Contact:  Darlene Schlicher (615) 741-6336 or email at darlene.schlicher@capitol.tn.gov

(NASHVILLE, TN), March 3, 2010 -- The Senate Education Committee today voted to restore state funding for York Institute, a 700-student high school located in Fentress County.  The action came after Senator Ken Yager (R-Harriman), who represents Fentress County in the State Senate, urged committee members to keep the commitment made 85 years ago to World War I hero Sargent Alvin York to fund the school he struggled to build.

The York Institute funding was cut by Governor Phil Bredesen’s 2010-2011 budget, which was presented to the General Assembly on February 1.  Until the budget was presented, school officials and Fentress County officials were not aware of the impending cuts.

“I am very pleased that the committee heard our voice today and voted to restore funding for this school,” said Senator Yager.  “We do not want to be the General Assembly that pulls the plug on this school, which was Sargent York’s dream for rural education.  Tennessee made a commitment to fund the school in 1925 and since that time it has been a model institution bearing his name through 14 governors and 64 General Assemblies.”

Yager questioned State Commissioner Tim Webb regarding the state’s plan to transition the school.  The budget would become effective on July 1, which Fentress County officials say does not provide adequate time for a transition to occur if the funds are cut.

“I don’t have a solid transition plan,” said Commissioner Webb.  “This conversation has been an ongoing conversation since the budget document was produced.”

The committee also heard from Edward York, the son of Sargent York, who said his father laid the posts for the school to realize his dream for a quality education for rural Tennessee students and mortgaged his house to pay teacher salaries.  He pointed out that funding for the school went through many lean years in Tennessee history, including the Great Depression.

According to Principal Phil Brannon, the school has a high success rate with 90 percent of students who move on to enroll in college and a 73 percent college retention rate.  The school has a satellite campus of Roane State Community College on the York Institute property, which helps students who are dually enrolled receive college credit.

In addition, the committee heard from Mike Jones, Superintendent of Fentress County Schools regarding the inability of the county to immediately raise funds to make up the $2.3 million it would take to serve students enrolled in York Institute.  Jones said the county has the second worst unemployment rate in the state at 16 percent, giving the county few options to raise needed funds.  He said the county’s unemployment rate could be as high as 30 percent if you count those who are still without employment, but who are no longer eligible to receive unemployment benefits.

 “The proposed cuts would result in great financial hardship for residents of Fentress County who would, without warning, would have to take in these students at a time when citizens are suffering from high unemployment and job loss,” added Yager.  “We will continue to fight to keep the funding in place as it would be short-sighted to break this time-honored agreement which has very successfully showcased rural education in our state.” 

Contact:  Darlene Schlicher (615) 741-6336 or email:  darlene.schlicher@capitol.tn.gov

 (NASHVILLE, TN), March 2, 2010 -- The State Senate has given final approval to legislation sponsored by Senator Ken Yager (R-Harriman) to give inmate relations coordinators the same gun carrying privileges as correctional and certain other law enforcement officers have under Tennessee law.  The bill came to the legislature after the Attorney General issued an opinion that inmate relations coordinators were not covered under the same law that provides the right to carry firearms to these officers.

“This problem was brought to my attention by inmate relations coordinators in Morgan County,” said Senator Yager.  “They receive the same firearms training as correctional officers, but due to an ambiguity in the law, they do not have the same priveleges to carry.”

Present law authorizes a vested correctional officer to carry firearms at all times and in all places within Tennessee, on-duty or off-duty, regardless of the officer's regular duty hours or assignments, with certain exceptions. The legislation would extend this privilege to inmate relations coordinators employed by the Department of Corrections. This applies only if they obtain an identification card from the secretary of state that certifies that the officer is allowed to carry a firearm. The correctional officer must carry this card at all times while carrying a firearm.

“These officers are not allowed to carry even though they face the same kind of dangers as the other officers who have these privileges,” added Yager.  “I am very pleased the General Assembly has approved this measure.”

The bill now goes to the governor for his signature before becoming law.

 (NASHVILLE, TN), March 1, 2010 – Legislation sponsored by Senator Bill Ketron (R-Murfreesboro) and Representative Gerald McCormick (R-Chattanooga) that will make it easier for troops deployed overseas to vote is on its way to the governor for his signature before becoming law.  The bill, which has already passed the Senate, was approved by the House of Representatives on Monday night.  According to the Pew Center on the States, about half of overseas voters fail to vote or to have their votes counted because of current voting rules.

     “I am very pleased that this bill is on its way to becoming law,” said Senator Ketron.  “It is outrageous to even think that only half the men and women who serve us ‘in harm’s way’ have their votes counted.  This bill works to assure that all our servicemen and women have their votes counted.”

     The bill, Senate Bill 2681, authorizes a county Election Commission to e-mail a ballot to each member of the armed forces, as well as citizens temporarily outside the United States, who are entitled to vote and who have submitted a valid application for a ballot.  The move will expedite the process so the voter would have more time to make a decision and return their ballot on time. It will also require Tennessee to develop a database that voters overseas can use to see if their ballot has been received by their county election commission to help ensure that their votes are counted.

     The legislation helps the state comply with the federal Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act, which took effect in October.  That law requires the Department of the Army and Postal Service to expedite the return of ballots by using express mail, since they cannot be returned electronically due to election security concerns.  To assist soldiers and citizens who are living outside the U.S. for work, school or other reasons, the Federal Voting Assistance Program has set up a website where service members can access valuable information and documents to expedite the voting process.  

     Tennessee had approximately 18,686 overseas voters who participated in the November 2008 election.  Under the bill, the new law will take effect August 20, 2010.

      “We need to do everything in our power to make it easier for our soldiers, who are defending our freedoms overseas, to have the opportunity to vote and to have that vote counted,” added Ketron.  “That is what this legislation would accomplish.”

 

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