►
Description
House Finance, Ways, & Means Committee- Budget Hearings- March 22, 2021
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D
You,
madam
chairman,
and
we
were
discussing
down
here
and
obviously
on
the
other
end
too,
which
is
why
we
got
in
trouble
for
talking
straight
into
committee,
but
what
we
were
discussing
is
we
appreciate
your
leadership
on
this
committee.
Thank
you,
madam
chairman,
for
leading
us
through
the
last
few
weeks
we
appreciate
you.
A
A
First
up
will
be
the
tbi
and
so-
and
I
will
remind
everyone
that
on
your
dashboard,
you
will
see
the
presentations
some
of
them
may
be
on
the
screen
as
well,
but
you
do
have
access
to
them
on
your
dashboard.
So
with
nobody,
saying,
nay,
we're
going
to
go
out
of
session
and
proceed
with
our
first
budget
hearings.
So
the
director
and
your
team
would
come
forward.
E
E
E
Throughout
our
state,
the
jurisdictions
that
you
represent
to
closing
down
major
major
drug
efforts
by
a
number
of
cartels,
we
we've
knocked
out
a
cartel
out
of
columbia
and
one
out
of
mexico
this
year,
and
so
tbi
professional
staff
continues
to
respond
and
represent
our
state
very
well,
the
request
we
have
before
you
we'll
start
with
the
non-recurring
funds.
We
have
1.3
million
that
we
have
requested
for
digital
transformation.
E
What
what
that
entails
is
a
number
of
things:
everything
from
upgrading
and
updating
our
telephone
system
that
is
completely
out
of
date
to
providing
equipment
and
upgrading
our
infrastructure
in
terms
of
our
technology,
the
one
of
the
things
that
we
do
in
the
bureau
we're
a
bit
separate.
While
we
work
very
closely
with
sts.
E
We
have
a
number
of
separate
efforts
that
that
take
place
inside
the
bureau,
because
we
maintain
the
criminal
justice
information
systems
for
our
state,
and
so
we
we
we
need
to
work
on
those
systems
and
that's
that's
what
this
request
will
address:
four
million
dollars
for
the
afis
system.
If
you'll
recall
last
year,
before
the
pandemic,
we
came
before
you
asking
for
six
million.
E
Ultimately,
10
million
during
the
pandemic,
we
actually
worked
hard
and
came
up
with
a
six
million
dollar
grant
from
the
federal
government
to
assist
us
in
paying
for
this
system,
and
so
our
request
is
for
four
million.
That
is
in
other
funding
that
will
assist
us
to
close
that
out
and
get
that
system
where
it
needs
to
be,
and
so
we're
excited
about
that.
That
piece
on
the
recurring
side
we've
asked
for
one
uniform
officer
and
that
officer's
position
will
be
out
at
the
new
jackson
lab.
E
As
you
know,
each
of
our
regional
labs.
We
have
protection
and,
and
that's
what
this
officer
will
do-
is
protect
our
lab
in
jackson,
and
then
we've
asked
for
20
criminal
investigative
division
agents,
special
agents.
That
request
continues
from
last
year,
where
we
were
moving
forward
with
our
request
for
25
and
then
the
pandemic
hit
and
took
out
all
all
those
improvements,
and
so
the
issue
still
remains.
We
still
have
a
need.
E
We
we
found
ourselves
when
we
did
the
assessment
on
where
we
stand
with
our
agents
that
do
the
criminal
investigative
piece,
peace,
and
these
are
the
agents
that
are
out
there.
That
answer
the
calls
in
our
communities
for
addressing
everything
from
homicide
to
rape
robbery,
all
of
the
major
crimes
that
are
occurring
in
those
communities
that
don't
have
the
resources
to
address
those
crimes.
E
We
have
48
current
in
our
in
the
state.
Of
course,
we
have
95
counties,
and
so
this
will
definitely
assist
us
in
being
able
to
address
the
need
throughout
our
state.
When
we
did
the
assessment,
we
looked
at
the
surrounding
states.
What
we
found
was
we,
we
were
last
out
of
10
states.
We
were
10th
in
terms
of
the
number
of
agents
serving
100
000
population
in
our
state,
and
then
we
also
looked
at
violent
crime
where
tennessee
was
in
those
ten
states
that
surround
us.
Nine
states
that
surround
us.
E
We
were
first
in
violent
crime,
and
so
we
certainly
see
the
need
for
the
the
the
agents
in
in
this
in
this
budget,
and
then
the
last
thing
I'll
hit
on
is
our
reduction.
We,
we
were
able
to
realize
a
1.5
million
dollar
reduction
that
we
that
we
provided
or
presented
and
that
that
1.5
million
came
from
the
pandemic.
Basically,
what
we
learned
was
we
were
able
to
do
some
things
differently.
We
were
able
to
train
differently.
E
A
A
G
Director
good
to
see
you
hope,
you're
doing
well
this
morning,
just
a
quick
question
on
fixed
compression
pay
scales.
With
the
five
million
you
requested,
5.1
million
the
fixed
compression
pace
goes
issued,
but
the
crest
was
not
funded.
How
do
the
agents
get
pay
increases
under
your
current
salary
structure
and
what
changes
would
the
5.1
million
have
allowed.
E
You
to
make
thank
you
for
that
question.
So
currently
the
the
compression
issue
exists
because
tbi
was
in
a
pay
plan
and
we
still
have
that
that
plan
that
we
are
in
that
just
was
never
funded,
and
so
there
was
never
the
opportunity
to
keep
the
the
pay
scales
appropriately,
balanced
and
appropriately
spaced.
E
Currently,
we
work
under
the
the
the
current
system,
and
you
know
our
our
agents
get
raises
our
employees
get
raises
all
employees
get
raises
based
on
the
the
state
pay
system
right
the
and
I
just
forgot
the
name
of
it-
pay
for
performance,
and
so
we
we
currently
work
under
the
pay
for
performance
plan.
What
what
the
5.1
would
do
is
write
the
scales
so
that
pay
for
performance
will
then
just
take
it
from
there.
E
What
were
these
four
positions?
Thank
you
chairman.
So
the
the
positions
were
critical
positions
inside
of
our
professional
team,
so
two
were
inside
of
our
technical
services
side,
so
they
were
positions
that
work
again.
As
I
mentioned,
we
do
a
lot
of
our
own
computer
work
and
systems
work,
and
so
those
two
positions
actually
were
critical
positions
just
were
unfilled
for
a
very
short
time
actually
and
they
are
needed
to
to
maintain
our
infrastructure
within
the
bureau.
D
D
Chairman
director
always
good
to
see
you
if
I
can
see
you
here,
thank
you
so
much
for
your
hard
work
and
the
work
of
your
team.
I
mean
it
just
whether
it's
combating
sex
trafficking
or
some
of
the
the
highest.
You
know
wrong
drug
dealers
out
there
or
just
assisting
every
single
department
in
the
state.
I
know
you
know:
I've
had
extensive
conversations
over
the
years
with
officer-involved
shootings
to
make
sure
that
we
get
to
adjust,
result
and
get
the
bottom
of
every
circumstance
there.
Where
there's
especially
loss
of
life.
D
We
really
appreciate
all
your
hard
work.
So
thank
you
for
that.
This
question
goes
more
with
the
buzzing
presentation
you
originally
gave
to
the
governor's
office.
So
in
that
presentation
you
talked
about
the
aphis
fingerprint
system
and
that
there
were
six
million
dollars
that
was
in
the
budget
that
was
not
needed,
because
there
was
federal
money
that
was
put
into
that
system.
That's
good
usage
of
federal
funds.
Thank
you
for
doing
so.
D
E
And
thank
you
leader,
so
the
the
4
million
is
all
part
of
the
complete
package
of
completely
re-uh
vamping.
Quite
frankly,
it's
it's
a
it's.
A
complete
overhaul
of
the
afis
system.
Our
our
system
is,
is
outdated.
It
is
in
in
dire
need
of
of
complete
overhaul,
and
so
that
four
million
goes
with
the
six,
the
the
and
actually
it
was
part
of
an
agreement
in
order
to
get
the
that's
it's
kind
of
on
the
on
the
edge
here.
E
But
in
order
to
get
the
six
million
from
the
federal
government,
we
had
to
be
able
to
show
that
we
would
be
able
to
get
the
four
million
to
complete
the
entire
process,
so
that
will
take
care
of
the
the
the
need
there
is
an
ongoing
maintenance,
but
we
already
have
that
budgeted.
So
those
funds
we
already
have-
and
so
we'll
be
able
to
maintain
the
system
after
that.
But
this
is
going
to
put
the
system
up
to
where
it
needs
to
be.
D
Thank
you
and
again,
thank
you
for
all
of
your
work
and
your
team's
work,
and
I
know
we'll
talk,
probably
some
of
the
further
questions
about
some
of
your
needs.
As
far
as
additional
agents
you
mentioned,
and
then
also
with
the
laboratory
testing,
I
know
that
that's
a
constant
battle
to
just
stay
ahead
of
the
curve
on
getting
results
back
on
a
variety
of
things
that
you
guys
test.
Thank
you.
Thank
you,
leader,.
A
E
A
C
Thank
you,
madam
chair
director.
Good
morning,
we
miss
you
even
after
these
last
couple
years
we
miss
you
and
your
leadership
in
knoxville,
but
are
thrilled
that
you're
here
state
agency
and
thankful
for
the
work
that
you
do.
A
question
related
to
the
digital
transformation
you
mentioned
in
our
committee
questionnaire.
You
had
you
would
reference
the
fact
that
you
guys
had
received
or
receiving
a
500
000
grant
with
that
being
said,
have
you
received
the
500
000
grant
and
do
you
still
need
the
1.3
million?
C
E
Yeah,
thank
you
representative,
yes
and,
and
I
miss
knoxville
as
well,
but
I'm
quite
frankly
enjoying
my
time
with
this
great
organization.
Yes,
so
the
the
grant
actually
handles
a
specific
area
that
that
we
had
a
need
in
that
that
we
were
asked
in
that
area
if
we
could
meet
and
that's
dealing
with
internet
crimes
against
children,
and
so
that's
what
the
grant
addresses
is
that
that
specific
area,
the
1.3
is
still
needed,
because
it
is
for
more
broad
upgrading
and
updating
of
our
systems
and
our
equipment.
H
Thank
you,
madam
chair
director.
Again,
thank
you
so
much.
I
echo
the
the
comments.
We
appreciate
your
work
very
much
38
pages
of
answers
to
our
questionnaire.
Thank
you
very
much
for
that
thorough
response
to
our
questionnaire
that
we
put
out.
It
is
by
far
the
most
diverse
and
unique
in
terms
of
answers
of
where
all
your
dollars
come
from.
So
I
appreciate
that
last
year's
budget
we
placed
four
million
dollars.
H
E
Yeah,
thank
you,
sir
representative.
Yes,
we
actually
we're
looking
good
for
21
and
and
yes,
they
have
helped
us
tremendously
in
order
to
stay
positive,
and
so
we
are
in
great
shape
right
now,
fiscally
our
team
has
done
a
great
job
of
watching
the
ball
very
closely
and,
and
we
and
and
the
fixes
actually
worked
and
so
we're
we're
excited.
We
appreciate
we
appreciate
the
the
fix
that
was
put
in
place
and
it's
been.
It's
been
very
effective.
C
E
H
C
E
Yeah,
thank
you,
sir,
and
so
it
was
eight
positions,
six
agents
and
two
field
or
two
forensic
scientists,
and
we
are
in
the
process
of
filling
those
right
now
we're
actually
in
the
hiring
process
right
now,
where
it
we're
at
second
interview,
so
we're
close
to
getting
that
filled
and
the
we're
actually
in
the
process
of
hiring
two
forensic
scientists,
one
for
dna
in
the
knoxville
lab
one
for
dna
out
in
the
new
jackson
lab.
Thank
you
and
thank
you
for
your
service.
Thank
you.
A
E
I
I
In
the
memphis
forensic
science
services
division,
we
were
experiencing
a
backlog
and
you
know
people
getting
a
chance
to
bury
their
loved
ones.
There
was
multiple
reasons:
text,
toxic
toxicology
reports,
and
you
know
we
were
getting
calls
from
people.
Can
you
help?
What
do
we
need
to
do?
Can
you
talk
about?
You
know
where
we
are
now
with
that
and
maybe
behind
the
two
additional
positions
will
help
into
this
end.
