►
Description
House Finance, Ways, & Means Committee (B)- November 15, 2021- House Hearing Room I
A
Good
afternoon
we
are
back
in
session
with
our
focus
hearings,
focusing
on
federal
funding
that
has
been
distributed
and
will
be
distributed
to
our
state
through
the
various
departments
and
through
our
fsag
process
as
well.
That's
the
financial
stability
accountability
group
just
rolls
right
off
the
tongue.
B
B
I
think
we
at
thda
have
played
the
hand
we
were
dealt
as
skillfully
as
we
can.
We
have
received
an
unprecedented
amount
of
federal
funding
and
program
responsibility,
and
I
think
it's
a
real
credit
to
the
women
and
men
who
work
for
us
that
we
have
been
up
to
that
challenge,
but
in
all
candor
not
all
of
these
federal
programs
were
terribly
well
thought
out.
A
couple
of
them
are
in
a
perfect
example.
What
happens
when
you
have
a
committee
working
late
at
night
three
days
before
christmas,
to
get
something
done,
a
couple
of
examples.
B
You
know
the
rent
relief
program.
We
have
been
given
far
more
money
than
we
will
need
far
more
money
than
we
can
hope
to
expend
for
that
purpose,
and
we've
been
further
challenged
by
frequent
changes
in
the
rules
and
just
last
month
they
moved
the
goal
posts.
We
were
on
track
to
hit
all
the
metrics
and
then
they
moved
them.
So
now
we
don't
but
they've,
given
us
a
helpful
way
to
move
some
money
around
to
make
it
look
like
we
did
the
homeowner
assistance
fund.
B
B
We
have
been
able
to
use
a
little
bit
of
the
upfront
money
to
start
that
program
for
our
own
borrowers
and
that's
going
well,
but
as
of
this
morning,
not
one
state
has
been
approved
to
actually
put
that
money
to
work,
helping
homeowners
and
then
in
april
you
may
recall
we
were
given
53
million
dollars
for
the
home
program.
This
was
specifically
to
help
people
who
were
homeless
at
risk
of
homelessness
or
fleeing
a
violent
domestic
situation.
B
We
didn't
get
the
guidance
for
that
until
september
and
we
can't
go
yet
because
we're
obliged
to
go
seek
public
comment.
Even
though
hud
has
put
the
box
pretty
narrowly
on
what
we
can
do
with
those
dollars,
but
we'll
go.
Do
that
and
then
we'll
submit
a
plan
and
then
someone
at
hud
will
read
it
and
we
presume
approve
it,
and
then
we
get
to
take
applications
for
that.
So
we
are
hopeful
that
some
of
that
53
million
dollars
actually
gets
put
to
work
within
a
calendar
year
of
the
time
it
was
appropriated.
B
A
Well
I'll
begin
director
perry
understanding
the
challenges
that
you've
just
enumerated.
Do
we
have
any
idea
how
many
homeowners
in
tennessee
have
actually
lost
their
homes
during
this
process?
And
you
know
we
were
just
not
able
because
of
the
strings
and
the
and
the
process
that
was
put
in
place
to
provide
assistance
to
them
and
is?
C
D
A
B
I
don't
think
it's
too
late.
For
the
most
part,
you
had
a
foreclosure
moratorium,
in
effect
for
much
of
that
time
also,
we
were
proactive,
certainly
with
our
own
customers,
and
I
think
most
mortgage
servicers
were
in
letting
them
know
that
they
could
go
into
forbearance,
and
we
have
some
remedies
to
help
people
through
that
once
we
can
start
the
homeowner
assistance
fund
and
offer
it
to
borrowers
other
than
our
own.
B
We
have
the
arrangements
set
with
loan
servicers
actually
couple
hundred
of
them
so
that
we
can
work
with
their
customers
as
they
refer
to
them
and
there's
still
time
to
to
work
that
out.
So
I
wouldn't
think
that
we
you've
seen
too
many
people
who
who
are
homeowners,
who
have
lost
their
homes
during
this
period,
but
you
know
we're
disappointed
at
the
the
apparent
lack
of
urgency
on
the
part
of
our
federal
partners,
because
we've
frankly
been
ready
to
go
since
july.
A
E
Thank
you,
madam
chair,
and
thank
you
director
very
much
appreciate
the
relationship
that
we've
built
over
the
years
and
to
expand
upon
the
the
comments
that
you're
making
with
the
chair.
Lady
tell
me
about
staff
that
has
been
required
for
the
potential
rollout
of
these
programs.
Have
we
had
to
add
staff?
E
B
We
we've
subcontracted
much
of
the
work
around
the
rent
relief
program.
We
have
been
given
great
flexibility
by
the
department
of
finance
and
administration
to
employ
both
short-term
and
long-term
temporary
staff.
That
has
helped
us
ramp
up
quickly
for
a
lot
of
the
the
federal
money
that
would
flow
through
our
community
programs
division.
We
have
basically
reassigned
some
of
our
staff
to
be
able
to
focus
solely
on
the
homeowner
assistance
fund,
but
we
will
also
contract
out
for
a
call
center
in
functions
like
that.
E
B
We
we'll
take
that
out
of
the
administrative
dollars
that
we're
allowed
to
get
out
of
the
colbud
funds,
but
rit.
As
you
know,
we
have
a
freestanding
I.t
division
and
that's
given
us
flexibility
to
reach
the
contracts.
We
need
to
set
up
the
the
application
portals
online.
The
call
centers
that
can
be
of
help
to
people
who
need
the
assistance
to
apply.
B
Yes,
very
very
extensively
very
early
on
we
contacted
not
just
landlord
and
tenant
associations,
the
apartment
association.
We
worked
with
getting
the
word
out
to
local
governments,
so
somebody
called
city
hall
and
had
a
question
about
that.
We
had
answers
ready.
We
employed
our
network
of
non-profit
partners.
Who've
been
very
helpful.
We
have
sent
some
funding
to
the
legal
services
offices
around
the
state.
They
frequently
are
working
with
people
to
help
them
avoid
evictions.
B
B
Government
that
nothing
additional
was
placed
at
our
part.
Originally
we
were
obliged
to
make
more
of
an
effort
to
you
know
why
weren't
you
paying
your
rent,
some
evidence
that
you
lost
your
job
or
some.
You
know
some
measure
of
your
income
as
the
summer
went
on
the
federal
government
relaxed
a
lot
of
those
things.
B
A
B
B
Things
have
been
loosened
up
quite
considerably.
I
have
some
reservations
about
that
and
I
fully
expect
that
three
years
from
now,
someone
in
washington
will
ask
me
why
we
did
it
that
way
and
my
answer
will
be
well.
We
we
did
what
you
told
us.
You
know
the
big
challenge
with
that
program,
sir,
is
that
we
haven't
seen
anywhere
near
the
number
of
applicants
that
we
were
led
to
believe
and
expect.
A
year
ago.
B
B
Under
the
era
1
legislation
which
passed
first
treasury
is
obliged
to
take
a
look
at
the
as
of
the
end
of
september
on
who
has
spent
what
and
they
have
the
option
of
reallocating
dollars
for
to
those
who
need
it.
The
issue,
though,
nationwide
no
one
has
gone
through
all
their
money,
so
even
if
they
were
going
to
take
it
from
us,
they
there's
no
one
to
give
it
to
who
needs
it.
