Tennessee House of Representatives 112th House Education Administration Committee, 9 Feb 2022

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From YouTube: House - Higher Education Subcommittee - February 9, 2022

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Higher Education Subcommittee House Hearing Room 3

A

All right welcome back. Everybody today is uh tuesday february the 8th, and I hereby call the higher ed subcommittee into order all right. Madam clerk, if you would please take the role.

B

Representatives, paul cochran, darby, gillespie, hakeem, parkinson, chairman white chairman lafferty, here.

A

B

You have a quorum.

A

Thank you for that. uh Let's see before we get going, do we have any personal orders before we begin all right, seeing none! Wonderful! We've got uh three bills on the calendar today, first up house bill by representative doggett. Please proceed.

A

Representative you're recognized.

C

Thank you, mr chairman and committee. It is a pleasure to see everyone here this morning or this afternoon. Rather this is an exciting day for me, as a member of the general assembly and also as a resident of southern middle tennessee.

C

Last year, governor bill lee added what was formerly known as martin methodist college, into the university of tennessee system and is now known as ut southern and today, with this piece of legislation, we are adding the university of tennessee southern into the tca code to make it official.

C

We also are creating a campus advisory board and adding one of the ut southern students to the rotation cycle for the ut board of trustees. And if you have any questions, I stand ready to answer and mr chairman.

A

Thank you for the explanation chairman white you're recognized.

D

Thank you chairman. No, no questions just wanted to say thank you for this. About a year before um governor lee and ut, martin methodist came into the ut southern. I went down to visit the campus and this is a beautiful school down there and I just think it's a great addition to the ut brand and looking forward to great things to come in the future. Yes,.

C

Absolutely thank you.

A

Representative akeem you're recognized.

A

Oh, we have a call for the question, any objections, seeing none all right, all those in favor, all those in favor of passage of house bill 2019, please indicate by saying aye those opposed hearing, none. I believe uh you have it there, sir we're going to pass you on to the higher education committee. Thank.

C

A

Full committee- thank you. Yes, sir.

A

All right next up house bill, 1959 by representative wright, not seeing him at this moment. Let's uh put that one to the hill and we'll move on now to uh item number three by representative hall house, bill 847 and not seeing representative hall either. Excuse me one second,.

A

All right, we do have a request from representative hall to roll that bill for two weeks, so we will go ahead and make that happen.

A

Now we are back on item number two and I see my friend from knox uh representative wright. You are recognized when you're ready on on house bill 1959, sir.

E

Thank you, mr chairman. uh First I appreciate being allowed the opportunity to run in and out because everybody's in a hectic schedule today also on this house bill 1959.

E

I would also like to thank all of the co-prime sponsors for their support of this particular bill over the past three years. A study by the education recovery and innovation commission, frequently referred to as eric, has produced findings which have been given priority by the education committee and support by governor lee.

E

The basis of this bill is to is that each state college of applied technology location will make available the opportunity com to complete at least one program from the tcat by a student graduating from high school in the county, where the tea cat is located.

E

A little bit of background would be. There are like 19 tea, tcat locations.

E

And in knoxville, or the knoxville location, for example, has and then maybe this is where the 19 comes from. They have 19 different programs.

E

The there will be the ability for each graduating high school student in that county to participate in a program, that's the basis of the bill. I appreciate your support and I renew my motion.

A

Thank you for that explanation. Chairman white you're recognized.

D

Thank you very much and thank you for bringing this bill members. I think everyone may know this, but just wanted to add to the significance and appreciate resident wright carrying this remember. Two years ago we passed the legislation creating the nine-member, eric commission, education, recovery and innovation, and they met for a year and a half nine very qualified people from across the state and they wrapped up their their hearings uh and they gave a report and they gave us six or seven recommendations.

D

So we took those six recommendations and created bills representing rights carried one of those and because very a lot of very smart people. We put the commission in place. They gave us a report, we we didn't want to set it on the shelf, and so this is one of those bills, and so thank you very much.

E

And let me correct the record: there are 26 tcats state of tennessee and six currently contract in the county in which they're located. So it's a it's a program that I think tcat.

E

The board's regents all recognize that they'll be able to expand their programs to accommodate this training requirement.

A

Thank you for that representative parks and you're recognized.

F

Thank you, mr chair, and thank you uh representative for bringing the bill. I'm I actually want to sign on to the bill. uh I do have a question, though um you know where the fiscal note lies. Is it with the lease or is it going to be with the state or is it with both and and you know, do you have plans for funding? How do we get? How do we get it funded because we, I really want to see this bill come happen.

E

Thank you, mr chairman. I think I'm in the best of both all three worlds here, uh one is that this committee has studied and made a recommendation. The education committee is picking it up and placing a priority on it, and the governor is providing the funding in his budget.

E

Am I correct on that? Mr chairman.

A

I have not seen the final details of that budget. Okay,.

E

I'll stand by that until I'm corrected represent.

A

Parts of please.

F

Thank you for that. That's that that is a good posture to be in, and chairman white might be able to answer that question about the governor's budget.

D

I think that's correct, but we'll both check on that right.

E

I've got a piece of paper here. I think that reflects that. Thank.

F

You thank you. Thank you for that man that's good bill. I I and I'm glad that recommendation came down the pike. I'm looking forward to this. It's gonna be extremely helpful. You know to all of our our students to have that opportunity to get. You know, add something to the.

E

The the posture that the state of tennessee is taking toward high school graduates having some career knowledge under their belt before they graduate from high school, is a great direction for this committee to be headed in absolutely.

F

Thank you, sir. Thank you, mr chair. Thank you, mr smith.

A

Representative cochran.

G

Thank you, mr chairman and representative rod. I had a similar question and you you may have just answered it, but it was about the the fiscal note. I didn't know if they explained why it would cost 9 million. If it were additional instructors at tcat or did they provide you any detail, then I've got just a quick follow-up and that.

E

Is the posture it's it's providing more program and it's not being mandated that it be done, it's being funded, because it's a necessary step uh by all those uh involved that this is the direction we need to head in.

G

Okay, thank you and I I agree. I think it. uh I think it would be great when you have that high school graduate, if they are basically job ready, that they have that that certificate from a tcat- and it seems like there are some practical ways that we could combine those programs for for students who are on that technical path to incorporate that tcat training at a high school level. Anyway.

G

Now I think it's a great idea as well, and hopefully there's some some some cost efficient ways to combine those programs appreciate you bringing it right.

E

And as we look at knox county or the city of knoxville tcat, there are 19 programs that exist, so we will be adding to we'll be adding membership to curricula. That already exists great. Thank you very much.

A

We may have a little bit more to add to the question about the funding that this may be tied in with the dual enrollment expansion that's going on, um so that may be where some of those funds are coming from.

A

uh Do we have any other questions, just one quick one, and this isn't jermaine today, but something that occurred to me. Geographically, we've used the county lines to hem in these tcats with the schools, and I understand, funding at schools is different county to county. Have you heard any discussion about uh proximity being used if you've got uh high school? That's just over the line from a tcat in another county. The verbiage.

E

That's in this legislation is in the county where the t-cad is located.

A

We'll come back to that at another time, then all right, thank you for that. uh Any other questions all right. Seeing none we'll be voting on uh house bill 1959., all those in favor indicate by saying aye any opposed the eyes have it. Thank you, sir. You've been.

E

Commissioner, chairman.

A

And committee, all right, your bill will be moved to uh education, full.

A

Well, that quickly concludes our calendar for the day. uh If there's no other personal business, do I have a motion to adjourn? We are adjourned.