Could
you
give
us
an
update
on
that
and
what's
going
on
with
the
memphis.
E
Yeah,
thank
you
representative,
so
so
we
have
actually
as
a
result
of
the
pandemic.
One
of
the
one
of
the
things
that
has
happened
is
we
have
seen
a
a
a
a
decrease
in
the
amount
of
evidence
we
have
in
backlog,
and
so
we
had
21
000
pieces
of
evidence
that
it
that
that
was
needing
to
be
processed
when
the
pandemic
started.
We're
we're
at
11
000
now
now.
E
The
challenge
obviously
is:
when
courts
open
back
up,
then
we
will
find
ourselves
with
the
same
issue.
We
were
having
prior
to
this
and
so
we're
working
on
some
solutions
with
the
courts.
We're
hoping
that
the
the
potential
and
possibility
of
virtual
testimony
in
some
cases
will
allow
us
to
keep
agents.
This.
The
agents
on
the
bench
are
scientists
working
evidence
rather
than
having
to
wait
in
court
to
testify,
and
they
may
or
may
not
testify.
E
With
the
public
defenders,
we're
hoping
that
everyone
will
come
to
an
agreement
that
there
is
appropriate
time
where
virtual
testimony
can
be
done
and
we
think
that
will
help
in
terms
of
our
in
terms
of
our
turnaround
time
we
still
will
handle
requests,
and
so,
if
somebody
requests
that
a
piece
of
evidence
gets
worked
quicker,
we
do
that
now.
Every
time
we
do
that,
of
course,
that
pushes
other
evidence
behind
and
so,
but
but
when,
when
we
get
those
requests
from
da's
from
chiefs
from
sheriffs
throughout
the
state,
judges
and
so
we'll.
I
Thank
you
also,
you're.
A
few
years
back,
the
the
tbi
did
a
wonderful
report
on
human
trafficking
and
what
was
happening
in
the
state,
and
I
think
we
was
recognized
nationally
for
the
work
that
we
were
doing,
and
it
was
a
lot
of
conversation
around
training
law
enforcement
on
how
to
identify
human
trafficking
different
than
you
know.
Prostitution
and
just
you
know
what
are
some
of
the
elements
of
human
trafficking,
and
so
could
you
give
us
an
update
on
where
we
are
with
that?
E
You
know
the
biggest
thing
is
basically:
we've
gone
with
the
mission
and
the
concept
of
teaching
our
local
agencies
how
to
fish,
and
so
helping
them
understand
how
to
do
these
operations
where
we
don't
have
to
you
know,
bring
all
of
our
agents
in
to
to
run
the
operations.
We
now
work
very
closely
with
our
local
agencies
to
do
that.
We
have
a
grant
that
we're
working
right
now
that
that
has
helped
us
create
task
forces
throughout
the
state.
A
And
I'll
just
add
to
that,
I
know
an
effort
that
I
believe
began
in
chattanooga.
Actually,
with
a
group
there,
that's
really
paid
dividends,
not
only
training,
law
enforcement,
but
working
with
hotels
and
other
places
where
that
sort
of
activity
occurs
and
helping
the
people
who
work
in
those
facilities
to
understand
and
look
for
the
signs
and
know
when
there's
an
issue
that
should
be
reported,
and
it's
it's
a
horrible
problem
to
have.
A
But
I'm
glad
that
we
are,
I
won't
say,
we're
on
top
of
it,
but
we're
certainly,
I
think,
making
strides
in
our
state
that
are
above
and
beyond
what
other
states
are
doing.
And
I
there
are
a
lot
of
people
to
thank
for
that
from
volunteers,
on
the
ground
to
law
enforcement,
and
you
guys
so
I
do
appreciate
that
next
on
my
list
is
representative
lynn.
A
All
right
to
go
back
to
the
rape
kits,
and
could
you
just
help
us
put
a
number?
I
know
we've
had
a
backlog
leader
camper
alluded
to
that
in
her
questioning.
But
can
you
just
help
us
put
a
number
on
where
we
are
and
when
we
might
actually
be
caught
up-
and
I
know
that's
dependent
on
the
number
of
forensic
scientists
and
I'll
do
another
piece
of
that
question?
A
I
believe
I
remember
you
telling
me
at
one
point
that
once
these
folks
were
hired
the
forensic
scientists,
it
was
something
like
16
months
to
two
years
before
they
were
actually
effective,
could
work
on
their
own.
So
it's
a
it's
a
long-term
process,
but
can
you
just
give
us
some
indication
of
of
how
that
problem
is
hopefully
dwindling
and
when
it
might
be?
I
know
it's
never
going
to
be
immediate,
but
when
it
might
be
more
current.
E
E
Rape
kits
now
keep
in
mind
that
they
continue
to
come
in,
and
so
they
continue
to
have
to
be
worked
and
so
and-
and
we
continue
to
look
for
additional
resources
to
assist
us
with
that.
We've
we've
sent
a
lot
of
these
out
to
private
labs
to
be
worked,
but
even
those
that
get
sent
out
they
come
back
and
a
scientist
has
to
review
them,
and
so
that
takes
time-
and
so
I
I
know
mike-
can
give
you
more
detail
in
terms
of
where
we
are
specifically
with
that.
A
A
J
Okay,
that's
better!
I'm
mike
little,
I'm
assistant
director
of
the
forensic
services
division
for
tbi.
When
we're
talking
about
rape
kits,
I
guess
there's
a
couple
of
different
ways
that
we
need
to
categorize
them
in
terms
of
unsubmitted,
rape
kits
rape
kits
that
have
been
sitting
on
a
shelf
somewhere.
I'm
not
aware
of
any
of
those
left
in
tennessee
that
we're
processing
going
back
to
2006.
We
had
as
many
as
12
000
and
change
from
memphis,
as
well
as
another
couple
of
thousand
across
the
state.
J
Those
have
all
been
processed,
either
at
the
tbi
lab
or
at
outsourced
labs,
as
the
director
mentioned.
In
order
to
search
those
in
the
coda
system,
they
have
to
be
technically
reviewed
by
a
scientist
at
tbi
whether
they're
worked
at
a
private
lab
or
not.
That
was
a
huge
undertaking
for
us
and
we
are
now
I'm
happy
to
say
that
that
is
behind
us
and
I
have
no
indications
that
there
are
any
backlog,
sexual
assault
kits
in
tennessee
to
be
worked
now.
That
brings
us
to
current
sexual
assault
cases.
J
J
A
Well,
thank
you
for
the
work
done
in
that
area.
I
know
it
was
a
heavy
lift
because
of
the
backlog
and
and
sadly
it
is
an
ongoing
issue.
It's
we're.
Never
gonna
you're,
always
gonna
get
another
one.
That
is
true,
but
thank
you
for
making
that
a
priority.
I
think
it's
pretty
important
to
a
number
of
us
on
this
committee
that
we
can
continue
to
address
that
and
and,
as
you
say,
once
courts
begin
again,
then
there's
a
real
opportunity
that
that
that
22
weeks
moves
further
out.
A
So
I'm
hoping
with
your
additional
forensic
scientist
and
perhaps
the
courts
working
with
you
on
virtual
testimony
that
we'll
be
able
to
make
that
at
least
not
get
it
any
worse
and
hopefully
in
time
bring
that
down,
because
a
lot
of
things
can
happen
in
22
weeks
if
we
have
a
serial
rapist
or
whatever
out
there
working.
So
thank
you
for
that.
H
Thank
you,
madam
chair.
I
know
we've
got
a
few
other
questions,
but
but
since
we
seem
to
have
a
little
bit
of
time,
I
do
want
to
remind
and
maybe
inform
some
of
our
newer
members
that
that
the
origination
of
the
tbi-
and
this
was
expressed
to
me
by
chairman
faison,
reminded
me,
chairman,
faison,
that
the
tbi
had
its
origination
with
a
murder
case
in
greene
county.
The
publisher
of
the
of
the
newspaper
was
very
frustrated.
H
So
it
was
certainly
some
shared
shared
energy
and
resources
to
to
work
that
crime
so,
and
I
think
that
the
the
facility
here
in
middle
tennessee
has
has
an
honoring
plaque
in
the
name
of
john
m
jones
jr,
who
is
just
passed
away
fairly
recently
at
the
ripe
old
age
of
101
within
the
last
decade,
and
and
that's
a
a
great
gentleman
helping
to
organize
the
organization
that
we
have
right
now.
So
thank
you
for
my
trip
down
the
memory
lane.
Madam
chair.
D
Chairman,
it
actually
was
on
a
different
topic
same
witness,
though
so.
Thank
you,
madam
chairman,
but
mike.
I
just
want
to
say
it's
very
good
to
see
you
for
those
that
don't
know.
Mike
little
I
mean
when
I
was
a
young
assistant
district
attorney
any
time
I
ever
had
a
question
about
anytime
anything
dealing
with
the
lab
or
forensics
or
anything
else
mike
was
my
first
call.
D
They
took
it
as
the
absolute
gospel.
So
thank
you
all
for
taking
your
time
on
that.
Thank
you
for
doing
the
job
you
do
and
again
I
just
appreciate
your
friendship.
I
wanted
to
recognize
you
in
the
committee,
because
we
go
back
a
long
way
and
I've
watched
you
kind
of
rise
to
the
ranks
over
there,
and
I
just
really
appreciate
your
work.
Man.
Thank
you.
J
Thank
you
for
that,
and
and
and
maybe
to
follow
up
on
one
comment
and
the
director
touched
on
this.
Not
all
cases
for
us
are
the
same.
So
if
we
have
a
serial
rapist
or
if
we
have
comments
from
a
district
attorney
as
as
often
leader
lambeth
would
call
me,
we
move
those
cases
to
the
front
of
the
line.
You
know
the
nashville
bombing
case
is
maybe
the
most
extreme
example.
We
had
dna
results
on
that
the
same
day,
so
so
we
are
very
reactive
to
what
kind
of
case
is
going
on.
J
D
D
I
mean
I
remember
a
vehicular
homicide
case
very
vividly
that
I
called
you
where
we
had
someone
that
had
been
killed
by
a
young
lady
that
was
intoxicated
on
alcohol
and
marijuana,
and
it
was
in
the
early
morning
hours
and
I
called
you
and
we
literally
had
results
within
about
24
hours
and
we
needed
it
desperately
in
that
case,
to
be
able
to
go
forward.
I
know
that's
not
the
norm.
D
I
know
that
bumps
other
cases
back,
but
it
is
important
to
know
I
think,
for
the
committee
that
you
guys
are
able
to
be
nimble
in
those
situations
where
it
isn't
like
it's
just
coming
in
the
door
and
everything
gets
in
line.
Some
cases
have
to
be
with
the
front.
So
again,
thank
you
all
for
doing
that.
Thank
you,
you're
welcome,
yes,
thank
you.
C
Thank
you,
madam
chair.
Thank
you,
mr
director,
and
all
of
you
for
being
here,
and
certainly
it's
been
said
once
need
to
be
said
again
that
we
are
very
proud
of
your
leadership
in
law
enforcement
across
our
state
over
the
years.
I've
I've
sat
on
this
committee
and
I
know
years
back,
you
were
pretty
short
of
field
agents.
C
E
E
That's
when
we
said
we
need
20
agents
that
are
25
originally
and
now
we're
at
20.
Because
of
the
six
that
you
gave
us.
This
is
going
to
take
care
of
us
for
a
little
while,
so
we're
excited
about
this
fix.
We
think
this
will
handle
that
you
know
we
will
come
before
you
again.
You
know
a
lot's
been
discussed
about
forensics,
we'll
be
coming
before
you
next
year,
with
a
forensics
request,
we're
working
very
closely
right
now,
gathering
all
the
data
gathering,
the
the
evidence
everything
we
bring
to.
E
You
is
based
on
evidence,
it's
not
it's
not
what
we
think
or
what
we
feel.
This
is
based
solely
on
scientific
fact
that
we
look
at.
We
compare
ourselves
to
other
entities
like
us
and
try
to
determine
where
we
stand
in
those
entities
with
the
the
agents.
For
example,
when
we
asked
for
the
number
we
asked
for
it's
not
going
to
put
us
at
number
one
out
of
the
10.
C
E
Absolutely
I'll
touch
on
some
of
it
and
I
know
mike
again
can
he
can
tell
you
specific
in
terms
of
the
services
that
the
the
lab
itself
will
provide,
but
what
it
does
is
it
centralizes
the
effort
in
west
tennessee?
