to
exercise
their
right
to
for
redress,
and
so
I
wanted
to
let
you
know
that
we've
had
one
final
question
request
for
question
prior
to
the
prior
to
calling
the
question
by
chairman
powers
for
leader
lambeth.
M
Thank
you,
mr
chairman,
and
leader
lamberth.
I
brought
up
a
question
a
while
ago
when
we
had
the
commissioners
here,
and
it
really
wasn't
answered,
so
I
just
want
to
know.
If
maybe
you
could
answer
it
or
you
could
tell
me
where
I
could
go
get
that
answer
one
of
the
first
things
that
that
ford
would
have
done
before
they
came
here
or
before
they
looked
at
this
they
would
have
looked
at
you
know
what
is
the
break-even
point?
M
How
many
years
will
it
take
for
this
site
to
pay
back
or
how
many
that
investment
that
they're
making
to
pay
back,
and
they
would
also
look
at
the
return
on
investment,
whether
it's
10
50,
80
or
whatever,
and
so
I
asked
the
commissioners
that
and
I
never
did
really
get
a
an
answer
from
them.
So
I
was
just
wondering
I
know
somebody's
probably
got
the
answer
to
this,
because
they've
done
a
lot
of
work
on
it
and
you
all
have
had
to
look
at
it.
So
I
just
wanted
to
know
that's
all.
M
I
was
looking
for
the
return
on
investor,
the
percentage
that
we're
looking
at
and
then
the
number
of
years
to
take
it
pay
back
and
that
way
when
we
convey
it
back
to
our
constituents
and
we're
talking
to
them
hey
this.
This
is
going
to
pay
itself
back
and
then,
after
that,
you
know
we're
we're
clearing
money,
we're
making
money
at
that
point.
Thank
you.
Good
luck,.
L
So
when
you
kind
of
do
the
math
out
you're
talking
roughly
15
years
now,
what
the
commissioner
was
getting
to
earlier
that
that's
literally
just
the
base,
because
after
15
years,
obviously
that
investment
has
come
in
that
doesn't
include
hotels,
restaurants
stores
houses,
everything
else,
that's
going
to
be
built
around
this
area,
that's
literally
just
direct
sales
tax
dollars
that
are
coming
back
to
the
state
and
tennessee
of
the
people's
money.
So
our
return
on
investment.
L
That
is,
quite
frankly,
I
hope,
investments
that
we
would
have
been
making
somewhere
in
tennessee
anyways
and
we're
making
it
in
this
area,
because
we
have
a
large
company
and
and
they're
joining
with
another
company
to
invest
in
that
area,
but
we
would
have
been
investing
in
roads
and
water
and
others
in
other
areas.
Anyways
many
of
those
areas
already
had
some
infrastructure,
but
that's
hard
infrastructure,
so
the
return
investment
I'm
talking
about
is
really
on
the
500
million,
which
is
the
ecd
portion
of
this.
A
Thank
you,
chairman
powers.
I
want
to
bring
up
one
other
point
of
information
for
the
committee
that
representative
harris
had
also
filed
an
amendment
with
regards
to
the
authority
being
subject
to
auditing
by
the
comptroller's
office,
and
what
I'd
like
to
do
is
ask
legal
to
provide
us
that,
because
I
think
everybody
would
feel
better
knowing
that
that
is
indeed
part
of
the
process,
and
we
believe
that
it's
already
covered
through
existing
statutes.
And
so,
if
you
would
sure.
A
A
We've
got
a
question
on
the
bill
as
amended
to
send
it
on
to
house
ways
and
me
house
finance
ways
and
means
all
those
in
favor
of
doing
so.
Please
signify
by
saying
aye
aye
opposed
hearing,
none
it's
off
to
finance
ways
and
means.
Thank
you
for
your
work
and
service
today,
famous
chairman
members
of
the
committee,
and
we
are
going
to
adjourn
this
committee
subject
to
the
call
of
the
chair.