Haslam Presents Spending Plan

In last night’s state of the state address Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam presented lawmakers a nearly $33 billion dollar annual spending plan including a staffing shakeup at the troubled Department of Children's Services, a heavy investment into construction projects around the state and a large deposit into the state's cash savings fund. Haslam also formally introduced his proposal to create a limited school voucher program allowing parents to use public money to send their children to private schools. According to legislation filed in the Senate Monday, the program would be limited to 5,000 students in the school year beginning in August, and grow to 20,000 students by 2016.