You
know
we
we've
had
the
the
office
in
memphis
for
for
quite
some
time,
and
and
obviously
memphis
is
one
of
you
know-
is
the
biggest
one
of
the
biggest
utilizers
shelby
county.
E
Memphis
is
a
big
utilizer,
but
there
are
a
number
of
other
agencies
in
west
tennessee
that
that
we
support
and
so
being
in
jackson.
It
does
a
few
things
one
is
it
it
centralizes
the
location
for
all
of
law
enforcement
in
the
west
side
of
the
state,
but
it
additionally
gives
us
the
space
that
we
need
to
be
able
to
perform
and
to
provide
the
services
that
we
know.
West
tennessee
needs,
and
so
that's
a
that's
another
huge
advantage
of
the
jackson
office
mike.
You
want
to
talk
about
specific.
J
Yeah
and
just
to
reiterate
what
the
director
said,
if
you
guys
recall
back
to
2003,
we
used
to
have
a
lab
in
jackson,
and
we
built
a
lab
in
memphis.
The
memphis
lab
was
never
designed
to
be
the
lab
for
west
tennessee.
It
didn't
have
the
capacity
to
serve
all
of
west
tennessee,
so
the
jackson
lab
will
fill
that
gap.
J
We
will
now
have
a
lab,
that's
capable
of
servicing
all
of
west
tennessee
we're
going
to
have
all
of
the
same
division.
All
of
the
same
units
in
the
jackson
lab
that
we
have
in
the
memphis
lab,
with
a
greater
capacity
to
do
testing
we've
also
added
a
codas
unit.
That
is
something
that
has
not
been
staffed.
Yet
we're
hoping
to
ask
for
positions
for
that
next
year.
J
I
think,
but
what
that
will
do
for
us
is
allow
us
to
to
do
the
codis
testing
on
the
arrestees
and
the
convicted
offenders
to
get
those
into
the
system
as
quickly
as
possible,
so
that
we
can
get
matches.
We're
you'll,
probably
hear
the
term
legally
owed
dna
coming
up
in
the
not
too
distant
future.
That
is
something
that
we're
working
on
and
on
the
heels
of
the
sexual
assault
kit
crisis.
What
we're
now
finding
is
that
everybody
that
should
have
been
put
in
the
codis
database
was
not
put
in
the
codas
database.
E
If
I
could
mike
mentioned
legally
owed
chairman-
and
I
just
want
to
make
sure
that
you
understand-
we
are
actually
already
working
on
that
issue-
we
have
a
grant
over
a
million
dollars
that
we
got
from
the
federal
government
to
work
on
that
issue
already.
So
we're
jumping
way
ahead
of
the
curve
on
that
one,
to
try
to
get
that,
try
to
figure
out
what
the
level
of
the
problem
is,
because
we
don't
know
yet.
C
Thank
you.
Thank
you,
director
for
those
requests
for
those
new
agents.
I
want
to
thank
you
and
your
staff
and
d.a
and
local
law
enforcement
y'all
recently
had
a
raid.
I
think
it
was
a
seizure
of
over
a
thousand,
let
fentanyl
laced
pills
and
one
reason
you
need.
Those
agents
is
two
weeks
ago
my
wife
had
called
me
and
asked
me
to
a
mother
had
called
her
and
said
her
daughter,
overdosed.
They
found
her
dead
in
in
a
ditch
in
wilson
county
and
I
gave
a
ride
to
to
vanderbilt.
C
Sat
there
for
about
five
hours
and
they'd
take
her
off
life
sport
next
morning.
So
this
stuff
starts
hitting
your
community.
You,
you
feel
the
pain.
You
see
the
pain
in
a
mother's
eyes
like
that,
and
you
see
the
tears
and
I
know,
y'all
have
seen
them
and
I
want
to
thank
you
and-
and
you
know,
I
think,
each
and
every
one
of
us
up
here
realize
the
importance
of
what
you
do
and
the
seriousness
of
this
border
crisis.
You
know
which
I'm
sure
y'all
are
concerned
with.
C
A
A
I
don't
know
that
any
of
us
ever
you
know
our
goal
has
ever
been
to
be
number
one
in
violent
crime.
So
could
you
speak
to
other
than
your
law
enforcement
or
personnel
numbers,
the
other
things
that
might
be
contributing
to
that
and
what
we're
doing
to
other
than
adding
agents
to
address
that
issue?.
E
Absolutely
so
you
know,
obviously
the
country
is
seeing
an
increase
in
violent
crime
and,
and
the
southeast
is
seems
to
lead
the
way.
Unfortunately,
so
when
we
look
at
the
states
that
surround
tennessee,
we
we
see
the
the
issue
we
see
it
in
full
color.
Unfortunately,
tennessee
is
leading
in
those
in
in
this
region
in
terms
of
our
violent
crime.
E
It
has
a
number
of
of
reasons
for
why
they
exist,
and
so
you
know
it's
it's
it's
hard
to
to
to
put
a
single
answer
to
why
we
have
violent
crime
leading
the
way
in
tennessee
other
than
we
just
have
the
the
issues
that
have
come
from
everything
from,
I
think
divisiveness
that
exists.
I
think
we
see
issues
with
drugs,
obviously
that
we
have
a
large
influx
of
of
narcotics
coming
into
our
state.
E
Methamphetamine
is
leading
the
way
in
tennessee
now,
which
is
has
you
know,
there's
always
been
oth.
You
know.
Marijuana
was
always
the
number
one
drug
it's
now
methamphetamine
methamphetamine
scares
me
because
of
the
way
people
who
are
on
that
drug
respond
and
it's
they
are
very
violent,
and
so
it
it
that
that's
a
factor
in
involved
in
it.
E
I
think
you
know
economics
is
another
issue,
while
the
state's
doing
doing
extremely
well,
I
think
we
still
have
pockets
of
poverty
that
that
need
to
be
addressed
that
are
out
there
and
that's
that's
an
area
where
we
could
see
more
improvement
in
the
state,
and
then
you
know,
in
terms
of
you
know,
holding
people
accountable.
I
think
the
state
does
a
fair
job.
E
I
think
we
can
do
better
at
holding
individuals
accountable,
that
they
commit
violent
crime,
and
so
I
think
we
got
to
focus
more
on
that
area,
and
you
know
in
in
terms
of
the
efforts
that
we're
putting
in
our
law
enforcement
agencies
throughout
the
state
are
working
tirelessly
to
address
these
issues,
we're
seeing
them
all
throughout
the
state.
As
I
said,
homicide
is
up.
Homicide
with
firearms
is
up
tremendously
right
now,
so
for
the
past
quarter,
we've
seen
increases
of
anywhere
from
50
to
80
percent.
E
In
terms
of
homicide
with
a
firearm
in
our
state-
and
so
you
know
it's
just
it,
it
appears
and
this
again
it's
not.
I
don't
think
it's
unique
to
tennessee.
It
appears
that
conflict
seems
to
be
prevalent
and
you
know
where
conflict
in
you
know.
Look
at
this
group.
You
all
are
seasoned
as
I
am,
and
you
know,
conflict
in
our
days.
We
handled
it
differently.
E
Unfortunately,
conflict
today
is
handled
with
firearms
and
and
that's
that's
where
we're
at
unfortunately,
and
so
that
increases
the
amount
of
violent
crime
that
we're
seeing,
and
so
I
think,
there's
I
think,
there's
a
number
of
factors
right
and
there
are
things
that
can
be
done.
Obviously
there
are
efforts
that
can
be
in
place
and
I
think
that's
where
we're
we're
trying
is
we're
trying
to
address
all
of
these
efforts
in
coordinated.
E
You
know,
responses,
federal,
local
and
state
have
been
all
working
together
to
try
to
get
control.
You
know
I
was
over
in
knoxville
visiting,
but
you
know
they've
seen
an
increase
in
youth,
getting
killed
in
knoxville
and
and
so
is
over
there.
Working
with
with
our
again
our
federal
and
our
our
local
folks
and
a
lot
of
the
conversations
there
have
revolved
around
you
know
addressing
these
gangs.
E
The
gangs
are
different
today
again,
another
feel
the
gangs
are
different
than
what
they
were
in
the
past
they're,
not
the
they're,
not
the
bloods
and
the
crips
and
the
you
know
the
the
organized
structured
gangs
that
we've
seen
what
we're
seeing
is
neighborhood
gangs
we're
seeing
individuals
who,
step
up
and
say
I'm
going
to
be
the
guy
and
and
they're
violent
and
and
it's
different
there's
the
structure.
Isn't
there
where
law
enforcement
was
really
good
at
working
at
the
structure
of
gangs?
E
This
unstructured
gang
atmosphere
has
given
us
a
bit
of
a
curve,
and
so
we're
trying
to
figure
out
how
to
how
to
how
to
cut
that
off.
With
this
new
way
that
we're
seeing,
because
it's
not
as
structured
structured
gangs,
we
can
go
at
pretty
easily
to
cut
that
structure
out.
These
unstructured
gangs
are
a
little
more
difficult.
K
K
Somehow
would
you
all
mind
sending
that
to
our
chairman
and
chairman,
if
you
would
send
that
to
the
rest
of
the
committee,
because
really
as
policy
makers,
if
we
can,
if
we
don't
understand
that,
there's
how
the
magnitude
of
the
problem
and
from
where
it
originates-
and
you
know
where
those
guns
legal-
were
they
not
legal?
Was
the
person
a
handgun
carry
permit
holder?
Was
they
were
they
not
a
hand?
Come
carry
permit
holder?
How
old
are
they
how
you
know
we
we
need
to
understand
those
those
things.
K
E
Representative
we
actually
get
a
week,
we
do
a
weekly
report
and
and
then
monthly.
Obviously
so
during
the
pandemic
we
started
to
get
local
agencies
started,
reporting
weekly,
their
data
to
us
and
so
that
we
could
kind
of
stay
focused
on
what's
happening,
and
then
we
put
a
monthly
report
out.
We
can
certainly
share
that.
I
Thank
you,
madam
chair,
again,
director
one
of
the
things
that
has
frustrated
me
for
years.
When
we're
looking
at
violent
crime
in
the
state
of
tennessee,
and
particularly
in
memphis
shelby
county,
they
always
use
the
metropolitan
statistical
data
which,
for
us
in
memphis,
takes
in
seven
surrounding
counties
and
attribute
that
to
memphis.
So
it
appears
we're
number
one.
I
Sometimes
when
we're
talking
about
violent
crime
in
memphis,
shelby
county
and
I'm
wondering
now
you're
saying
tennessee
being
number
one.
Is
this
statistical
data
also
included
in
that
for
tennessee,
and
this
could
be
a
problem
with
other
border
cities
for
tennessee,
because
we
touch
eight.
So
our
data
is
including
these
surrounding
counties,
which
I
think
is
unfair
for
us
to
characterize
and
then
use
that
data
to
drive
policy
funding
a
b
c
d.
E
Yeah,
thank
you
representatives,
so
our
data
is
based
solely
on
reported
crime
in
tennessee.
You
know,
in
terms
of
where
tennessee's
numbers
are
tennessee
is
a
incident-based
reporting
state
now
starting
this
starting
this
next
year,
every
state
in
the
union
will
be
incident-based
reporting.
The
fbi
has
required
that,
and
so
everybody
will
be
reporting
the
same
way.
Well,
it's.
J
E
Still
a
voluntary
system,
and
so
so
everybody
who
volunteers
to
submit
their
data
will
submit
it
the
same
way
and
so
that
that
is
something
we
have
to
look
at
when
we're
looking
at
it.
But
most
of
the
states
that
touch
tennessee
are
incident
based
already
as
well,
and
so
it
is
comparing
the
proper
numbers.
E
E
You
have
to
be
careful
because
different
areas
are
different
right.
So
you
know
your
urban
centers
are
different
than
your
rural
centers,
and
so
you
know
comparison,
you
have
to
be
careful
making
sure
that
when
you're
doing
those
comparisons
you're
looking
at
like
types
of
areas,
you
know,
as
you
know,
statistics
are
difficult
just
because
they
are
what
they
are,
but
the
numbers
do
tell
us
there
is.
There
are
issues,
and
so,
and
we
know
that
we
see
that
we
work
those.
E
We
work,
those
cases
when
we're
looking
at
comparing
ourselves
to
a
gbi,
for
example,
the
tbi
to
gbi
we're
looking
very
closely
at
total
number
of
cases,
worked
we're
looking.