B
If
any
of
the
four
localities
in
tennessee
run
short
of
their
funds,
we've
agreed
to
backstop
them,
we
can
send
any
of
them
20
million
dollars
tomorrow,
if
they
needed
that.
So
I
suspect
the
treasury
is
going
through
this
exercise
because
it
is
required
by
the
legislation,
but
I'll
be
real
surprised
if
they
claw
back
any
of
the
money,
because
it
just
says
you
can
reallocate
it
to
others,
not
that
you
can
claw
it
back
to
washington,
so
we'll
just
kind
of
play
that
by
ear.
H
F
B
I'd
have
to
refresh
my
memory,
sir.
I
want
to
say
it
it's
generally
between
about
11
and
18
million
dollars,
okay
per
county
per
yeah,
for
each
of
those
larger,
I
think
more
for
memphis
and
shelby
more
for
davidson,
probably
the
smaller
amount
going
to
rutherford,
and
you
know
I
thought
it
made
sense
for
those
four
to
do
that,
because
in
many
respects
they
had
started
a
similar
program
using
other
funds
last
year,
so
they
had
a
head
start.
They
had
the
mechanism,
it
was
pretty
much
a
plug
and
play
thing.
B
B
A
B
Yeah-
and
you
know
I
spoke
with
with
mayor
coffinger
at
length
about
this-
his
concern
was,
they
didn't,
have
a
program
like
this
and
standing
one
up
staffing
it
setting
up.
All
of
that
would
have
been
a
considerable
expense
to
the
county
and
we're
perfectly
ready
we're.
We
were
ready
to
do
it
all
over
the
state.
I
think
we've
done
a
pretty
good
job
for
hamilton,
county.
A
And
I
would
assume
there
would
have
been
a
delay.
Of
course
it
turns
out
that
maybe
not
have
been
the
issue
that
we
would
have
expected
and
before
I
go
on
to
the
next
questioner,
there's
can
you
talk
with
us
a
little
bit
about
the
emergency
shelter
grants
yeah
how
they
have
been
used
if
we
have
unexpected
funding
there,
what
the
rules
are
for
using
that
funding.
B
That
one's
actually
worked
relatively
well,
those
are
dollars.
Now
we
got
ten
times
as
much
money
as
we
normally
have
for
that
program.
So
we
had
a
couple
of
hurdles,
but
generally
we
will
pass
that
through
local
government
and
non-profit
entities
that
are
helping
the
homeless.
The
thinking
is,
you
want
to
get
people
off
the
street
where
they're
more
likely
to
get
covet
or
pass
it
to
others.
B
One
of
the
big
challenges
we
discovered
right
off
the
bat
is,
it
is
a
reimbursement
program.
Someone
would
have
to
spend
their
own
money
to
do
something
and
then
get
reimbursed
well
nobody's
sitting
on
this
kind
of
money.
So
we
changed
a
few
things
and
we
were
able
to
advance
dollars
to
those
non-profits.
B
B
A
B
A
I
B
Some
of
the
dollars
we
were
able
to
give
them.
Let
them
acquire
some
extra
spaces.
They
wouldn't
have
had
time
to
build
something,
but
they
might
have
been
able
to
acquire
some
space
where
they
could
house
people
the
home
dollars.
The
extra
53
are
referenced
at
the
front
that
can
be
used
to
build,
shelters
or
or
housing
for
those
individuals.
B
We
help
be
able
to
put
those
dollars
to
work,
that's
a
longer
term
process,
but
the
the
funds
for
emergency
solutions
grants
are
actually
pretty
broad.
And
let
me
just
let
me
pull
this
up
for
you
and
give
you
a
pretty
good
accounting
of
what
we
do
with
those
dollars
or
rather
what
our
partners
do.
But
those
are
things
like
you
could
buy
personal
protective
equipment.
You
can
provide
hazard
pay
to
your
employees.
If
they're
there,
you
can
provide
incentives
to
landlords
to
house
people.
B
Incentives
for
your
volunteers,
provide
furniture
and
household
furnishings.
You
know
if
you're,
if
you've
got
a
place
to
keep
people,
but
you
need
to
set
up
some
beds
and
those
kinds
of
things.
So
it's
been
pretty
flexible
money
and
because
we've
been
able
to
provide
it
up
front
to
a
lot
of
these
organizations,
they've
been
able
to
put
it
to
use
and
then
keep
revolving
them
as
they
provide
additional
services.
I
I
Is
the
process
that
the
federal
government
that
they
sent
down,
for
that
is
the
process
of
of
the
threshold
being
met
by
the
tenant,
the
impediment
to
getting
those
those
pay
distributed,
because
my
I
guess
my
thoughts
are
when
we
originally
discussed
it
is
that
the
money
would
eventually
eventually
land
with
the
mortgagee
or
the
landowner
who's.
Not
getting
the
pay.
Yes.
Is
that
because
they're
two
different
entities
has
that
created
a
problem
or
improving
the
covid
related
nature
of.
B
It
yeah,
you
know,
I,
I
think
it
caused
some
complications
at
the
start.
They
have
since
modified
some
of
that
guidance.
Now,
if
a
tenant
won't
participate,
we
can
pay
the
landlord
directly.
If
the
landlord
won't
participate.
We
can
pay
the
tenant
directly,
though
we
point
out
to
the
landlord
what
you
know:
you're
the
one
owed
the
money
we'd
like
to
pay
you,
but
if
you
don't
participate,
I
have
to
pay
your
tenant
whether
he
pays
you
or
not.
B
I
I
can't
speak
to,
but
we
you
know,
we've
also
done
more
outreach
to
landlords,
because
I
think
some
of
them
didn't
want
to
participate
because
they
felt
there
must
be
a
string
attached
and
while
anecdotally,
the
landlords
who
had
good
tenants,
regular
payers,
they
really
tried
to
work
through
all
of
that
with
their
tenants.
If
you
had
a
problem
tenant,
someone
who's
damaged
the
property,
someone
who
just
decided
to
stop
paying-
and
you
can't
do
anything
about
it.
You
know
those
landlords
were
ready.
B
They
were
ready
to
forego
the
money
just
to
have
the
ability
to
get
someone
else
in
their
unit.
So
it
was
a
little
more
complicated
of
a
process,
but
now
we're
in
a
position
to
help
those
landlords
and
we
are
newly
able
to
go
back
and
help
the
landlord
who
might
have
been
stood
up
for
five
or
six
months,
rent
for
someone
who
then
left
and
prior
to
that
we
had
no
ability
to
go
back
and
make
that
person
whole.
We
can
do
that
now.
Okay,
more
chairman.
I
B
Know
we
have
all
of
you
have
websites
if
you
want
to
share
the
information
more
broadly
direct
people
to
our
application
portal
or
to
our
frequently
answered
questions
the
more
we
can
do
to
get
the
word
out,
we're
going
to
continue
those
efforts
on
our
own,
but
a
kind
word
from
anybody.
You
know
you'll
have
constituents
calling
to
ask
you
about
it,
even
at
this
late
date
and
we're
happy
to
make
sure
that
you
and
your
staffs
have
that
information
and
can
share
it.
C
They
can
make
the
monthly
payment
they
just
can't
find
that
initial
down
payment
is
there
anything
out
there
that's
available
to
help
those
people,
because
you
know
home
equity
is
much
more
important
than
paying
rent
I'm
not.
