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NASHVILLE – Governor Bill Haslam and First Lady Crissy Haslam today honored 23 state employees who are helping Tennessee lead by providing outstanding state services every day. The employees, who were nominated by their departments’ leadership for the Governor’s Excellence in Service Awards, were invited to attend a luncheon at the Tennessee Residence for providing efficient and effective service to the state and their fellow Tennesseans. “The employees honored today are on the forefront of improving how Tennessee state government delivers services,” Haslam said. “By exceeding leadership and customer expectations, creating innovative solutions or improving processes and services, these state employees are helping provide taxpayers with the highest quality service at the lowest possible cost.”

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today praised the Commission on Pain and Addiction Medicine Education for identifying core competencies for Tennessee’s medical education institutions to ensure future doctors, nurses, dentists and other prescribers receive in-class training on how to best manage patient pain and properly treat addiction in response to the state’s opioid epidemic. Haslam established the 19-member commission by executive order in January as part of the TN Together plan to fight opioid addiction in Tennessee. The commission submitted a report to the governor outlining 12 competencies for health care educators, as well as strategies to assure they are successfully adopted.

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today granted executive clemency to four Tennesseans. “These individuals have distinguished themselves in both their rehabilitation and their individual contributions to the community,” Haslam said. “After thoughtfully considering the circumstances of each of their cases, I believe exercising the executive clemency power will help further these individuals’ positive influence on their communities and the lives of their fellow Tennesseans.”

CHAPEL HILL – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Tennessee Department of Transportation Commissioner John Schroer announced today the award of a $1,784,102 Transportation Alternative Grant to the city of Chapel Hill for downtown bicycle and pedestrian improvements (Phase I). This project includes construction of a multi-use path along both sides of SR-11/US-31A from City Hall to West Depot Street (Phase 1). The project also includes ADA upgrades, pedestrian signals, landscaping, pedestrian lighting, pedestrian amenities, signage and pavement markings.

LEWISBURG – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe announced today that Marshall County will receive a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) totaling $525,000 and a ThreeStar Competitive Grant totaling $5,000. “I want to congratulate Marshall County on receiving CDBG funding and a ThreeStar Competitive Grant,” Haslam said. “These grants help communities across the state better prepare for future economic development opportunities and continued growth. With the assistance of these grants, not only will Marshall County continue to succeed in our state, Tennessee as a whole will continue to lead in economic growth and the creation of high quality jobs.”

NASHVILLE – Tennessee was listed today among five states that are leading the way in the use of data to create evidence-based results for citizens, in a report issued by the national nonprofit organization Results for America. Tennessee joined Colorado, Oregon, Minnesota and Washington as states recognized for outstanding performance. The recognition was announced at an event today in Washington hosted by the National Governors Association.

MARYVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today signed legislation to support TN Together, the governor’s aggressive and comprehensive plan to end the opioid crisis in Tennessee through three key areas – prevention, treatment and law enforcement. “This legislation is a major step in helping fight this epidemic by limiting the supply of opioids and providing resources to provide treatment for those addicted,” Haslam said in a ceremonial bill signing at the Blount Memorial Hospital. “I am proud to sign the TN Together legislation today and I thank the members of the 110th General Assembly for their commitment to addressing this crisis. Opioid addition affects the entire state in some form, and with this comprehensive plan I feel confident that we can make a difference in the lives of Tennesseans.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Tennessee was honored this week with two national awards for education innovation from the Education Commission of the States at its annual National Forum on Education Policy in Washington, D.C. The 2018 James Bryant Conant Award was formally presented to Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today. The 2018 Frank Newman Award for State Innovation was awarded to Tennessee for the Seamless Alignment and Integrated Learning Support (SAILS) program, which helps high school students become college-ready in math and avoid remediation.

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today announced the appointment of David B. Rausch as director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI). Rausch, 55, has served as chief of police for the Knoxville Police Department (KPD) since 2011, overseeing an agency of more than 500 employees, including some 400 sworn police officers. Rausch joined the KPD in 1993 and rose through the ranks, serving in several different roles, including as deputy chief and a member of the special operations squad. Throughout his 25 years with the KPD, Rausch has focused on community policing and building relationships with local, state and federal agencies.

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today announced a $2,500 reward for information leading to the apprehension, arrest and conviction of Steven Wiggins, the suspect wanted for the homicide of Dickson County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Daniel Baker on Wednesday. Sgt. Baker was found dead inside his vehicle around 7 a.m. Wednesday on Sam Vineyard Road in Dickson County after responding to a report of a suspicious vehicle. Baker, 32, was a former Marine and served as a Dickson County Sheriff’s deputy since 2008.

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today announced a $2,500 reward for information leading to the apprehension, arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the death of Cordell Breighner on July 15, 2017.

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Department of Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner Burns Phillips today announced county unemployment rates decreased in all 95 counties across Tennessee in April and all counties are at or below 5 percent. “Our investments in education and workforce development are showing results in all corners of the state and to have such low unemployment rates in each county is great news for every Tennessean,” Haslam said. “Tennessee will lead in job recruitment because we are focused on developing a high quality workforce.”

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Department of Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner Burns Phillips today announced that Tennessee’s statewide unemployment rate for April was 3.4 percent, the third consecutive month the rate has held steady. The seasonally adjusted rate represents 0.6 of a percentage point decrease in unemployment compared to the same time period in 2017. April 2018 marks one year since Tennessee’s unemployment rate dropped to 4 percent for the first time in recent history. In May 2017 the rate dipped to 3.8 percent and has remained under that mark ever since. The state recorded an all-time low unemployment rate of 3.3 percent in September of last year. That figure is just 0.1 of a percentage point lower than the latest rate.

NASHVILLE — Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today joined Metro Nashville Police Chief Steve Anderson to encourage Tennesseans to make an impact on the state’s opioid crisis by cleaning out their expired or unwanted medications on National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, Saturday, April 28 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The biannual event urges citizens to find the medications in their homes, including prescription opioids, and safely and securely dispose of them. During the most recent national take back event last October, Tennesseans disposed of more than 68,000 pounds of medication.

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today thanked members of the 110th General Assembly for keeping Tennessee on pace to lead the nation in jobs, education and efficient and effective government.