You
know
those
types
of
things
because
they
work
the
same
kind
of
cases
we
work
and
so
those
those
comparisons
are
very,
very
tight
and
so
but
yeah,
I
hear
your
your
concern
about
the
stats.
We
have
those
same
concerns
when
we're
looking
at
it
as
well.
A
Thank
you
well
director.
As
always,
we
appreciate
your
presence
here
today
and
taking
the
time
to
answer
our
questions
both
and,
as
I
think
chairman
hawk
alluded
to
a
very
detailed
answer
to
the
questions
that
we
provided
ahead
of
time
and
then
to
answer
our
questions
today.
But
most
of
all,
we
appreciate
the
work
that
you
and
your
team
do
across
the
state
to
help
address
violence
and
all
the
other
issues
that
crime
brings
to
bear.
A
A
C
A
A
Hi
welcome
to
the
department
of
environment
and
conservation.
Commissioner,
we
thank
you
for
being
here
with
us
today
and,
as
we
have
asked
all
of
our
presenters,
if
you,
if
your
presentation
will
hopefully
be
around
10
minutes
and
then
that
will
give
us
adequate
time
to
ask
whatever
questions
may
be
on
committee
members
minds.
So
with
that
I'll
quit
cutting
into
your
time
and
ask
you
to.
L
Proceed
all
right
good
morning,
madam
chair
hazelwood,
vice
chairman
bond
avon
bomb,
I'm
sorry
and
members
of
the
committee.
My
name
is
david
salyers
and
I'm
the
commissioner
for
the
department
of
environment
and
conservation
here
with
me
today
are
jim
bryson,
deputy
commissioner
of
parks
and
conservation
on
the
far
end
over
there
greg
young
deputy
commissioner
bureau
of
environment
and
scott
grammer,
our
budget
director,
we're
also
joined
by
several
members
of
our
senior
leadership
team,
including
chief
of
staff,
karen
simo
and
general
counsel,
jenny,
howard.
L
In
fact,
this
is
one
that
I
really
like
to
brag
on,
as
our
subsurface
septic
program
saw
a
nearly
50
percent
increase
in
permitting
and
we
still
reduced
the
time
required
to
issue
permits
and
our
state
parks
were
a
haven
for
our
citizens.
We
saw
increased,
visitation
and
set
records
in
camping
and
cabin
activity.
State
parks
saw
four
of
its
highest
months
ever
in
overnight
camping
volumes,
and
we
broke
every
monthly
record
for
cabin
occupancy
in
2020.
L
other
records.
We
said
during
2020
were
the
investments
tdec
deployed
in
our
communities,
and
many
of
you
joined
us
to
celebrate
some
of
the
record
investments
in
tennessee
state
parks.
Over
the
past
year
we
had
more
than
180
million
in
facilities,
construction
underway
or
completed
in
2020,
representative
curcio
and
representative
littleton
joined
us
to
cut
the
ribbon
on
our
renovated
elijah
montgomery
bill
in
dixon
county,
and
we
were
excited
to
have
representative
gant
help
us
celebrate
the
ribbon,
cutting
at
our
beautifully
renovated,
lodge
at
pickwick
landing
in
hardin,
county
representative
williams
and
representative
wendell.
L
governor
lee
joined
us
earlier
this
year.
When
we
broke
ground
for
a
new
restaurant
visitor
center
at
henry
horton
in
marshall
county.
We
also
made
significant
progress
on
new
lodges
for
paris
landing
and
fall
creek
falls.
We
have
great
anticipation
about
opening
both
of
these
showcase
facilities,
this
fall
and
welcoming
guests
from
across
the
state
and
around
the
nation.
M
Thank
you,
commissioner,
and
thank
you
committee
members
for
allowing
us
to
appear
today.
My
name
is
greg
young.
I
am
the
deputy
commissioner
for
the
bureau
of
environment
and
right
out
of
the
gate
I
do
want
to.
Let
y'all
know
that
we
do
think
it's
very
important
at
tdeck
from
the
commissioner
down
that
the
bureau
of
environment
be
as
much
of
a
resource
as
it
is
a
regulator
for
the
general
assembly
and
for
the
public.
M
So
with
that
being
said,
I'll
talk
a
little
bit
about
what
we,
what
we
were
able
to
accomplish
in
2020.
I'm
pleased
to
note
that
in
2020
our
state
revolving
fund
marked
a
record
investment
in
our
communities
by
issuing
more
than
187
million
in
ultra
low
or
no
interest
loans
for
21,
different
water
and
wastewater
projects.
M
Our
petroleum
underground
storage
tank
program
continues
to
be
ranked
by
epa
as
a
model
for
the
nation.
The
overall
effectiveness
of
our
program
from
protection
at
the
pump
to
the
efficiency
of
our
ust
cleanups
has
made
it
possible
for
tdec
to
pursue
rural
development
this
year.
That
will
result
in
approximately
10
million
dollars
in
reduced
fees
paid
by
the
regulated
community.
M
M
This
careful
restoration
effort
has
been
a
model
of
coordination
between
federal
state
and
local
agencies
and
reflects
the
tremendous
importance
and
potential
of
brownfield
cleanups
across
the
state
of
tennessee
and
I'll
leave.
You
today
with
another
personal
thought.
In
addition
to
being
as
much
a
resource
as
a
regulator,
I
think
some
of
the
best
environmental
protection
comes
when
people
actually
have
an
opportunity
to
get
out
and
use
and
enjoy
the
resource,
and
so
with
those
thoughts.
I
do
want
to
kick
it
over
to
deputy
commissioner,
jim
bryson
right
now.
N
N
You
may
not
realize
it,
but
a
recent
and
back
in
this
year
we
had
a
we
commissioned
the
university
of
tennessee
to
do
an
economic
impact
study
to
understand
exactly
what
kind
of
impact
state
parks
has
state
parks
has
a
impact
in
tennessee
in
2020
1.84
billion
dollars
in
economic
activity.
That
is
a
huge
impact
and
makes
it
a
great
investment.
The
other
piece
that
makes
this
a
great
investment
for
the
state
is
that
we
generated
in
state
parks
and
the
visitors
that
come
generated.
N
110
million
dollars
in
direct
sales
tax
revenue
back
to
the
state
of
tennessee.
That
is
twice
our
55
million
dollars
in
appropriations,
so
tennessee
state
parks
are
an
excellent
investment.
Also
tennessee
state
parks
generated
22
million
dollars
in
local
sales
tax
revenue.
Many
much
of
that
in
our
most
distressed
counties,
rural
areas,
so
state
parks
are
a
great
investment
for
the
state
and
our
local
communities
and
counties.
So
we're
very,
very
excited
about
that.
N
State
parks
will
pay
off
now
in
the
fact
that
our
residents
this
past
year
have
been
able
to
go
out
into
our
parks
and
get
away
from
a
lot
of
the
stress
that
they've
been
under
this
past
year.
Never
have
state
parks
been
more
valuable
than
they
were
in
this
past
year.
It's
a
great
investment
for
our
residents,
but
they're
also
a
great
investment
for
the
state
of
tennessee,
then
that
investment
will
pay
off
now
and
in
years
to
come.
L
L
We
request
106.9
million
in
general
fund
appropriations,
which
is
approximately
a
quarter
of
our
base
budget,
122
million
dollars
or
approximately
30
percent
of
the
department's
budget,
goes
to
parks
and
conservation
activities.
State
parks
also
collects
approximately
35
million
in
revenue
annually
to
support
their
budget.
L
257
billion
or
approximately
64
percent
of
the
budget
goes
for
environmental
activities.
23
million
dollars
or
approximately
six
percent
of
our
budget
goes
for
department-wide
support
services
such
as
legal
hr,
I.t
and
procurement
that
support
our
two
main
bureaus
over
the
past
year.
We
engaged
in
a
thorough
review
of
all
department
operations
to
identify
where
efficiencies
and
reductions
could
be
realized.
L
L
Our
second
priority
is
a
major
investment
to
address
the
deferred
maintenance
backlog
in
our
state
parks.
This
request
is
for
30
million
when
combined
with
the
10
million
that
we
received
last
year,
it's
going
to
allow
state
parks
to
address
one
half
of
its
total
deferred
maintenance
projects
that
have
been
identified
as
high
priority
and
that's
going
to
save
millions
in
future
maintenance.
L
All
the
deferred
maintenance
projects
will
be
less
than
a
hundred
thousand
dollars
and
will
include
a
wide
variety
of
items.
For
example,
last
year
we
completed
roof
replacements
on
cabins,
at
standing,
stone
state
park
in
overton,
county
and
and
these
new
roofs
have
improved
the
look
and
functionality
of
those
facilities
at
this
beautiful
state
park.
Another
successful
deferred
maintenance
project
addressed
significant
dock
repairs
at
booker
t
washington
state
park.
L
We
replaced
all
the
decking
and
handrails
to
ensure
guest
safety
and
I'm
pleased
to
report
that
our
state
parks
facilities
and
maintenance
team
has
demonstrated
a
great
ability
to
stretch
the
deferred
maintenance
funds
currently
we're
running
at
118
percent
efficiency
rate,
and
that
means
we're
completing
more
than
eight
18
percent
more
projects
with
the
money
that
you
gave
us
then
than
we
anticipated.
So
that's
a
really
good
thing.
L
The
second
is
a
1.27
million
requests
from
modernizing
state
park.
Hospitality
operations,
the
general
assembly
has
invested
over
a
hundred
million
in
park
lodges
to
upgrade
them,
and
the
results
have
been
very,
very
impressive.
Have
you
not
been
out
to
see
them?
Please
get
out
soon,
but
this
supplemental
request
does
allow
us
to
modernize
our
staffing
structure,
so
we
can
provide
the
service
and,
as
jim
likes,
to
refer
to
him
as
the
wow
moments
that
tennesseans
expect
and
deserve
when
they
visit
our
facilities.
L
This
appropriation
covers
the
needs
for
the
current
fiscal
year
and
a
separate,
recurring
request
will
occur
for
for
fiscal
year
22..
So,
since
we've
covered
our
our
top
priorities,
I
will
very
quickly
run
through
the
other
items.
Our
third
item
on
the
chart
is
to
address
the
modernization
of
state
parks
hospitality
for
fiscal
year
22,
which
is
a
recurring
amount.
The
fourth
item
is
a
response
to
federally
mandated
salary
updates.
L
Our
park
system
has
five
parks
on
lease
federal
land,
excluding
tva
property.
So
as
we
renew
those
leases,
we
need
to
make
those
up
upgrades.
The
fifth
item
is
a
new
position
to
staff.
The
new
visitor
center
at
cummins
falls
state
park,
that's
very
important
that
we
have
this
person
in
there
for
for
safety
and
since
we
issue
permits
for
people
to
enter
the
gorge.
L
The
sixth
item
is
for
gis.
Licensing
supporting
state
parks
activities,
as
you
can
imagine,
technology
is
becoming
more
and
more
vital
and
a
key
part
of
managing
56
state
parks
in
every
corner
of
the
state.
And
the
last
item
is
the
state
funding
required
to
implement
the
surface
mining
permitting
program
a
few
years
ago.
L
The
general
assembly
directed
the
transfer
of
the
federal
service,
mining
control
and
reclamation
act
permitting
and
oversight
to
tdec
from
the
u.s
department
of
interiors
office
of
sustainable
mining,
even
when
drawing
down
the
federal
money
that
has
been
made
available
for
a
state-operated
program,
we'll
still
need
to
spend
871
thousand
dollars
a
year
to
run
the
service
mining
program.
In
our
last
slide,
I
like
to
show
it
reflects
tdex
portion
of
the
overall
state
appropriations
over
the
last
nine
years
and
fy
22
tdx
state
appropriation
represents
approximately
1.19
of
tennessee's
total
state
appropriations.
L
I
would
note
this
represents
a
decrease
of
more
than
15
percent
over
the
past
decade
and
from
down
from
1.45
percent
to
1.18
of
total
state
appropriations,
and
this
shows,
as
a
percentage
of
the
overall
general
fund
and
support
for
tdac
activity
has
been
restrained
but
at
the
same
time,
our
workload.
Our
permits
issues,
our
inspections
conducted
and
park
visitors
served
has
increased.