In
fact,
I
wish
I
bought
a
home
when
I
first
came
here
to
be
better
off,
but
is
there
anything
out
there
to
help
those
people,
because
I
see
a
lot
of
people
who
could
be
buying
a
house
today
rather
than
paying
rent.
B
Okay,
probably
96
of
the
people
who
take
advantage
of
thda
mortgages
do
so
because
we
can
help
them
with
their
down
payment,
closing
costs,
and
that
has
been
enormously
helpful
to
tennesseans,
because
you're
right
sometimes
they've
got
the
down
payment.
They're
not
prepared
for
the
extra
three
four
five
thousand
dollars
in
closing
costs.
B
We
can
help
them
with
that
and
in
so
doing
we
get
them
in
the
house
in
a
responsible
mortgage,
but
let
them
keep
a
little
bit
of
their
money
in
reserve,
because
we
found
over
time
that
the
biggest
predictor
of
success
is
not
necessarily
how
much
you
put
in
on
the
front
end.
But
do
you
have
something
in
the
bank
when
the
water
heater
blows
or
the
roof
leaks,
or
something
else
happens
that
might
cause
you
to
get
behind
on
your
mortgage
and
get
in
trouble?
B
B
B
B
It
will
describe
the
mortgage
options,
how
the
down
payment
products
work,
because
we
have
several
options,
for
it
also
give
you
a
list
of
all
155
lenders.
We
work
through
in
tennessee
and
a
list
of
the
counseling
agencies
that
can
get.
You
started
with
the
homeowner's
education
that
we
require,
and
then
you
just
work
with
your
lender
partner,
as
you
normally
would
we're
sort
of
the
back
office
execution
and
once
it's
closed,
we
service
those
loans.
So
we're
going
to
have
continued
contact
with
the
borrower.
C
B
B
So
I
think
people
feel
better
about
it
if
they
understand
what
they're
looking
at
what
these
documents
are.
But
part
of
the
curriculum
is
also
how
to
manage
your
money
and
how
to
handle
your
credit,
so
that
you
are
in
better
shape
when
you
do
go
for
the
mortgage
and
you're
in
better
shape
to
handle
the
financial
responsibilities
that
come
with
home
ownership.
We
feel
that
that
helps
people
get
in,
but
it
also
helps
them
succeed
in
home
ownership
and
it's
reflected
in
the
performance
of
our
portfolio
over
time.
J
Thank
you,
cheerleading.
Thank
you,
director,
perry.
Thank
you
for
being
here
today.
I've
got
a
couple
of
questions
and-
and
I
just
want
to
make
sure
I
understand
what
you're
saying
so.
You
started
saying
straight
out
by
saying
that
that
we
got
more
money
than
we
need.
Yes,
and
then
we've
had
a
couple
of
questions
of
of
people
that
are
that
are
still
trying
to
get
payments
and
or
how
do
we
get
payments?
B
B
We
will
never
use
that.
I
mean
the
the
urban
institute
did
a
pretty
rigorous
study
of
the
program
nationwide
and
found
that
in
most
instances,
states
were
given
more
money
than
they
could
hope
to
use,
and-
and
you
know,
I
give
people
credit
for
good
intentions.
There
were
a
lot
of
really
astronomical
estimates
on
the
size
and
the
scope
of
the
problem,
but
not
everybody
was
going
to
be
eligible
right
from
the
get-go.
Not
everyone's
mortgage
situation
was
caused
by
a
loss
of
income
due
to
covid,
and
so
that's
that's
an
impact.
J
B
The
rejection
rate
was
actually
very
low,
single
digits
and
it
had
less
in
some
cases,
their
earnings
still
after
covet
were
higher
than
allowed
by
the
guidelines
in
the
early
applications.
There
were
folks
who
could
not
prove
to
the
satisfaction
of
the
treasury
rules
that
their
financial
hardship
was
related
to
covid
the
lawsuit.
Now
we've
been
able
to
go
back
to
some
of
those
people
and
say
rules
have
changed.
If
you
want
to
try
this
again,
we
can
help
you
and
I
think,
we've
we've
been
able
to
do
that
in
some
instances.
B
Sometimes
you
know
well
in
the
chattanooga
area
we
had
a
few
people
apply
and
they
live
in
georgia,
so
we
sent
them
to
our
counterparts
in
georgia.
We
had
a
few
people
who
are
homeowners
who
apply
and
we
go
well.
We
got
a
program,
but
it's
not
this
one.
So
we've
got
them
on
the
list
and
we'll
we'll
reach
out
to
them
when
the
homeowner
assistance
fund
goes
live.
This
has
been.
B
No
one
is
seeing
anywhere
near
the
number
of
applicants
that
they
expected
and
again
I'm
I'm
hopeful
that
the
treasury
will
broaden
the
range
of
things
that
we
can
do
with
those
dollars.
I'd
like
to
put
a
lot
of
it
into
development
of
affordable
housing
or
other
ways
to
help
tennesseans
get
decently
housed.
The
box
is
still
pretty
narrowly
drawn.
J
Yeah,
this
truly
is
last
question,
so
on
the
the
the
forbearance
piece
that
you
spoke
of
originally,
I
understand
the
original
intent
was
to
allow
mortgage
holders
an
opportunity
to
delay
payments
for
a
period
of
time.
Yes,
and
the
original
guidance
was
that
that
taking
that
forbearance
would
not
negatively
affect
your
ability
to
get
credit
in
the
future.
I'm
now
hearing
from
many
when
they
go
to
the
to
the
lender.
J
B
Honest
with
you,
I'm
not
hearing
that,
but
then
we've
always
been
pretty
proactive
with
our
own.
We
would
only
hear
that
from
our
own
borrowers
and
we've
been
pretty
proactive
with
them
in
explaining
that
look.
When
your
forbearance
period
is
up,
we
don't
expect
you
to
come
out
of
pocket
with
12
months
worth
of
payments.
We
will
restructure
your
loan.
We
will
recast
it.
You
know,
add
those
12
months
to
the
back
end.
B
J
A
K
B
Well,
for
rent,
I
mean
here
in
the
nashville
area,
I'm
hearing
it's
about
hundred
dollars
a
month.
The
typical
rent
in
a
tax
credit
property
is
probably
closer
to
eight
hundred
in
the
in
areas
like
your
district.
Those
rents
are
necessarily
going
to
be
lower
because
market
rents
are
lower
than
that.
I'm
going
to
guess
that
tax
credit
rents
are
probably
more
in
the
five
six
hundred
dollars.
K
B
It
is
a
challenge
for
us,
our
no
one's
building
in
affordable
price
ranges,
the
only
affordable
rental
that's
being
built
is
through
our
tax
credit
program
and
it's
very
difficult,
economically
for
home
builders
to
build
a
home
and
expect
to
sell
it
for
like
two
hundred
thousand
dollars.
This
is
why
our
mortgage
business
has
slowed
because
our
customers
can't
stay
in
the
bidding,
as
the
price
keeps
going
up.
K
This
is
the
final
question,
representative
williams
and
I
live
in
the
area.
I
guess
all
of
us
do
not
just
represent
winners.
I
look
in
nashville,
I
mean
there's
a
ritz
carlton,
the
four
seasons
are
full,
but
that's
not
what
I'm
talking
about
right
right.
