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NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam will address the first class of Tennessee Promise graduates at Cleveland State commencement exercises on Saturday, fulfilling a promise he made the students when they began their college careers in August 2015. Haslam will address graduates of Southwest Community College in Memphis, next Saturday, May 13. Launched in 2014, Tennessee Promise is the nation’s first scholarship and mentorship program offering high school graduates two years of community college or technical school free of tuition and fees. It is a last-dollar scholarship funded by the state’s lottery for education account and not through tax dollars. Initial data shows that more Tennesseans are going to college, fewer need remediation when they get there, and student borrowing is down.

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today released the following statement regarding HB 1111/SB 1085 sponsored by Sen. John Stevens (R-Huntingdon) and Rep. Andrew Farmer (R-Sevierville): “I have reviewed the final language of HB 1111/SB 1085 and assessed the legislation’s potential impact and concerns. The language of this bill is for a general definitions section of the Tennessee code, which defines “road” and “sheriff,” among other common terms. For at least 150 years, courts including the Tennessee Supreme Court and United States Supreme Court have looked to a word’s natural and ordinary meaning when deciding cases. In reviewing this bill, I do not believe the legislation accomplishes anything that isn’t already relied upon by the courts, even after the U.S. Supreme Court’s Obergefell decision in 2015. And if a potential conflict did arise, the Tennessee Attorney General has opined that a court could resolve it through other statutory interpretation rules. This legislation passed three-to-one in the House and nearly four-to-one in the Senate. Using a word’s ordinary meaning is a well-established principle of statutory construction. While I understand the concerns raised about this bill, the Obergefell decision is the law of the land, and this legislation does not change a principle relied upon by the courts for more than a century, mitigating the substantive impact of this legislation. Because of that I have signed HB 1111/SB 1085 into law.”

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe and Nokian Tyres officials today announced the company will build a new tire manufacturing facility in Dayton. Nokian Tyres will create at least 400 new jobs and invest $360 million in the facility, which represents the largest foreign direct investment in Rhea County’s history.

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today announced his amendment to the Fiscal Year 2017-2018 budget proposal that will be considered by the 110th General Assembly in the coming weeks. The appropriations amendment to HB511/SB483 tracks closely to the governor’s original budget proposal presented to the legislature January 30, which for the second year in a row does not take on any new debt and makes significant investments in teachers, K-12 schools, higher education, state employees, the state’s Rainy Day Fund and the tax cuts included in the IMPROVE Act.

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today praised passage of the IMPROVE Act, a key piece of his NextTennessee legislative plan, giving the largest tax cut in Tennessee history and making the state more competitive in recruiting manufacturing jobs while delivering a safe, reliable and debt-free transportation network for the next generation of Tennesseans. “The IMPROVE Act is a conservative plan that directly addresses how we fund our roads and bridges for the first time in 30 years. I thank the General Assembly for passing IMPROVE, and especially Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris (R-Collierville) and Reps. Barry Doss (R-Leoma) and Bill Dunn (R-Knoxville) for their work carrying the legislation,” Haslam said.

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today appointed Alexander K. McVeagh as special judge for Division II of the Hamilton County General Sessions Court. McVeagh’s appointment fills the temporary vacancy created last month when Haslam accepted Judge David E. Bales’ request to take a leave of absence due to a disability.

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today praised the passage of the Tennessee Broadband Accessibility Act, the governor’s legislation to increase broadband access to Tennessee’s unserved citizens. The House of Representatives passed HB 529/SB 1215 93-4, and it now heads to the governor’s desk for signature. The Senate passed the legislation 31-0 on April 3. Tennessee currently ranks 29th in the U.S. for broadband access, with 34 percent of rural Tennessee residents lacking access at recognized minimum standards.

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today thanked the General Assembly for unanimously passing the Tennessee STRONG (Support, Training and Renewing Opportunity for National Guard) Act, the governor’s legislation that provides tuition free educational opportunities for eligible members of the Tennessee National Guard and supports the Drive to 55 goal to increase the number of Tennesseans with a degree or certificate to 55 percent by 2025. The House of Representatives this afternoon passed HB 530/SB 1216 97-0 and it now heads to the governor’s desk for his signature. The Senate passed the legislation 31-0 on April 3.