So
we
believe
that
this
reflects
the
overall
efficiency
and
effectiveness
of
our
department
and
that
we've
been
good
stewards
of
the
resources
that
you've
provided
to
us
to
serve
our
citizens.
L
B
Thank
you,
commissioner,
sawyers,
and,
and
thank
you
thank
you
also
to
your
deputies
for
your
good,
hard
work
on
our
parks
and
your
conservation
efforts.
We
really
appreciate
all
that
you
do.
We've
got
a
list
of
questions,
and
I
want
to
get
us
started
off
by
going
back
to
a
few
items
that
you
just
mentioned.
One
of
them
was
the
the
improvements
to
your.
I
t
system,
the
system
that
collects
fees
and
provides
data
regarding
customers.
B
L
Well,
our
anticipation
was
in
the
in
the
prior
year's
budget.
We
did
request
15
million
and
non-recurring
for
that,
and
that
was
to
carry
out
this
three-year
project.
So
that's
what
we
were
looking
at
and
and
so
we
we
asked
for
five
that
was
going
to
get
us
through
the
one
year,
and
so
we
went
back
and
we
got
we
got
the
three
years
and-
and
I
think
it's
a
good
commitment
toward
getting
that
system
in
place.
L
L
I
have,
I
know
we
researched
those
numbers
in
details
and
I
do
not
have
those
really
handy
writing.
We
think
there's
a
number
of
other
efficiency
gains
there,
as
well
with
respect
to
staffing
and
things,
because
we
have
a
lot
of
senior
level
staff
that
currently
have
to
handle
data
and
invoices
that
should
be
handled
by
the
system
going
forward.
So
through
attrition.
We
may
need
fewer
people,
but
it
is
very
significant.
Yes,
okay,.
B
And
then
I've
got
a
few
questions
related
to
kind
of
another
item
that
you
just
mentioned
it
had
has
to
do
with.
I
guess
wages
paid
to
to
employees
recently,
a
federal
executive
order
mandated
a
minimum
wage
of
ten
dollars
and
sixty
cents
for
individuals
working
under
certain
federal
contracts,
and
this
affects
your
department,
because
tennessee
state
parks
leases
federal
lands
in
last
year's
budget.
I
believe
we
allocated
1.3
million
for
these
increases.
N
B
N
It
it
only
involves
the
employee
classifications
that
are
on
the
lands
that
are
leased
by
the
federal
government,
so
those
classifications
have
gotten
an
increase
and,
and
though
it
is
an
extra
expenditure,
I
think
for
the
the
the
positive
side
of
that
is.
These
are
some
of
our
lowest
paid
employees
who
often
in
the
often
are
really
struggling
to
get
by.
So
though
it
is
an
increased
expenditure.
N
I'm
pretty
sure
there
will
be
some
of
variance,
but
I
think,
but
I
can
check
on
that
for
you,
but
it's
going
to
be
bringing
them
up
to
if
they're
below
the
federal
minimum
wage
it'll
be
bringing
them
up
to
that
that
minimum
wage.
I
wouldn't
want
to
say
in
front
of
you
here
that
there's
not
going
to
be
any
variance,
but
that's
what
the
intention
is.
O
Thank
you,
chairman
great
job,
the
commissioner
deputy
commissioners.
Thanks
for
coming,
I
had
a
couple
of
questions
as
related,
and
I
saw
you
in
the
hall
the
other
day
about
this,
but
the
real
estate
transfer
tax,
the
stand,
the
land
acquisition
fund,
there's
about
twenty
thousand
or
twenty
million
dollars
in
that
fund.
Right
now,
I
guess
the
question
is:
what
is
the
anticipation
of
this
these
funds?
Do
you
anticipate
purchasing
any
property
with
those
funds
with
that
20
million
dollars,
or
where
are
we.
N
To
you
know,
thank
you,
thank
you,
representative
williams,
so
we
are
anticipating
purchasing
some
property.
With
that
our
number
one
priority.
We
have
money.
We
have
a
portion
of
that
those
funds
actually
set
aside
to
complete
the
cumberland
trail,
which
is
an
an
initiative
that
this
legislature
set
up.
N
Well,
I
don't
know
30
years
ago
to
try
to
get
done
so
we're
working
very
hard
to
try
to
get
that
completed,
and
so
there
is
a
significant
part
of
that
money
that
is
set
aside
for
that,
after
that,
with
our
state
parks
and
natural
areas,
our
primary
our
priorities
are
going
to
be
either.
What
we
call
in
holdings,
which
are
those
are
lands
that
we
don't
own,
that
are
that
are
surrounded
by
a
park
or
natural
area
that
people
want
to
sell.
N
We
can
we
want
to
be
able
to
acquire
that
and
make
it
easier
for
us
to
manage
that
and
also
make
it
available
to
people
who
come
to
visit
and
then
significant,
not
every
track
but
significant
tracks
that
are
adjacent
to
our
to
our
lands.
That
will
help
us
to
protect
the
borders
and
protect
some
of
those
significant
areas.
So
so
that
excuse
me,
those
are
some
of
the
prima
the
priorities
for
those
monies,
that
we
are
that
we
have
and
then
there's
and
that's
that's
the
way
that
we're
going
forward.
O
Thank
you
also.
You
mentioned,
commissioner
earlier
10
million
dollars
we
spent
last
year
at
118
utilization
sounds
like
of
maintenance
money
in
your
budget
request.
Earlier
in
the
year,
though,
you
asked
for
26
million
dollars
of
maintenance
money,
and
yet
you
got
funded
30
million
dollars,
which
that
doesn't
happen
very
often,
you
must
be
a
very
good
arm.
Twister.
O
L
Trying
to
do
more,
and
certainly
deputy
commissioner
bryson
and
my
objective-
to
eliminate
all
the
deferred
maintenance
by
the
time
by
the
time
we're
out
of
these
seats
and
and
then
have
a
structurally
balanced
maintenance
fund
going
forward.
So
we
don't
get
into
this
situation
where
we're
82
million
in
the
hole
in
deferred
maintenance.
O
Well,
I
I
appreciate
that.
I
know
that
many
of
my
colleagues
had
an
opportunity
to
visit.
Burgess
falls
not
too
long
ago,
and
we
saw
some
maintenance
problems
that
were
there
as
well,
and
I'm
glad
to
see
that
some
of
that's
going
to
be
taken
care
of
in
this
process.
But
for
your
other
deputy
commissioner,
I
just
had
one
question
just
personally
related
because
I'm
it's
part
of
my
full-time
part-time
job,
and
that
is
how
long
is
it
taking
right
now
to
get
an
mpds
permit
from
the
state.
M
So
you're
talking
about
construction
storm
water,
so
we
are
currently
actually
we've
got
one
matter
that
we're
looking
at
that
has
taken
a
little
bit
longer,
but
in
general
we're
meeting
the
time
frame
set
forth
in
the
permatease
bill
of
rights
there.
I
think
it's
30
days
or
60
days.
We've
got
one
matter
that
came
up
around
clarksville,
but
we've
been
addressing
those.
We
feel
like
we're
doing
pretty
good
right
now,
on
the
on
the
time
frames.
M
O
L
I
could
add
to
that
for
on
behalf
of
the
deputy
commissioner,
that
is
a
a
big
objective
of
ours.
Is
you
know?
Hey
the
laws
are
the
law?
The
rules
are
the
rules.
We
need
quality,
air,
land
and
water,
but
where
we
can
be
effective,
is
really
trying
to
reduce
that
process
time.
So
that
is
a
that's
a
huge
priority
of
ours
and
we're
gonna
continue
to
beat
on
that.
G
Thank
you,
madam
chairman.
The
commissioner
and
team
big
fans
of
what
y'all
have
done
for
the
folks
at
tennessee.
Some
of
the
best
times
I've
ever
spent
is
with
my
grandkids
at
radnor
and
standing
stone
and
pickett
state
parks.
Also
I'm
privileged
and
honored
to
carry
legislation
this
evening
on
the
house
floor
for
our
park
rangers
to
protect
them
with
their
working
outside
the
parks,
helping
the
local
law
enforcement.
I
think
that's
a
a
big
boost
for
our
park
rangers
that
their
dedicated
service
a
couple
of
questions.
G
M
M
We
got
when
that
the
epa
headquarters
was
considering
another
step
in
the
process.
The
last
step,
in
fact,
is
publication
of
the
rule
that
the
region
4
epa
has
already
approved,
get
that
published
in
the
federal
register
when
we
got
wind
of
that,
we
took
some
pretty
good
steps
to
make
sure
the
folks
at
epa
headquarters
know
that
this
is
something
that
tennessee
wanted
and
we're
able
to
advise
them.
M
We
hear
that
was
well
received,
so
hopefully
we
will
know
more
about
it
today,
and
that
is
something
that
we
we
acknowledge
that
many
members
of
this
body
have
expressed
interest
in,
and
we
will
certainly
be
in
touch
with
y'all
and
looking
for
help.
If
we,
you
know,
as
we
may
need
that.
So
thank
you
for
the
question
any
any
other
questions.
A
G
A
And
I
might
just
add
that
is
not
unique
to
chairman
whitson
if
you
could
just
keep
us
all
updated
on
that
those
of
us
who
have
counties
with
that
process
in
place.
You
know
everyone
thinks
that,
because
we
passed
that
legislation
a
few
years
ago,
they
shouldn't
have
to
get
their
admissions
testing,
and
so
it
you
can
just
help
us
understand
where,
where
we
are
in
that
process,
so
we
know
what
to
tell
those
angry
constituents
about
why
they
still
have
to
go
back
at
least
one
more
time.
M
G
M
M
M
We
will
likely
need
to
ask
for
that
1.5
million
dollars
again,
so
I
think
there
was
an
acknowledgement
by
you
know,
folks
involved
in
that
that
we
needed
we
needed
the
dollars,
but
when
you're
faced
with
it,
you
know
global
pandemic.
You
know
we.
We
thought
it
was
the
best
time
to
dip
into
reserves
to
push
the
division
forward.
In
that
regard,.
G
M
F
Thank
you,
madam
chair.
Do
you
mind
if
I've
got
three
or
four
questions?
Do
you
mind
if
I
ask
them
in
a
series?
Thank
you,
commissioners.
I
I
just
appreciate
all
of
you
being
here
and,
and
you
and
your
staff
in
the
administrative
level
have
been
extremely
responsive
to
our
requests
and
our
suggestions
over
the
last
couple
of
years,
and
I
really
appreciate
that
you're
great
to
work
with
it's
making
a
real
big
difference
for
the
citizens
of
our
state,
and
I
appreciate
your
willingness
to
to
look
at
problems
and
then
tackle
those
problems.
F
N
Thank
you
representative.
I
I
can
address
this
from
a
parks
perspective.
At
least
we
are,
we
see
mo.
We
see
most
of
our
turnover
in
lower
paid
positions.
Frankly,
our
housekeepers,
our
people
that
are
that
are
taking
care
of
the
park,
are
maintenance
workers
and
those
types
of
things
we
talked
a
minute
ago
about
some
of
the
raises.
We
were
able
to
give
those
people
that's
going
to
help
them.
It's
not
going
to
solve
the
problem,
but
that's
going
to
help.
We
are
also
within
our
hospitality
organization.
We
are
work.
N
We've
done
a
restructuring
of
staff
positions
to
be
more
competitive
with
the
with
the
private
sector.
Frankly,
and
that's
going
to
allow
that's
also
going
to
allow
some
higher
salaries
within
that
organization,
and
that's
going
to
I
we
believe
that's
going
to
significantly
help
our
turnover
issues
and
which
is
critically
important
in
hospitality.
N
Well,
it's
in
everything,
because
you
can't
provide
the
kind
of
service
our
citizens
expect
from
our
state
parks
and
natural
areas,
and
particularly
our
hotels
and
cabins
and
those
kinds
of
places
unless
we
can
retain
people
good
people
to
to
use
them.
So
we're
very
appreciative
of
the
monies
that
have
been
provided
for
that
and
we're
going
to
continue
to
work
on
that
issue,
because
retention
is
a
is
a
is
an
important
objective
for
us.
F
I
appreciate
that
I
know
a
good
bit
of
your
staff
and
and
even
across
the
state
and
field
offices
especially
have
been
working
from
home
or
the
beach
or
somewhere.
What?
What
is
that
current
status?
And
when
do
we
anticipate
them
either
getting
back
in
the
office
or
us,
seeing
a
significant
supplemental
budget
reduction
for
leases
that
we
no
longer
need?