We
live
in
an
area
that
somebody
gets
up
and
goes
to
work
every
day
is
being
pushed
out
of
either
buying
or
renting
out
a
residence
because
people
move
in
from
other
places.
K
B
Well,
building
more
and
you
know
we're
hopeful.
As
I
said,
I
would
like
very
much
to
use
some
of
these
federal
dollars
if
we
could
and
provide
some
subsidies
or
support
to
a
developer.
So
he
or
she
can
build
homes
and
then
make
them
available
at
a
more
affordable
price
range
175
to
210
for
buyers
and
still
make
the
profit
they
need
to
make
to
stay
in
business.
It's
a
bigger
challenge
and
it's
it's
frankly,
something
that's
happening
all
over
the
country.
A
G
Thank
you,
madam
chair
good,
to
see
you
director
perry.
You
indicated
that
tennessee
had
gotten
maybe
800
million
dollars
in
in
emergency
rental
assistance.
Even
the
analysts
just
predicted
that
about
200
million
could
be
used,
and
yet
only
maybe
25
million
has
been
allocated.
You've
also
said
that
the
rejection
rate
for
applications
is
in
the
single
digits,
and
so
it's
not
really
due
to
applications
that
are
rejected.
It
must
be
because
people
aren't
applying.
B
We
are,
we
aren't
seeing
anywhere
near
them.
As
I
say,
you
know
we
we
were
geared
up.
We
expected
to
get
50
60,
70,
000
applications
right
off
the
bat
hasn't
happened,
the
ones
who
were
applying
we're
able
to
work
through
pretty
well,
but
we're
not
seeing
that
and
again
we're
we're
continuing
to
to
work
the
rounds
and
get
the
word
out
and
we're
going
to
think
about
what
else
we
can
do
to
work
with
our
non-profits
to
get
their
further
help
with
outreach
and
engagement
we're
working
through
faith-based
groups.
B
G
B
G
B
Lot
going
on,
you
know
it's
hard
to
characterize.
I
mean
I,
I
hear
probably
the
same
story
as
you
do,
of
people
who
have
money
but
choose
to
pay
everything
but
rent,
because
they
can't
be
evicted
other
folks
who
have
genuinely
they
can't
they
were
always
paid,
but
they
lost
their
job
and
can't,
and
I
think
landlords
have
tried
to
work
with
folks
through
that
circumstance.
B
A
Thank
you
director
perry.
Thank
you
again.
I
think
all
of
us
are
just
interested
in
making
sure
that
we
get
these
available
dollars
out
to
tennesseans
who
need
them
as
quickly
as
possible,
and
we
appreciate
your
work
in
doing
that.
We're
going
to
ask
our
friends
from
the
department
of
labor
commissioner
mccord
and
his
whomever
he's
bringing
to
the
front
with
them
to
please
step
up.
A
Thank
you
for
joining
us
here
today,
commissioner,
and
without
further
ado,
we're
gonna.
Let
you
I
think
you
have
a
presentation
and
then
I'm
sure
we
will
have
a
number
of
questions
because
a
lot
of
what
you're
doing
there's
a
lot
of
interest
in
with
our
constituents
back
home
and
with
members.
So
please
proceed.
L
Yes,
ma'am.
Thank
you,
madam
chair
and
committee,
appreciate
the
time
to
be
here.
What
we'd
like
to
do
is
start
with
a
short
overview
and
with
me
in
the
front
here
andy
summer,
is
our
ace
assistant,
commissioner
of
finance,
and
then
chance
decent
is
our
general
counsel,
and
we
do
have
quite
the
number
of
folks
here
to
answer
any
other
questions
that
that
may
come
up
beyond
just
what's
in
that
in
the
presentation.
So
with
that
andy
I'll
turn
it
over
to
you
good.
M
M
M
The
second
program
was
the
pandemic
emergency
unemployment
compensation
program
which
provided
additional
benefit
weeks
for
those
individuals
who
exhausted
their
regular
unemployment
compensation
benefits,
regular
unemployment
compensation
benefits
run
for
26
weeks.
This
provided
additional
48
weeks
of
benefits
at
460
million
dollars.
M
M
M
The
fourth
program
on
the
list
is
the
mixed
earners
unemployment
compensation
program.
This
is
for
individuals
that
were
claiming
unemployment
compensation
and
also
had
at
least
five
thousand
dollars
worth
of
self-employment
income.
This
program
totaled
eight
one
hundred
and
eighty
nine
thousand
dollars
fifth
program-
is
the
waiting
week
program.
This
was
federal
funding
for
the
first
week
of
unemployment
insurance
for
those
states
that
waived
their
waiting
week.
This
allowed
states
to
get
their
benefits
out
faster
to
claimants.
M
L
And
if
I
may,
let
me
add
a
little
color
here,
the
all
those
programs
swirling
around
there
are
85
different,
different
distinct
guidance
documents
from
the
feds
during
that
time,
updating
or
correcting
or
changing
the
previous
guidance.
So
quite
a
bit
of
complexity
in
that
I'm
sorry
go
right
ahead.
Andy.
M
We
also
had
a
fema
funded
program.
This
was
from
the
trump
administration
via
an
executive
order.
This
was
also
also
a
three
hundred
dollar
supplement,
which
extended
the
federal
pandemic
unemployment
compensation.
This
was
for
the
weeks
of
august,
first
through
nine
through
september
5th
2020
for
a
total
of
449
million
dollars.
M
Second
slide:
this
is
the
administration
funding
that
went
along
with
those
programs
on
slide
one.
We
were
awarded
56
million
dollars
in
three
different
buckets
implementation.
Funding
was
1.9
million
dollars.
This
was
for
development
cost.
We
also
were
awarded
a
general
administration
funding
of
47
million
dollars.
This
is
for
your
recurring
staffing
information
technology,
normal
general
administration,
recurring
cost,
and
also
we
were
awarded
fraud,
funding
an
amount
of
7.4
million
dollars
as
well
for
fraud
related
expenses
of
the
56
million
dollars.
M
The
last
slide
we
also
had
covered
relief
funding
for
the
workforce
service
division
as
well.
We
had
a
national
dislocated
worker
grant
of
approximately
14.8
million.
We've
spent
approximately
four
million
of
those
dollars.
This
is
for
temporary
disaster
relief.
Employment,
career
and
technical
training
related
to
coven
19.
M
M
I
Thank
you,
chair,
lady,
thank
you,
gentlemen,
and
your
your
entourage
and
everyone
in
the
office
for
their
great
work
over
the
last
18
months.
It
has
been
obviously
a
great
challenge
for
the
citizens
of
the
state,
and
I
know
you
guys
get
a
little
bit
of
attaboys,
but
it
actually
was
a
great
job.
I
know
it
was
very
difficult,
very
stressful
on
you
and
your
families
and
your
staff.
So
thank
you
for
your
great
work.
I
know
that
in
the
last
two
budgets
cycles,
20
21
21
22.
I
I
L
So
thank
you
for
the
question
and
and
for
for
the
comments,
a
lot
of
ramping
up,
that
we
did
for
the
pandemic
was
contractors,
and
so
we're
in
the
process
of
level.
Setting
that
now,
as
we
continue
to
work,
there's
always
seems
to
be
something
next
on
the
horizon,
with
whether
it
in
unemployment,
whether
it
could
hit
us
again
in
terms
of
the
positions
I
believe
we
filled
almost
all
of
them,
I'll
defer
to
andy
to
give
them
a
more
specific
answer.
