May 23, 2012
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – Tennessee’s governor gave his eighth and final State of the State address on Monday night at the capitol in Nashville.
The Volunteer State currently faces a $1.5 billion budget shortfall in the next fiscal year. Governor Phil Bredesen hopes to fix parts of the problem with several creative proposals.
Before the speech, the Tennessee Highway Patrol was facing cuts that would require eliminating 85 state trooper positions.
"Rather than do this we've presented a revenue measure to prevent it," he said.
That measure happens to be increasing driver’s license fees. If passed by lawmakers, Tennessee drivers would pay $46 every eight years compared to the current rate of $19.50 every five years.
"From $3.90 to $5.75 annually,” the governor pointed out during his speech, “the first increase since 1988."
WVLT Volunteer TV News talked to several East Tennesseans on Monday evening who objected to the idea.
"Being a family of four drivers with teenage boys, it really adds up,” said Shante Montgomery, a mother of two. “That's a big difference."
Others agreed, arguing the extra expense would be especially difficult in the state of the current economy.
“We're living in a right now world where we're trying to keep our money in our pockets,” said Lamonte Harwick of Knoxville. “We're not living for 8 years away. We're living for right now."
But Bredesen explained during his speech that it will do more than simply save jobs.
"This will have the added benefit of partially funding the much needed digital upgrade to their [THP’s] radio system as well."