What
what's
the
current
status
quo,
yeah.
L
L
So
so
it's
gonna
look
quite
a
bit
different,
but
we're
anticipating
somewhere
in
25,
to
30
reduction
in
footprint,
which
is
which
is
a
huge
savings.
The
and
there
was
some
reluctance
from
a
number
of
our
staff.
I
would
say
you
know
managers,
you
know
how
will
this
work
but
most
of
our
programs-
and
I
you
know-
I
noted
earlier
our
septic
system
permitting.
L
You
know
we
went
up
50
in
request,
and
yet
we
were
able
to
bring
down
the
time
to
turn
those
around
a
lot
of
that's
technology-based.
So
so
I
I
think
that
you'll,
probably
we
built
a
little
bit
of
that
into
our
budget
this
time,
but
nothing
significant.
But
I
think
in
about
two
years
you're
to
see
a
big
impact
and
we're
really
trying
to
time
that
so
the
I.t
modernization
and
the
space
reduction
all
comes
together.
F
Okay,
thank
you
for
that,
and,
and
I
would
just
encourage,
as
I
know
you
will,
because
I
know
you
personally-
to
build
in
the
accountability.
If
you
know,
there's
there's
been
some
bumps
along
the
road
with
the
work
from
home
that
I'm
hearing
or
experience
in
the
field
with
with
with
some
of
the
permits
that
chairman
williams
even
mentioned,
that
some
delays
and
communication
and
whatnot,
because
the
work
from
home
is
creating
some
just
some
bumps
that
need
to
be
ironed
out
and
I'm
sure
y'all
are
on
that.
That's.
L
F
F
That's
been
the
subject
of
a
conversation
around
here
for
the
last
couple
of
years
or
more
and
and
a
fund
that's
sitting
there
with
with
a
lot
of
public
dollars
sitting
in
it
that
we
don't
really
know
now.
What's
going
to
happen
to
it.
So
do
you
have
any
information
about
that
and
and
what
impact
we're
likely
to
see
from
that.
M
Yes,
sir
I'll,
be
glad
to
thank
you
for
the
question.
The
letter
came
from
the
united
states
army
corps
of
engineers.
It
was
essentially
a
cease
and
desist
letter
to
terminate
the
entire
tennessee
stream
mitigation
program
in
the
state
of
tennessee
is
our
understanding
that
the
corps
of
engineers
and
the
tennessee
stream
mitigation
program
had
been
trying
to
negotiate
a
wind-down
memorandum
of
agreement.
M
Ultimately,
that
did
not
happen
to
your
specific
question
on
the
funds.
What
we
know
from
that
letter
is
that
the
corps
of
engineers
instructed
the
tsmp
not
to
spend
any
of
its
money
on
any
kind
of
administration
salaries.
Third-Party
professionals
don't
hire
a
lawyer.
You
know
I
mean
they
told
them.
Freeze,
though,
essentially
freeze
those
accounts
and
within
48
hours
of
that
letter
they
were.
M
The
tsmp
was
supposed
to
provide
an
accounting
to
the
corps
of
engineers,
not
discourage
the
funds
yet,
but
provide
an
accounting
to
the
corps
of
engineers
of
the
amounts
in
those
funds.
It
is
our
understanding,
based
on
that
letter,
that
the
that
the
corps
would
specify
a
non-profit
entity
that
we
would
expect.
M
M
M
P
Thank
you,
chair,
lady,
hey.
I
wanted
to
inquiry
about
an
issue.
That's
going
on
in
my
district
with
the
by
helia
pipeline.
I
wanted
to
know
the
department's
official
opinion
on
this
particular
project
that's
going
on
and
how
you
think
that
we
should
respond
as
well
and
then.
My
second
question
is:
I
know
that
we
get
to
win,
grant
grants
for
lead
testing
and
you
issue
those
win
grants
out
for
the
testing.
However,
there's
not
many
funds
for
for
remediation.
M
Commissioner,
yes
I'll
try
to
answer
this
as
best
I
can.
I
want
to
make
sure
I
was
making
notes
on
the
question.
Everest.
Create
funding
was
the
second
one
on
the
win
grant.
Okay,
first,
the
bahalia
pipeline
that,
as
we
understand
that
that
is
a
regulated
by
the
fed
ferc,
and
so
our
permitting
authority
is
somewhat
limited.
M
What
we
know
at
this
stage-
and
I'm
looking
to
my
experts
to
make
sure
I
don't
get
out
of
line
here-
is
that
it
would
be
shallow
trenching
that
would
not
impact
that
aquifer.
So
I'm
seeing
some
nodding
back
there.
I
don't
think
I'm
far
field
there,
but
we
are
well
aware
of
the
significant
local
opposition,
and
you
know
if,
if
there's
further
dialogue,
that
within
our
scope
of
authority,
that
that
we
can,
you
know,
take
comments
from
folks.
M
P
M
So
the
appeal
rights
would
generally
depend
on
the
type
of
permit
issued
if
it
is
a
general
permit,
is
a
general
purpose.
If
it's
an
individual
permit,
then
specific
individual
permitting
would
be
subject
to
appeal.
Okay,
a
general
permit
is
something
that
the
department
every
five
years
we
go
through
a
process
and
at
the
time
we
list
those
general
permits.
That's
something
that
folks
can
appeal
at
that
time.
M
If
it
is
an
individual
permit,
there
are
appeal
rights
associated
with
those
individual
permits
for
some
things
that
they
call
linear
projects
like
road
building
pipelines.
Things
like
that,
where
the
aquatic
resource
impacts
may
be
just
routine
normal
run
of
course,
kind
of
thing
in
those
situations
those
would
be
subject
to
general.
Permit,
I'm
not
entirely
sure
do.
Are
these
general
permits?
A
M
Ma'am,
so
that
would
be
an
appeal
before
usually
it's
before
an
administrative
law
judge
and
that
ultimately
could
make
its
way
to
our
water
board
to
have
standing
without
giving
you
the
lawyerly
constitutional
answer.
The
the
the
basic
thing
is,
you
have
to
be
an
aggrieved
person
under
our
statute.
M
P
M
C
A
M
P
C
I'm
yeah,
sorry
for
speaking
from
the
audience.
My
name
is
paula
mitchell.
I'm
the
deputy
director
of
the
division,
water
resources,
the
operations
branch
within
the
central
office,
the
win
grant.
Currently
the
funding
is
not
available
for
remediation.
Our
focus
is
on
testing
and
education
and
outreach
through
some
of
the
testing.
The
results
have
we've
had
lead,
hits
on
faucets
or
other
devices
or
apparatuses
that
have
been
able
to
be
taken
offline
without
interruption.
These
have
not
been
like
drinking
water
fountains
or
in
the
cafeteria
of
schools.
C
P
Thank
you
just
to
follow
up
on
that.
I
was
pushing
house
bill
46,
which
was
dealing
with
this.
The
lead
testing
issue
and
my
colleague's
biggest
pushback
was
there
was
no
funding.
You
all
are
not
doing
remediation,
so
we
shouldn't
do
anything
else
regarding
lead,
we
just
test
and
then
there's
nothing.
So
I'm
just
curious
to
figure
out.
If
there's
something
else,
we
can
do
per
the
the
comments
from
my
colleagues
previously
around
your
control
over
the
lead
test
and
remediation.
P
So
I
just
want
to
put
that
out
there
as
something
I'm
looking
for
to
bring
into
the
budget
as
a
step
two
to
what
we're
already
doing,
because
we
right
now
we're
testing,
but
there's
nothing
after
that.
So,
okay,
the
water's
contaminated.
Now
what
you
know.
So
I
would
love
to
entertain
further
conversations
about
how
we
can
secure
some
more
funding
to
take
that
to
the
next
level
to
correct
these
problems
across
the
state.
M
H
Thank
you,
madam
chair,
and
I
want
to
say
to
our
deputy
commissioner
over
environment.
Thank
you
very
much.
It's
a
it's,
a
unique
balancing
act
that
we
have
in
the
state
of
tennessee,
where
we
want
to
be
responsive
to
business
interests,
but
also
respectful
of
our
environment.
So
it's
there's
a
current,
an
ongoing
tension
that
will
always
be
there,
and
I
appreciate
the
understanding
that
that
there
is
a
balance
to
have
as
we're
working
on
issues.
Thank
you,
sir.
So
thank
you
very
much.
H
If,
if
I
could,
the
the
fun
part
of
t
deck
is,
is
our
state
parks,
deputy
commissioner
bryson?
Thank
you
for
everything
that
you
do
and
I
and
I
appreciate
that
as
we're
looking
at
alternative
work
sites,
I'm
sure
some
of
our
state
employees
would
love
to
be
working
out
of
our
state
parks.
Maybe
we'll
put
a
little
cubicle
office
with
the
window
at
our
state
parks
and
and
and
put
them
there.
So
that
may
be
some
opportunity
at
our
50-plus
state
park
sites
we
have
across.
H
I
think
that
a
david
crockett
trail
across
the
state
of
tennessee
would
be
a
win-win.
I've
mentioned
that
to
several
folks
before,
and
I'm
going
to
continue
to
mention
that
it's
a
department
of
tourism
issue,
department
of
environment
and
conservation
that
we
can
work
through
our
state
parks
as
well.
So
I
think
that
that
may
be
the
the
next
logical
trail
to
create
across
the
state
of
tennessee.
H
N
Well,
thank
you,
representative,
hawk
and
he's
you
represent
my
wife's
home
county,
so
it's
always
special
to
have
a
conversation
with
you,
but
so
I
appreciate
that
we
are
it's
something
we
can
look
into.
You
know,
and
I
also
appreciate
the
fact
that
you
said
david
crockett.
One
thing
I
have
learned
in
this
is
that
davey
crockett
was
the
guy
from
disney
and
david
crockett
is
the
is
the
tennessean
that
went
that
served
our
state
so
well.
A
All
right,
thank
you.
I
have
no
more
questions
on
my
list,
so
I'll
ask
mine
in
the
budget.
There's
871
thousand
recurring
dollars,
that's
to
cover
proposed
legislation
to
obtain
privacy
over
surface
coal
mining
regulation.
Can
you
just
help
us
understand
how
that
legislation
is
going
to
increase
the
expenses
for
the
department?
What
that
money
is
going
to
be
utilized
for.
M
Yes,
ma'am
deputy
commissioner
young
here
I'll,
take
that
thank
you
chair,
so
the
I
can
answer
the
question
directly
as
far
as
what
the
money
will
go
to,
I
think
is
that
that's
what
you're
asking
that
will
go
to
the
needed
staff
and
personnel
and
equipment
in
order
to
carry
out
the
new
program
that
we
would
be
bringing
on.
Currently,
the
federal
government
does
it
with
between
22
and
25
people.
I
want
to
say
in
in
for
our
state
we're
gonna.
M
Do
it
with
16
okay,
we
feel
good
about
what
we
can
do
to
to
be
more
efficient
and
to
bring
those
people
on,
and
so
that's
really
what
the
money
is
needed
for
is
the
equipment
and
the
personnel
to
do
what
the
federal
government
does
with
20-something
people.
We
can
do
it
with
less,
but
we're
going
to
do
it
right
and
we're
going
to
do
it
good,
so
we
well,
if
I
may,
can
I
give
a
little
bit
more
background
there.
M
M
We
need
to
be
able
to
show
the
feds
that,
yes,
we've
got
the
the
ability
to
do
it,
and
so
we
did
some
extensive
cost
analysis
and
some
extensive
research
to
figure
out
what
that
would
take
and
that's
how
we
arrived
at
the
871
000
figure.
You
know
it's
it's
an
ongoing
process.
We
will
need
to
revise
that
legislation
because,
in
addition
to
the
financial
wherewithal
you
have
to
have
the
legal
and
regulatory
wherewithal,
and
so
we
needed
to
after
discussions
with
the
federal
government
about
obtaining
privacy.
M
I
Thank
you.
Thank
you,
madam
chair.
I
wanted
to
ask
about.
Could
you
give
us
an
update
on
meeman
force
the
bow
deck
there?
We
had
appropriated
monies
for
that
and
I
think
we
was
going
to
try
to
name
it
after
former
representative
ron
lawler.
If
you
all
could
give
an
update
on
that
or
have
any
information.
N
Yeah,
thank
you
for
that
question.