Right.
M
L
So
this
is
all
federal
funds
and
all
the
ui
folks
are
funded
by
federal
funds,
and
so
when
we
come,
we
ask
for
positions
so
that
we
can
use
that
funding
for
for
for
those
positions.
So
it's
more
of
a
position.
Ask
always
in
a
funding,
ask
and
we're
a
little
bit.
Different
dhs
is
sort
of
like
us,
too,
with
a
lot
of
federal
funds.
L
So
where
it's
position
ask
and
we
are
getting
tight
and
we'll
work
through
our
federal
funding
as
as
we
draw
down
so
we'll
keep
we're,
definitely
keeping
an
eye
on
that.
I
think
we're
going
to
be
the
contracted
position
into
andy's
point.
We
use
that
to
train
new
employees
because
you
just
don't
learn
it
overnight
and
after
we've
had
somebody
at
a
customer
level,
one
they
can
transition,
but
we're
reviewing
that
right
now
and
continually,
asking
and
and
negotiating
with
the
feds
for
additional
funding.
A
I
have
a
follow-up
to
that
and
I
do
apologize.
I'm
going
to
step
out
here
shortly
for
an
fsag
meeting,
so
we
can
talk
about
even
more
money
that
is
coming
our
way,
but
in
terms
of
staffing
I
know
everywhere
I
go.
There's
help
wanted
signs,
so
are
you
all
having
difficulty
finding
people
or
because
you're
working
with
the
contractor
as
sort
of
a
you
know,
that's
a
preliminary
kind
of
step.
Is
that
helping
to
make
sure
you
fill
positions
or.
L
How
difficult
is
it
it
is,
and
it's
has
to
be,
it
is
difficult
and
we
will
lose
people
to
better
opportunities,
just
like
other
other
people
are,
and
so
our
value
prop
really
has
to
be
good
benefits
and
good
work.
Environment
and
our
contractors
have
helped
us
quite
a
bit
whether
that,
but
I
won't
say
we're,
we
haven't
been
impacted
by
either
having
a
hard
time
finding
people
and
or
losing
people
to
to
other
opportunities,
just
other
opportunities
and
what.
F
L
So
we'll
we'll
have
to
get
information
back
to
you
on
that
specifically
as
well.
If
we
can,
if
we
can
do
that,
we
don't
have
that
at
hand,
it
is,
and
it's
really
a
few
different
categories
of
fraud.
There's
the
category
where
there's
and
we've
had
sister
states
who
have
foreign
actors
trying
to
penetrate
with
with
basically
organized
crime.
We
have
people
and
we've
had
fraud
before
the
pandemic
too,
who
just
don't
give
the
correct
information
or
and
or
a
combination
of
of
those
two
and
so
those
those
fraudulent
claims.
F
N
Thank
you
chairman,
commissioner
good
to
see
you
again,
of
course,
just
a
quick
question.
Well
a
couple
of
quick
questions.
I
guess
it
was
mentioned
about
the
unemployment
trust
fund.
I
think
there
was
939
million
that
had
been
added
to
that
fund.
What
what
is
the
current
balance?
Did
I
miss
that?
I
heard
how
much
it
put
into
it,
but
I
don't
know
if
I
heard
the
actual
amount
go
right
ahead.
M
M
N
Changing
gears
just
a
little
bit
some
challenges
that
that
I
guess
certainly
we
saw-
and
I
know
your
department
saw
it
was
the
was
the
system
for
the
unemployment,
insurance
tax
and
benefits
system
that
I
know
was
being
implemented
at
the
front
end
of
this
whole
pandemic,
and
I
hesitate
to
ask
this
question,
but
I'm
going
to
ask
it
anyway.
Are
we
ready
for
the
next
pandemic?
N
L
L
But
there
have
been
many
lessons
learned
in
terms
of
scalability
at
the
beginning
of
the
pandemic.
We
were
struggling
because
our
vendor
couldn't
get
computer
hardware
because
everything
had
shut
down
to
to
scale.
So
those
lessons
are
learned
not
just
from
a
user
interface,
but
even
just
keeping
the
system
up
and
the
horsepower
to
do
that
and
how
to
scale.
So
those
lessons
will
all
definitely
roll
into
to
this
new
procedure,
including
the
work
with
this
consultant
from
sts.
L
N
Staying
kind
of,
in
that
same
vein,
commissioner,
what
other
resources
could
you
identify
within
your
department
that
are
needed
at
this
point?
If
there
was
another
downturn,
if
there
was
another
uptick
in
coveted
cases,
are
there?
Are
there
other
resources
out
there
that
you
need
that
we
could
help?
Thank.
L
You
for
asking
that
so
what
we
have
is
again,
this
is
federally
funded
and
adjudicators
and
appeals.
Hearing
officers
are
the
ones
you
need
the
most
and
by
the
way,
the
federal
requirements
will
not
allow
you
to
contract
those
out,
and
so
that
was
where
we
were
when
we
were
trying
to
work
through
the
the
bulk
of
this
is
you're
a
little
bit
handcuffed
on
scaling.
How
are
we
going
to
scale
if,
if
we
can't
use,
what's
called
non-merit
staff
to
to
make
some
of
these
discussions?
L
L
We
had
that
predated
me.
It
was
having
some
experience
with
that.
It
was
really
really
top-notch
to
be
able
to
include
those
scalable
contractors
which
we'd
never
done
before
so
again,
a
lot
of
not
just
the
system
but
organizationally.
What
do
we
need
to
do,
but
we
are?
We
are
swimming
upstream
a
little
bit
with
some
of
the
restrictions
that
are
placed
on
the
people
that
we
can
use
to
do
the
jobs
where
the
bottlenecks
are.
N
L
M
The
the
arpa
funding
that
was
passed
by
congress
in
march,
if
I
had
one
of
the
one
complaint,
it
would
be
that
that
funding
is
not
getting
out
to
the
states.
Quick
enough
here,
we
are
in
november,
we've
received
3.6
million
dollars
in
fraud,
funding
from
that
arp
of
funding
that
just
came
last
month,
there's
more
funding
coming
from
usd
oil,
but
when
we're
not
sure
which
makes
it
difficult
to
budget,
as
you
know,
and
and
plan
for
plan
for
the
future,
a.
N
Well,
all
right!
Well,
that's
all
the
questions
I
have.
I
do
want
to
say
thank
you.
I
know
it's
already
been
said,
but
I've
had
t
on
speed
dial
for
the
for
the
past
year
and
a
half,
so
I
want
to
say
thank
you
to
her
and
all
your
staff.
I
know
you
guys
have
been
working
certainly
hard
and
commissioner,
thank
you
for
for
what
you
do.
Thank
you.
L
C
C
The
one
thing,
though
I've
never
been
able
to
get
my
arms
around
is,
is
the
disconnect
there's
always
two
sides
to
a
story
and
many
a
times.
Some
of
our
calls
have
been,
people
knew
they
had
been
turned
down,
but
there
were
so
many
didn't
get
the
message
somehow
or
some
way.
Where
is
the
disconnect
when
johnny
shaw
apply
and
he
gets
turned
down,
but
he
doesn't
know
it?
