Since passing a $42+ million budget in May, activity around Capitol Hill in Nashville has been relatively quiet. While the Hill has been mostly quiet, the Joint Government Operations Committee, its respective Subcommittees, and the Fiscal Review Committee continue to hold regularly scheduled monthly meetings to weigh in on various rules, state procurement contracts, and other state actions.

In addition to those meetings, the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (TACIR) held their first meeting since January. TACIR’s agenda items included  reflecting on accomplishments over the last year, outlining fiscal capacity for the upcoming year, and electing leaders for the council.

Cleveland, TN Mayor, Kevin Brooks, was re-elected as Vice-Chair, and Senate GOP Caucus Chair Ken Yager was elected as Chair. Chairman Yager replaces the late Representative Mike Carter of House District 29, who passed away in May. Rep. Joan Carter, Rep. Mike Carter’s widow, has been tapped as his interim successor. His permanent replacement will be decided in a special election later this year. The primary will be held on July 27th and the General Election will take place on September 14th.

In addition to the limited activity on Capitol Hill, Governor Lee and General Assembly members have been working for Tennesseans in a variety of other capacities around the state since adjourning in May. On June 1st, Governor Lee, alongside Country Music Hall of Fame members the Oak Ridge Boys, kicked off a year-long campaign celebrating 225 years of Tennessee’s Statehood. The campaign will include various events across the state, celebrity commemorative videos, and much more over the next year.

Members are also gearing up for the annual ‘Summer Study’ season where legislators work alongside peers and stakeholders to study the effects of issues while identifying potential solutions. Summer study committees are anticipated to begin this fall, during the second quarter of fiscal year 2022.