I'm
gonna
have
to
get
back
with
you
on
the
update,
get
you
an
update,
so
we
know
exactly
where
we
are
at
this
point.
I
have
not
heard
about
that
in
a
little
while,
as
I
guess
you
have
not,
so
let
me
get
you
an
update
and
get
back
to
you
after
this
meeting.
If
that's
okay.
A
So
again,
we-
and
I
certainly
hope
that
I
know
the
people
that
I've
talked
to
that
have
participated
in
the
parks
have
used.
Those
this
year
have
been
really
impressed
with
the
experience,
and
I
think
many
of
them
will
plan
to
go
back
even
when
kovac
goes
away
and
they
have
other
options
to
choose
from.
So
I
think
that
was
a.
A
It
may
be
the
most
positive
thing
that
happened
out
of
this
whole
pandemic,
but
thank
you
and
your
department
for
all
the
things
that
you
do
from
regulating
our
pollution
and
all
those
other
things
to
to
the
fun
stuff.
At
the
parks-
and
we
appreciate
your
your
work-
we
are
going
to
take
a
short
break
while
we
have
a
sanitation
process,
and
I
would
announce
that
for
those
of
you
who
are
have
done,
your
due
diligence
have
hung
in
here.
A
A
A
M
L
B
F
Q
G
A
But
we
do
thanks
for
joining
us
and
we
would,
as
we've
asked
all
of
our
presenters.
Hopefully
your
presentation
was
within
a
ten
minutes
or
so
and
then
we'll
have
opportunity
for
questions
from
this
committee
who
are,
as
you
probably
know,
from
watching
they're,
not
shy
at
all.
So
if
you
would
like
to
proceed.
R
Well,
good
morning,
how
am
I
coming
through
there?
You
hear
me
all
right,
good
to
see
everybody
and
I
heard
about
the
pizza,
and
I'm
glad
I'm
glad
to
hear
about
that,
because
that's
going
to
take
a
lot
of
cheese
off
the
market.
You
know
that's
a
good
wedding
thanks
for
having
us
today,
we're
excited
about
going
over
the
proposed
budget
with
you.
R
The
with
the
department
department
of
agriculture
we've
we're
uniquely
qualified
to
deal
with
emergencies
through
our
experiences
with
animal
disease
and
also
with
our
wildfire
fighting
capabilities,
and
so
we're
accustomed
to
that.
Despite
that,
the
challenges
of
the
pandemic
were
were
numerous
and
we're
still
dealing
with
some
of
that.
So
as
we
move
forward,
we've
got
a
few
slides
and
I'll
go
over
these,
and
if
you've
got
questions,
you
can
stop
me
along
the
way
or
we
can
answer
them
at
the
end
yeah.
R
So
we
we
were
fortunate
in
tennessee
to
have
support
of
the
governor
with
use
of
cares,
money
to
55
million
dollars
for
ag
and
forestry
businesses
that
had
experienced
losses
due
to
covid
or
disruptions
in
the
supply
chain.
For
whatever
reason-
and
we
felt
like
the
this-
this
corona
ag
and
forestry
business
fund
is
one
of
the
best
in
the
country,
because
it
was
a
targeted
approach
and
targeted
at
those
businesses
that
hadn't
received
much
if
any
money
from
the
federal
government.
R
To
that
point-
and
you
can
see
the
breakdown
here
of
the
55
million
and
to
date
we're
a
little
bit
over
60
of
that
has
been
allocated
or
the
checks
in
the
mail
and
we're
working
through
as
rapidly
as
we
can
the
remaining.
But
if
you
look
at
this
part
of
the
focus
and
part
of
the
a
big
part
of
it,
I
think
it's
about
20
or
so
was
for
meat
processors
to
to
increase
our
meat
process
processing
capacity
in
the
state
we
noticed.
During
the
pandemic.
R
R
Usda's
programs
did
not
address
the
foreign
forestry
industry
at
all,
so
we
thought
it
was
important
to
include
that,
and
so
you
can
see
for
forestry
saw
males
and
forestry
loggers
nearly
well
11
million
or
so,
and
then
there
were
some
local
products
and
breweries
included
as
where,
as
well
as
county
fairs.
Next
slide.
R
This
shows
the
savings
for
reduction
plans.
701
000
revenue
offset
677
000
to
match
actual
expenditures:
the
forestry
division.
It's
it's
over.
Half
our
staffing
in
the
department
of
media
and
244
thousand,
our
consumer
and
industry
services,
maintenance,
agreement,
savings
of
102,
800
business
development,
advertisement,
savings
of
136
800
and
then,
when
governor
lee
became
governor,
he
increased
the
amount
that
ffa
and
4h
foundations
got
from
250
000
to
300
000,
and
so
this
100
000
was
a
reduction
back
to
the
previous
level
next
slide.
R
R
R
Standing
up
of
the
wilson
county,
fair
site
to
be
the
tennessee
state,
fair
and
then
the
an
increase
of
242
000
for
the
one
health
initiative,
which
is
really
support
of
increased
viral
testing.
That
may
be
the
viruses
that
tend
to
be
zoonotic
between
human
and
animals,
forestry,
software,
305
200
and
then
three
previously
approved
positions
for
chronic
wasting
disease.
A
Thank
you,
commissioner.
I
appreciate
that
and
again
coveted
in
this
pandemic
has
been
a
challenge
for
everyone,
but,
as
you
mentioned
no
more
so
than
the
folks
that
are
served
by
your
department
and
when
we,
when
you
go
to
the
grocery
store,
and
you
see
shelves
where
normally
they're
filled
with
meat
and
there's
nothing,
I
went
to
the
grocery
store
one
night
and
I'm
like.
Oh
did
you
put
it
all
away?
Am
I
too
late
and
they're
like
lady?
A
C
Thank
you,
madam
chair
good
morning,
commissioner,
and
just
to
echo
chair
ladies
comments.
Thank
you
to
you
and
your
team.
I
think
you
have
probably
taken
on
a
significant
importance,
more
significant
importance
in
our
state
over
the
last
year.
So
thank
you
to
you
for
all
that.
You've
done
a
question
about
the
ag
and
forestry
business
fund.
You
referenced
it
in
your
first
slide,
so
you
answered
most
of
my
questions
really
the
only
question
I
have
related
to
that.
The
55
million
dollars
you
received
you've
spent
roughly
14
million
of
that.
R
G
Q
Sure
tim
phelps,
tennessee,
division
of
forestry
communications
and
outreach
unit
leader
the
forest
legacy
program
is
a
program
that
we
facilitate
through
the
u.s
forest
service.
It
is
a
program
designed
to
encourage
conservation
of
private
lands
that
are
immediately
adjacent
to
public
lands,
so
the
priorities
of
those
of
those
properties
would
be
to
basically
extend
the
conservation
efforts
that
are
occurring
on
the
public
lands
and
extending
them
to
the
private
lands.
A
G
The
forestry
industry
has
been
hit
really
hard
and,
as
you
know,
lumber
has
taken
a
three
and
four
hundred
percent
increase
in
in
price.
Just
for
instance,
plywood
goes
has
gone
from
twenty
dollars
a
sheet
three
quarter
inch
to
last
week.
It
was
forty
five
dollars.
It's
projected
to
go
to
a
hundred
dollars.
This
is
destroying
the
housing
industry
as
well
as
the
industry
that
I'm
in,
which
is
the
furniture
manufacturing.
G
R
Q
Of
the
things
we
look
at
with
with
our
role
is,
is
encouraging
some
of
that
money
to
get
down
to
the
private
forest
land
owner
who
owns
80
of
the
forest
property
in
the
state
of
tennessee.
It's
the
raw
source,
that's
the
raw
material.
That's
making
that,
unfortunately,
a
lot
of
those
price
increases
that
some
are
benefiting
from,
don't
necessarily
make
it
down
to
that
private
landowner.
Q
That,
in
part,
is
supply
and
demand.
There's
a
there's,
a
huge
demand
for
a
lot
of
that
product
and
honestly,
an
oversupply,
especially
on
the
softwood
market,
10
20
30
years
or
so
ago.
A
lot
of
folks
were
planting
pine.
Now
that
market
is
unfortunately
saturated,
but
there's
still
a
very
high
demand
for
it.
G
G
C
C
R
Well,
the
thinking
was,
and
so
when,
when
bill
lee
became
governor,
he
increased
it.
They
were
getting
allocated,
250,
000,
a
piece
prior
to
him
becoming
governor.
He
increased
that
to
300
000
and
thinking
was
to
go
ahead
and
reduce
that
back.
At
that
point,
we're
looking
at
anything
we
could.
We
could
look
at
a
possible
reduction
without
impacting
those
associations
too
much,
and
so
we
thought
it
would
be
fair
enough
to
to
reduce
those
back
to
the
original
of
250
each.
So
the
the
50
each
gets
you
to
the
hundred
thousand.
A
B
Yeah,
your
name
please
and
tom
womack
deputy
commissioner
with
the
department
of
agriculture
and
I'm
a
product
of
the
ffa
and
4-h
bows,
so
they're
near
and
dear
to
my
heart.
So
the
commissioner's
correct.
We
were
just
simply
looking
at
equitable
reductions
across
the
board
in
our
department
that
we
can
make
there.
But
I
wanted
to
share
with
you
that
we
also
provide
some
direct
program
support
to
4h
and
ffa
55
000,
each
from
the
ag
tag.
B
K
Thank
you
very
much,
madam
chair,
commissioner.
I
I
heard
you
talking
about
the
me
processing
and
in
my
community,
I
met
with
our
county
commissioners
last
week
and
they
expressed
how,
because
we
have
a
lot
of
cattle
in
our
in
my
community
and
they
expressed
how
there
is
a
year
waiting
time.
One
of
the
county
commissioners
had
a
year
waiting
time
just
to
process
her
cattle
and
she
said
to
me.
You
know
what
I
would
love
and
I
said
what
she
said.
K
R
R
I
can't
call
which
university
it
is,
and
it's
also
on
ut's
radar
to
include
that,
because
we're
we're
we
desperately
need
those,
because
one
of
the
biggest
issues
for
these
meat
processors
is
labor
is
what
is
as
it
is
for
almost
any
business
and
so
we're
working
on
that.
We
see
the
value
to
it
and
I
think
you're
going
to
see
more
and
more
programs
come
up.
K
I
I
have
another
question
to
ask
you,
but
I
wanted
to
add
on
the
county
commission.
The
wilson
county
commission
actually
passed
a
resolution,
so
if
they
haven't
passed
it
on
to
you
I'll
pass
that
on
to
you
to
hopefully
gain
your
support
to
have
a
processing,
school
or
or
certificate
at
our
tcat.
We
just
would
love
that.
My
next
question
is
about
the
proposed
five
million
dollar
five
point:
two:
five
million
dollar
funding
in
the
state
budget
for
the
state
fair.
K
And
what
do
what
do
we
expect
with
that?
I
know
that
wilson
county
was
selected
as
a
an
excellent
site
for
that
and
the
wilson
county
promotions
is
going
to
be
taking
a
vote
if
they
hadn't
already.
I
met
with
them.
I
think
it's
thursday
night
thursday
night
right
they'll
be
taking
a
vote,
and
what
do
you
expect
that
5.25
million
dollars
will
be
used
for.
R
K
R
K
R
R
A
R
Yeah,
so
that
we
that
number
wasn't
just
there
was
a
proposed
budget
that
wilson
county
promotions
prepared
and
that
would
be
their
expenses-
would
actually
be
close
to
400
000
just
to
cover
what
they
think
is
necessary
to
hold
a
robust
state
fair.
So
it's
that's
premium
premiums
and
judge,
judge
expenses
and
awards,
and
it's
it.
It
totals
up
to
a
pretty
significant
amount.
A
F
Thank
you,
madam
chair.
I've
got
a
question
about
radio
replacements
and
this
is
I'm
going
to
wrap
several
of
these
two
or
three
points
here
into
one
question.
If
I
can
there's
over
a
million
and
a
quarter
dollars
around
a
million
and
a
quarter
of
non-recurring
for
radio
replacement,
I'm
assuming
this
is
upgrading
to
digital
radios.
That's
a
lot
of
folks
are
having
to
do
that.
You
can
touch
on
that.
R
R
And
so
what
we
came
up
with
was
is
this
a
radio
replacement
that
we
need?
He
can
address,
how
many
that
is
and
and
then
how
the
old
radios
are.