Can
you
help
me,
I
mean,
would
it
not
be
an
email
or
a
telephone
call
or
letter
or
something
to
say
you
were
turned
down.
D
L
O
Hi,
I'm
rusty
feltz,
I'm
the
assistant
commissioner,
over
unemployment
insurance
to
answer
your
question
representative
shaw
when
they
file
the
unemployment
claim
they're,
actually
given
the
choice
to
select
their
preferred
method
of
correspondence.
So
I
I
really
don't
know
how
to
answer
where
the
the
question
about
the
disconnect.
They
are
told
that
and-
and
I
think
the
number
of
callbacks
we
get
and
the
number
of
appeals
that
are
filed-
you
know
hold
that
up.
I'm
not
saying
that
doesn't
ever
happen
and
if
it
does
happen,
we
can
look
at
it
but
they're.
C
Go
ahead,
we
we
we
get,
we
get
some
of
those
calls
and
again,
there's
always
two
sides
to
a
story.
Don't
get
me
wrong,
but
you
know
I
and
I
know
one
case
in
particularly
where
a
person
was
not
notified,
and
I
always
wondered
why,
because
anything
I
have
applied
for.
If
they
didn't,
let
me
have
it.
They
told
me
why
you
know,
and-
and
I'm
just
trying
to
figure
out,
are
we
missing
something
somewhere
or
is
there
a
misline
of
communication
somewhere
that
we
don't
know
about.
O
Well,
I
will
I'll
finish
answering
your
question
by
saying
this:
yes,
sir,
I
have
seen
especially
with
the
volume
that
we've
experienced
in
the
past
year
and
a
half
if
that
occurred,
due
to
a
system
error
or
anything
like
that.
We
consider
that
an
agency
error
and
we
would
go
back
and
honor
the
fact
that
that
they
didn't
know.
Okay.
C
L
Yes,
so
we
are
returning
to
normal.
Of
course
the
the
federal
benefits
did
end
and
I
and
the
last
numbers
I
saw
and
the
in
the
federal
benefits
they're
still
being
processed.
I
think
they
were
under
100
or
so
just
working
through
those,
and
those
could
be
from
back
dates
that
you
know
they
they
came
and
they
didn't
realize
they
were
eligible
or
whatever
the
case
may
be,
and
then
still
working
through
the
system.
But
it's
a
very,
very
small
percentage.
L
P
Thank
you,
chairman
baum,
commissioner.
I
really
appreciate
your
staff
and
and
you
for
being
available
to
us
because,
as
representative
shaw
and
others
have
mentioned,
we
have
been
inundated
in
our
offices
with
requests
to
try
to
help
in
that
process,
and
we
all
knew
when
we
got
those
requests,
just
how
flooded
you
were
and
what
the
volume
was.
P
No,
that
is
not
the
case.
We
only
have
less
than
20
000,
actually
drawing
compensation.
Those
are
folks
that
are
totally
unemployed.
That
may
not
even
be
looking
for
work
or
whatever
the
criteria
may
be.
So
I
appreciate
it,
and
you
also
mentioned
that
you
probably
would
try
to
include
that
in
future
reports
that
we
got
to
stipulate
between
those.
P
So
I
just
wanted
my
colleagues
to
know
that,
and
also
the
public
to
know
that
that's
a
there's,
a
big
difference
in
those
numbers,
and
I
think
it's
very
important
for
us
to
realize,
especially
when
we're
comparing
to
the
number
of
job
openings
that
there
are
out
there.
I
think
the
last
report
I
saw
from
y'all
from
august
was,
I
don't
know,
just
under
half
a
million
or
something
so.
L
Yes,
thank
you
for
that
and
yeah
yeah,
so
they
are
roughly
140
000
people
who
are
designated
as
unemployed
before
the
pandemic.
It
was
about
130.
before
the
pandemic.
Those
130,
probably
17,
000
or
so
were
continued
claims.
So
you
know
drawing
unemployment
insurance,
we're
close
to
that
level
right
now.
L
I
think
it's
important
to
understand,
especially
as
we
go
into
other
phases
that
60
only
60
percent
of
people
in
a
normal
cycle
who
apply
for
unemployment
insurance
are
eligible
because
in
while
employers
pay
the
premiums,
employees
earn
eligibility
through
work,
history
and
other
factors,
that's
not
what
we
were
doing
for
the
last
year
and
a
half
with
the
federal
benefits
it
was
to
call
it.
Unemployment
insurance
was
a
stretch
at
the
very
least,
and
so
we
are
back
to
the
tuc
program.
L
P
Thank
you
chairman.
I
appreciate
you
pointing
those
other
points
out
as
well,
that's
very
important
for
us
to
know
and
that
we
are
getting
really
really
close
to
pre-pandemic
levels.
That's
very
encouraging,
I
think,
to
our
constituents,
and
I
would
also
continue
to
encourage
you
in
the
in
the
area
of
fraud
to
continue
to
to
really
look
at
enforcing
folks
that
are
supposed
to
be
certifying
every
week
and
making
sure
that
they
are
actually
certifying.
P
I
still
get
reports
from
from
business
owners
that
are
getting
a
lot
of
calls
and
hang-ups,
and
they
firmly
believe
this
is
folks.
These
are
folks
that
are
simply
checking
off
a
box
that
they
have
applied
for
a
job
or
they've
called
about
an
opening,
because
you-
and
I
both
know-
there's
there's
plenty
of
work.
It
may
not
be
the
level
that
you
may
have
been.
P
Let
go
for
the
level
of
pay,
but
it
certainly
pays
better
than
than
what
the
unemployment
pay
is,
which
is
what's
supposed
to
be,
and
so
I
appreciate
you
and
your
efforts
in
that
area
as
well,
because
those
17
or
18
000
right
now
certainly
should
be
able
to
find
work
if
they're
actively
seeking.
So
thank
you
so
much.
Thank
you.
G
E
E
How
can
we
utilize
your
department
with
economic
and
community
development
and
all
the
other
departments
to
to
handle
the
workforce
issues
that
we've
got
the
workforce
concerns
and
you're
very
receptive
to
an
email?
I
recently
sent
you
that
I've
got
a
newspaper
in
my
district
who
can't
find
enough
delivery,
men
to
men
and
women
to
deliver
their
newspapers
and
they're
wanting
to
get
your
database
to
start
calling
these
people
instead
of
having
these
people,
call
them
for
a
job
they're
wanting
to
call
the
people
on
your
database.
E
L
We
talked
about
the
skills
gap,
because
a
lot
of
those
folks
were
skilled,
labor
and
they're,
leaving
now
we
have
that
still
and
just
the
people
gap,
and
so
what
do
you
do
in
that
situation?
I
mean
the
first
thought
is
well,
you
just
try
to
get
them
from
other
states,
but
you
get
to
a
zero
sum.
You
know
continuing
to
go
higher
and
higher,
and
so
you
got
to
get
more
people.
You
got
to
get
a
higher
labor
force.
L
Participation
rate
is
really
what
it
is,
and
so
how
do
you
do
that
and
so
part
of
how
you
do
that
is
hundred
thousand
men
and
women
transition
from
military
every
year
in
the
united
states?
There's
a
lot
of
those
coming
out
of
fort
campbell
they'll
have
eighty
percent
of
them
don't
really
know
what
they're
going
to
do
before
they
transition
is,
is
the
number
that
we
work
with
and
their
unemployment
is
higher
than
the
general
population?