But
we
did
take
a
look
at
see
if
we
could
mesh
it
with
the
statewide
network
and
it
and
it
was
more
expensive
way
more
expensive
and
it
wouldn't
get
as
good
of
coverage,
because
we
had
that
question
by
commissioner
ely
as
well.
So
go
ahead,
tim
and
further
address
that.
Q
Yeah
again,
tim
phelps
division
of
forestry,
so
I
will
we'll
get
to
you
on
the
exact
number,
but
the
commissioner
is
correct
that
there's
really
three
components
to
our
keeping
the
sys
current
systems
that
we
have
versus
going
to
what
called
the
attacking
system.
That
is
that
we
work
in
a
very
rural
rugged
terrain.
Q
Some
of
that
has
to
do
not
only
with
the
topography
but
also
the
distance
which
signals
can
carry
now,
while
the
tacking
system
can
hold
more
bandwidth
on
on
its
frequencies,
ours
can
travel
longer
and
and
through
the
haulers
in
the
hills.
So
to
speak.
So
that's
that's
key
point
number
one
key
point
number
two
is
that
the
systems
that
we
currently
have
and
invested
in
over
the
past
dec
several
decades,
currently
lines
up
with
the
same
systems.
That's
used
on
a
national
level.
Q
So
when
our
folks
go
out
and
are
deployed-
and
you
see
the
significant
increase
that
we
had
with
deployments
over
this
past
year-
162
personnel
25
pieces
of
equipment
over
11
states.
They
all
use
this
same
system
that
we're
adjusting
to
and
and
have
trained
on
over
the
years.
So
when
we
go
out
to
montana,
when
we
go
out
to
idaho
even
florida
and
some
of
the
other
states,
when
we
get
there,
our
systems
work
in
tandem
with
theirs.
Q
Conversely,
when
we
have
active
fire
seasons-
which,
fortunately
we
don't
have
too
many
of-
but
you
know
something
like
2016
when
we
bring
people
in
to
help
with
us
again,
they
can
easily
integrate
into
our
systems.
So
the
deployment
issue
is
a
big
part
of
it,
and
the
third
piece
is
the
fact
that
we
have
invested
millions
over
the
years
with
keeping
this
current
system
upgraded.
F
State
I
appreciate
the
detail
you've
gone
into
in
making
the
decisions
about
how
to
spend
that
money
and
it-
and
you
answered
a
question
that
I
had
not
asked
and
that's
integrating
into
the
the
rest
of
the
state
system,
as
we
have
heard
in
these
other
budget
hearings
from
departments
the
last
several
weeks.
So
I
appreciate
that
level
of
detail
and
the
decision-making
process
you've
gone
to.
Thank
you.
O
You
cheerleader
hazy
wood.
Thank
you,
commissioner,
for
coming.
I
have
an
inquiry.
Last
year
real
estate
transfer
tax.
As
you
know,
you
guys
get
a
little
bit
of
money
from
there.
I
think
it
was
3.2
million
dollars
was
budgeted.
You
collected
a
little
over
eight
or
ten.
Something
like
that.
Now
you've
got
a
fund
balance
a
little
over
10
million
dollars
in
real
estate
transfer
tax.
Is
there
a?
Are
you
expecting
to
to
see
the
this
growth
continue
or?
R
Well,
it's
it's!
It's
a
trend.
We've
been
seeing
for
a
couple
years
now
and
it's
every
month
it
seems
to
set
a
new
record
on
real
estate
transfer
tax
and
that's,
I
guess,
part
of
the
the
supply
demand
issue
on
the
on
the
force
products,
but
that
that
that
money,
I
think,
is
by
statute
for
soil
conservation
efforts.
I
believe-
and
we
have
we
have
a
a
staff
dedicated
that
and
the
demand
for
that
by
the
farmers
and
ranchers
across
the
state
is
off
the
charts.
R
K
Hi,
I'm
shannon
klonowski,
I'm
with
the
department
of
assistant
commissioner.
We
we
use
that
money.
We
are
seeing,
like
the
commissioner
said,
record
highs
with
the
real
estate
market
being
so
strong
right
now.
So
we
take
that
money
and
we
go
out
to
the
counties
at
the
county
level
work
through
their
soil.
C
K
Quality
erosion
issues
things
like
that,
and
they
come
forward
with
projects
and
they
work
through
us
and
we
get
those
funded.
The
great
news
is,
we
have
probably
more
projects
out
there
than
we
are
able
to
fund
so
the
more
money
that
rolls
in
the
more
we
can
get
projects
accomplished
across
the
state.
O
K
C
O
O
C
Thank
you,
madam
chair,
and
I've
got
about
three
quick
questions.
If
I
could
get
your
permission,
thank
you.
Thank
you,
commission
for
being
here
and
appreciate
what
you
do.
You
mentioned
in
your
presentation
about
the
reduction
of
the
one
million
two
hundred
forty
four
thousand,
that
deals
with
the
22
full-time
employees
and
some
seasonal
positions
and
so
forth.
How
is
that
going
to
affect
your
department
as
a
whole?
C
R
You
know
we
we
had
discussions
and
angst
and
talks
and
talked
and
talked,
but
in
the
end
I
told
him.
I
said
we're
not
going
to
make
any
cuts,
that's
going
to
affect
our
our
services
and
especially
our
emergency
response
and
our
readiness
efforts,
and
so
we
felt
like
we
accomplished
that
it's
not
going
to
have
any
effect
on
our
customer
service
or
our
readiness
for
emergencies
and
a
lot
of
those
positions
were
seasonal.
R
Q
Yeah
many
of
the
seasonal
positions
who
are
burn
permit
riders,
we
issue
anywhere
from
350
to
400,
000
burn
permits
per
year
in
rural
communities
or
actually
rural
areas
outside
of
communities
across
the
state
and
many
of
those
come
in
to
take
phone
calls
to
get
issue
those
permits.
We
are
working
to
divert
a
lot
of
that
traffic
to
an
online
system
that
we
developed
a
couple
years
ago.
Burnsafetn.Org
and
that
system
is,
is
easy.
It's
very
efficient.
Q
R
C
R
C
R
No
so
so
twra
has
been
working
toward
purchasing
an
incinerator
and
they
can
give
you
the
details
on
where
they
are
on
that,
but
we're
working
a
monthly
commissioner
sawyers
and
director
bobby
wilson
at
twi,
and
I
meet
and
we've
been
talking
about
preparations
for
the
next
hunting
season,
especially
related
to
disposal
of
deer
carcasses.
Because
it's
going
to
be
an
issue
again.
H
Thank
you,
madam
chair,
commissioner,
thank
you
very
much
and
your
whole
team
brag
on
carol
mcdonald
for
the
work
that
she
does.
So.
Thank
you
very
much.
I
want
to
expound
on
the
issue
that
the
chair,
lady
from
wilson
county,
had
discussed
earlier,
the
state
fair
and
the
investment
we're
looking
at
making
there.
H
I
understand
the
the
request.
We
have
56
other
fairs
across
the
state
of
tennessee,
small,
medium
large
regional
fares
that
are
struggling
and
have
struggled
because
they've
not
been
able
to
have
their
fare
last
year,
and
I
would
request
of
of
the
department
of
agriculture
that
we
look
at
in
the
supplemental
budget
request
that
we
look
at
matching
that
same
five
million
dollars
with
another
five
million
dollars
that
could
be
distributed
on
a
grant
basis
to
the
other
56
fairs
across
the
state
of
tennessee.
H
H
H
Tourism
is
the
number
two
industry
in
the
state
of
tennessee
and,
and
that
goes
hand
in
glove
once
again,
with
what
we're
trying
to
do
with
our
fares
in,
in
addition
to
the
education
investments
that
we
make.
So
I
put
that
out
there
to
you
as
a
request
in
order
to
help
you
get
the
monies
for
the
state
state
fair,
it
may
be
beneficial
to
to
help
our
56
other
local
regional
fairs
as
well.
Thank
you,
madam
chair.
R
I
think
our
funding
exceeded
what
they
had
proposed
within
the
cares
money,
so
at
least
they're
getting
some,
I
think
it
was
was
close
to
three
million
dollars.
I
think
was
what
they
could
have
could
have
gotten
if
they
applied
for
it.
But
I
agree
with
you,
I
mean,
and
even
in
our
other,
what
little
bit
of
money
we
have
a
lot
of
times.
We
we
work
with
the
counties
to
help
them
and
they
can
do
more
with
less
than
anybody.
R
I've
ever
seen
they
can
take
75
000
for
a
a
pavilion
for
for
their
county,
fair
site
and
do
it
all
themselves
and
and
end
up
with
a
million
dollar
facility.
So
we're
aware
of
it
and
and
working
with
them
the
best
we
can
with
what
little
bit
of
money
we
have.
But
if
you
can
send
us
some
more
money,
our
way
for
it
more
power
to
you.
H
K
I
I
did
actually
it
was
a
statement
about
the
fair.
I
was
thinking,
there's
people
probably
watching
online
and
they
might
not
understand
how
it
works.
But
if
the
state
fair
does
move
to
wilson
county,
the
five
million
dollars
is
to
help
with
infrastructure,
because
there's
parking
issues,
facilities
issues.
We
expect
a
lot
more
people
to
be
at
the
fairgrounds
and
right
now,
parking
or
cars
do
back
up
onto
feeder
roads
tremendously,
and
so
it's
just
to
help
the
facility
be
able
to
better
control
the
masses
of
people
and
whatnot
wilson.
K
County
promotions
is
a
private
non-profit
organization
that
operates
the
wilson
county
fair
and
they
operate
the
wilson
county,
fair
at
the
wilson
county,
fairgrounds,
and
so
the
two
are
unaffiliated
wilson.
County
promotions
is
not
getting
that
money.
It's
the
wilson
county,
fair
that
will
get
that
structural
improvement.
K
I'm
sorry
the
wilson
county
fairgrounds,
so
we'll
get
that
structural
improvement
money
to
be
able
to
help
with
the
masses
of
people
that
would
be
coming
to
the
fair,
but
wilson
county
promotions,
as
the
commissioner
and
I
discussed,
will
be
taking
a
vote
on
whether
their
organization
would
like
to
give
up
being
the
wilson
county
fair
and
take
on
being
the
tennessee
state
fair
and
it's
a
big
question
for
a
lot
of
them.
It's
a
very
emotional
question
for
a
lot
of
the
people
in
the
county.
K
I
think
senator
podey
representative
white
and
I
have
heard
from
all
sides
both
many
sides
of
people
who
are
afraid
about
losing
our
identity,
but
there's
also
people
who
really
believe
that
wilson
county
could
make
tennessee
proud
and
really
hold
an
excellent
state,
fair.
That
would
be
the
envy
of
the
nation.
So
that's
that's
where
that
is
so
wilson.
County
promotions
is
a
private
nonprofit
and
the
fairgrounds
is
owned
by
the
county.
So
thank
you.
A
Thank
you,
representative
lynn,
for
clarifying
that
for
those
who
might
be,
as
you
say,
watching
online
or
listening
in
commissioner,
we
thank
you
and
your
team,
and
I
it's
already
been
mentioned
already,
but
carol
mcdonald
does
an
outstanding
job
for
your
department
up
here,
she's
so
well,
respected
by
everyone
that
I
know.
So
you
probably
need
to
give
a
raise.
I'm
just
saying,
but
we
do
thank
you
again
for
the
work
that's
done
across
the
state
every
day,
tennessee's
changing.
A
We
see
that
we
look
out
the
windows
here
around
nashville
and
we
see
the
cranes.
I
see
the
changes
in
my
community,
but
agriculture
remains
the
number
one
industry
in
the
state
we're
very
blessed
to
have
other
industries
who
are
you
know,
auto
industry,
lots
of
manufacturing,
but
agriculture
remains
our
number
one
industry
and
we
thank
you
for
providing
the
support.
I
grew
up
on
a
family
farm.
A
It's
it's
tough
work,
it's
never-ending
work,
and
there
are
so
many
things
out
of
your
control
in
terms
of
weather
and
all
those
things
that
impact
your
outcomes.
So
thank
you
again
for
taking
care
of
our
tennessee
farmers
with
through
4-h.
Through
all
kinds
of
methodologies,
we're
hopeful
that
we'll
be
raising
up
a
new
generation
of
farmers
to
take
over
for
those
of
us
who
are
getting
old
and
tired.
But
thank
you
again,
and
we
appreciate
your
time
with
us
today-.