L
Typically,
so
we're
leaking
people
if
you
excuse
the
term,
so
a
really
tight
connection,
especially
we're
blessed
to
have
fort
campbell
here,
where
400
transition
every
month,
not
including
spouses,
and
so
we
have
a
great
pipeline
there.
Okay,
so
the
second
piece
that
to
grow
the
pie
is
we
have
half
a
million
working
age,
people
right
at
half
a
million
working
age,
people
in
tennessee
without
a
high
school
diploma,
and
so
how
do
we
connect
to
those
who
are
traditionally
disaffected
and
and
bring
those
folks
on?
L
One
of
the
things
that
we
have
done
in
the
department
is
employers
worry
about
a
16
17
year
old,
being
on
the
floor.
Wherever
the
floor
is
because
they're
afraid
they're
going
to
get
in
trouble,
well
we're
the
department
that
can
get
them
in
trouble,
and
so
we
started
a
consulting
piece
to
our
agency
and
our
workplace
regulations
and
compliance,
labor
standards
that
we'll
go
in
and
tell
employer
what
you
can
do
and
what
you
can't
do
and
how?
L
If
you
set
up
an
apprenticeship
program,
how
that
can
work,
and
it
is
really
opened
up
a
lot
of
opportunities
that
may
have
not
been
there
before.
So
it's
key
to
working
together
and
finally,
I'll
take
a
breath.
We
have
200,
we
have
2
million
people
receiving
some
sort
of
public
assistance
and
one
of
the
most
important
workforce
development
efforts
in
the
state
is
the
one
we
know
a
lot
about
is
the
family's
first
initiative
and
moving
those
folks
from
to
sustainability.
So
that's
we're.
L
Gonna
have
to
grow
that
piece,
we're
at
60
perce
a
little
over
60
percent,
now
labor
force
participation
rate,
which
is
one
of
the
highest
in
the
southeast.
But
that's
it's
not
good
enough,
and
so
we're
really
really
focused
on
growing
that
labor
force
participation
rate
both
near
term
and
in
the
long
term.
E
Chairman
hawk,
thank
you
and
just
to
to
point
the
phrase
that
one
of
your
commissioner
colleagues,
commissioner
carter,
told
us
before
lunch.
It's
it's
growing
capacity
within
these
families
and
reducing
dependency,
and
I
think
you've
just
reiterated
what
we
heard
from
him
before
lunch.
So
thank
you
very
much.
Thank
you.
Chairman.
G
O
O
I
think-
and
this
is
by
memory-
and
I
so
I
don't
want
to
you-
know
anybody
to
say
that
I
was
misleading
someone.
I
think
24
out
of
the
last
29
months
before
the
pandemic.
We
met
that
in
tennessee
we
met
that
standard
and
we're
oftentimes
up
in
the
middle
90s,
where
it's
been
over.
The
last
18
months
is
nowhere
close
because
we
had
several
years
worth
of
work
filed
within
that
18
months.
So
are
we
getting
there
we're
getting
much
closer?
Yes,
sir,
for
sure.
L
So
let
me
I'll
defer.
Let
me
answer.
First
again,
it
comes
down
to
who
we're
allowed
to
use
adjudicators
and
hearing
officers.
We
continue
to
hire
and
train
those,
but
who
we're
allowed
to
use
from
the
feds.
Is
we
get
a
little
bit
of
a
bottleneck
there?
So
we
feel
good
about
where
we
are
just
some
work
to
do.
G
M
H
Thank
you
chairman,
commissioner,
thank
you
all
for
being
here,
and
you
may
have
touched
on
this
briefly
and
excuse
me.
I've
been
tardy,
but
I've
specifically
been
asked
by
several
gotten
several
emails
over
the
last
couple
of
weeks
and
we've
had
recent
legislation
that
I
believe
touched
on
these
changes.
But
if
an
employee
is
specifically
terminated
for
not
complying
with
a
forced
vaccination,
a
federal
mandate
to
say
you
have
to
be
vaccinated
or
you'll
lose
your
job
and
they
work
for
the
health
care
industry
or
they
work
for
a
government
contractor.
L
So
if
we
consider
that
a
change
in
employment
conditions
and
a
significant
change
in
employment
conditions-
and
so
this
is
important
piece,
it
will
did
not
disqualify
them
if
they
leave.
If
that
is
the
reason
they
leave
now,
the
still
need
to
meet
all
the
other
eligibility
requirements,
work
history
that
we
just
talked
about
and
and
the
other
eligibility
requirements
under
tuc
statute
to
make
it.
L
H
Chairman,
if
I
might,
what,
if
they're
not
actually
terminated
what,
if
they're
placed
on
an
extended
unpaid
leave
at
what
point,
will
they
be
eligible
for
unemployment
benefits?
For
instance,
I'm
not
firing
you,
I'm
just
saying,
I'm
not
paying
you
and
you
can't
come
to
work
you're
going
into
hold
mode
for
an
indefinite
period
of
time.
It's.
O
O
Because
of
the
point
commissioner
mccord
made
about,
there
are
several
factors
that
have
to
be
considered
for
eligibility.
One
of
the
things
that
has
to
be
considered
is
an
employer
may
be
given
a
certain
amount
of
time
to
investigate
something
or
to
make
a
decision,
but
you
have
to
be
extremely
careful
in
that.
That's
not
always
fair
to
the
claimant
to
leave
them
hanging
in
limbo
for
too
long.
H
Will
that
be
state
money
or
federal
money,
and
once
that
money's
paid
out
of
the
trust
fund,
how
will
that
money
be
recouped
and
put
back
in
the
trust
fund?
For
instance,
if
we
pay
out
200
million
dollars
of
unemployment
benefits
because
of
federal
mandate,
how
will
that
money
be
reinserted
back
into
that
trust
fund?
Yes,.
L
So
the
way
it
happens
now
is
they'll
be
eligible
under
if
they
meet
all
the
eligibility
requirements
for
20
up
to
26
weeks
and
if
they
continue
to
meet
the
work,
search,
requirements
and,
and
that
sort
of
thing
and
so
anything,
that's
it's
a
dollar
for
dollar
every
dollar
that
comes
out
of
the
trust
fund
is
paid
for
by
premiums
to
employers,
and
so
the
employer
will
pay.
There
are
no
more
federal
unemployment,
related
benefits,
and
so
everything
is
state
and
the
employers
pay
for
those
premiums,
unemployment.
L
No,
that's
the
I'll,
let
maybe
andy
answer
the
the
rates
are
by
industry
sector
and
so
up.
One
industry
sector
can
go
up
while
other
industries
don't
go
and
buy
individual
employer
experience.
So
there's
experience
rating
there's
an
industry
sector
rating.
So
it's
not
all
across
all
across
the
board.
M
D
Thank
you
very
much.
I
wanted
to
know.
Is
there
anything
that
could
be
done
in
your
mind,
to
improve
the
wait
period,
any
sort
of
anything
we
could
do
in
tennessee?
Maybe
have
employers
directly
register
employees
who
were
just
let
go
or
are
fired,
as
you
know,
on
the
day
that
they
were
let
go
or
fired,
or
something
like
that.
D
I
know
at
our
company
we
give
a
separation
notice
and
we
mail
that
to
the
employee
or
give
it
to
them
if
they're,
local-
and
so
you
know
it
takes
a
little
bit
of
time-
takes
a
little
bit
of
time
to
get
that
to
them
and
then
they
file
and
it
takes
a
little
bit
of
time.
So
what
could
be
done
to
maybe
automate
or
streamline
things
a
little
bit
better.
L
So
we
and
I'll
give
it
to
rusty
here.
To
finish
up
my
answer,
we
do
have
a
mechanism
and
we
really
really
promote
that,
especially
during
the
pandemic
for
employers
to
file
on
their
employees
behalf
and
especially
if
it's
a
larger
layoff
or
something
to
that
effect.
So
we
get
it
and
we'll
be
able
to
upload
and
move
the
the
caveat
there
is.
It
has
to
have
the
right
information,
because
what
you
don't
want
to
have
is
an
imp
as
a
claimant,
a
former
employee
thinking
that
they
were
filed
on
behalf.
But
there's
information.
O
I
would
like
to
very
much
that's
a
good
question,
representative
lynn.
The
best
thing
that
could
happen
is
we
would
need
your
help
because
and
I'll
tell
you
why,
in
the
last
couple
of
years
specifically,
there
was
an
idea
that
we
needed
to
promote
more
electronic
filing
of
employers,
quarterly
taxes,
and
in
that
idea,
in
proposed
legislation.
O
It
was
mentioned
that,
if,
if
they
don't
do
that,
if
they
have
a
certain
amount
of
employees
and
they
don't
participate-
that
there
be
a
small
fine
added
to
that,
the
reason
behind
that
was
is
that
that
it
helps
an
underfunded
department,
mine
to
function
better
and
more
efficiently.
That
was
not
passed.
We
were
asked
to
take
that
out.
So
it's
kind
of
like
the
point
you
made
about
the
separation
notice.
Yes,
it
would
help,
but
there's
not
a
lot
of
teeth
behind
that.
The
other
idea
that
commissioner
mccord
mentioned
is
our
partial
system.
O
D
D
F
Faison,
thank
you,
mr
chairman,
commissioner,
good
to
see
you
just
wanted
to
give
a
shout
out
to
my
little
buddy
tia
back
there
and
eric
mayo.
I
did
step
out
so
if
anybody
else
gave
them
some
love,
I'm
gonna
give
you
some
more
love.
They
have
been
a
rock
star
for
the
last
year
and
a
half
for
a
lot
of
our
districts,
especially
my
I
was
at
lunch
last
week
and
the
guy's
like
man
they've,
really
helped
us
out
here.
So
thank
you
for
that.
F
Secondly,
if
if
I
did
step
out-
and
I
don't
want
to
ask
a
question
like
other
people
but
the
same
questions-
you've
already
answered,
but
you
inherited
an
old
cobalt
computer
system
program,
you,
I
came
out
to
see
you
one
day
and
we
we
sat
there
and
chatted,
and
you
were
telling
me
all
about
how
miserable
it
was
navigating
this
old
computer
system
that
you
inherited-
and
I
was
wondering-
have
have
we
graduated
from
that?
Do
we
have
new
infrastructure
new
I.t?
L
So
it's
it's
not
it's
it.
There
was
a
lot
who
are
working
on
cobalt,
but
we
are
a
little
farther
ahead
of
that.
But
there's
no
there's
no
secret
that
we
were
having
problems
even
before
the
pandemic.
We're
a
lot
better
than
we
are
were
then,
but
we
still
got
a
ways
to
go
to
get
better
and
that's
a
real
big
focus
of
to
an
earlier
question
about
what
we're
trying
to
move.
L
F
You
chairman,
faison,
thank
you,
mr
chair,
is,
is
that
is
that
part
of
your
budget
request
to
the
governor?
I
I
I
didn't
watch
your
part
of
your
budget
request
of
the
governor,
but
is:
is
this
something
that
you're,
because
I
I
feel
like
what
your
department
does
is
such
a
huge
deal?
God
forbid?
Something
else
happen
like
we
do.
I
want
your
computer
system,
your
technology,
to
be
state
of
the
art.
So
can
you
just
kind
of
tell
us,
as
a
committee
where
you're
at
with
that
and
what.
L
L
That
will
be
a
we
we've
set
up
a
whole
other
organization
within
rusty's
group
to
drive
that
new
piece,
and
that
will
be
the
focus
probably
for
the
next
few
years
to
make
sure
we
we
get
to
where
we
need
to
be,
because
it
is
a
big,
it's
a
big.
It's
a
big
implementation.
It's
not
something
small
and
so-
and
I
mentioned
earlier
that
sts
has
consultants
coming
alongside
so
so.
The
missteps
in
the
past
will
not
happen
again
with
with
some
expertise
that
we're
that
they
have
brought
in
externally.
E
Forgive
me
chairman
that
doesn't
happen
very
often,
but
chairman
faison
actually
brought
up
a
good
point
that
I'd
like
to
elaborate
on
a
little
bit
and
and
chair.
Lady
representative
lynn
also
said
something
to
it
and
rusty.
I
think
you
talked
about
matching
up
a
piece
of
legislation
to
move
everybody
on
to
electronic
and
as
we're
as
we're
improving
our
our
computer
systems
at
the
state
level.
E
It
kind
of
comes
full
circle.
We
still
have
a
lot
of
constituents
who
are
not
served
by
broadband
or
not
served
by
the
computers,
and
that's
that's
the
challenge
that
many
of
our
constituents
are
having
and
and
when
you
look
at
the
some
of
the
socioeconomic
issues
that
a
lot
of
our
constituents
are
in
they're,
not
quite
there
at
their
in
their
life's
journey
as
well.
E
So
there
there's
a
balance
that
we've
got
to
to
figure
out
how
to
get
the
whole
world
on
the
electronic
system
on
the
on
the
emailing
system,
but
how
to
get
that
access
to
to
the
thousands
of
folks
across
the
state
of
tennessee.
You
don't
have
it
so
there
is
a
balance.
That's
that's!
That
is
there
that
I
know
my
district
deals
with,
and
several
folks
on
in
the
committee
have
have
challenges
with
too,
so
I
will
throw
that
two
cents
out
there.
Thank
you.
Thank
you.
L
And
let
me
just
say
to
that:
we
were
on
the
path
to
your
point
of
re-introducing
unemployment,
insurance
resources
to
the
ajc's
before
the
pandemic
and
we're
going
to
get
back
to
that
because
it's
not
all
all
or
none
sort
of
thing,
as
at
least
for
not
now,
and
so
the
resources,
local
resources
to
help
the
folks.
Exactly
that
you're.
Talking
about
with
barriers
that
what,
however,
those
barriers
might
be.
G
Okay,
commissioner
mccord,
we
want
to
thank
you
and
your
team
for
coming,
and
I
want
to
reiterate
that
we
appreciate
it
when
you
help
us
when
we're
asking
for
help
for
our
constituents
who
need
assistance
applying
for
unemployment
compensation
that
that
helps
them
and
makes
us
look
good
too,
when
they
get
serviced
promptly.
Thank
you,
sir.
Thank
you
all
right
members
we're
at
the
end
of
our
agenda
for
today,
but
before
we
adjourn,
I
want
to
remind
you
that
our
focus
hearings
will
resume
tomorrow
at
9
00
a.m.