Tennessee

01/26/2007 -- Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen today announced the awarding of a $1.44 million grant to a program at East Tennessee State University (ETSU) aimed at helping expectant mothers quit smoking. The Tennessee Intervention for Pregnancy Smoking project at the ETSU Department of Family Medicine is working to improve birth outcomes in Northeast Tennessee by improving the health status of pregnant women.

“I am committed to supporting projects that are working to break the barriers standing between children and lifelong health,” Bredesen said. “Adults make a choice to smoke – our children do not. This isn’t a war on smokers or the smoking industry, but it is a call to come together and do what we know is right. While we put great resources and energy into our kids’ education, safety and health, it makes no sense to sabotage ourselves by ignoring this clear and preventable danger.”    » read more »

01/26/2007 -- Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen today announced that a state grant will allow a Memphis program focusing on healthy births to triple the number of mothers it serves. The Governor’s Office of Children’s Care Coordination, which is leading the state’s effort to improve infant mortality rates, is issuing a grant of $172,000 to the Porter-Leath Cornerstone Program in Memphis, where infant mortality rates are the highest in the state and in the country. In Tennessee, at least 680 babies die before their first birthdays, and 30 percent of those deaths occur in Memphis.

“By working hard and working together, we can identify and remove some of the health-related barriers that keep children from reaching their first birthdays,” Bredesen said. “I am committed to providing those who are dedicated to this effort with the support and resources they need, because our children deserve no less.”    » read more »

01/25/2007 -- Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen's request for federal farm assistance for five East and Middle Tennessee counties received USDA approval this week. Bredesen made the request Dec. 21 based on crop and livestock damages from extreme heat and dry conditions this growing season in some areas of the state.

"I am pleased that USDA has granted this request and recognizes the difficult situation many of our farmers faced this past year," said Bredesen. "Hopefully, those who need access to financial assistance will be able to mitigate their losses and begin planning for the upcoming growing season."

The five counties designated as natural disaster areas for agriculture are Hancock, Hawkins, Lawrence, Maury and Wayne. The decision makes qualified farm operators in designated and adjacent counties eligible for low-interest emergency loans from USDA's Farm Service Agency.    » read more »

01/25/2007 -- Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen today announced nearly $1 million in funding for after school programs to help kids develop anti-Methamphetamine messages to persuade their peers not to try Meth. The money was made available through a federal grant to Volunteer Tennessee, formerly the Commission on National and Community Service.

“Methamphetamine destroys everything it touches - lives, families, neighborhoods and communities - no one is safe from this plague,” said Governor Phil Bredesen, who initiated the state’s coordinated anti-Meth effort three years ago. “Education plays a critical role in preventing people from trying Meth, and these grants will be another tool communities can use to educate our kids about the consequences of Meth use. I’m proud to see young Tennesseans take a leading role.”

Tennessee once ranked second in the nation in Meth lab incidents, with over 1,500 labs seized in 2004. Since the Meth-Free Tennessee Act became law, the rate of Meth lab seizures has been reduced by over 54 percent, largely because Meth precursors were removed from store shelves in the state.    » read more »

01/23/2007 -- Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen today joined with philanthropist Clarence Day, Shelby County Mayor A C Wharton, and others to announce a $1.5 million grant from the Day Foundation that will be matched by the state Department of Children’s Services to provide expanded support for children leaving foster care in Shelby County.

The Day Foundation grant will help about 300 teens who are aging out of the state’s foster care system transition to independent, adult living. The program already helps nearly 200 young adults find their first jobs, secure affordable housing, complete their educations and obtain health care.

The services provided by this grant will complement the child mentoring program that Governor Bredesen unveiled last week for children who are still in state custody.    » read more »

01/19/2007 -- Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen today announced the state has received federal approval for CoverKids, a comprehensive health insurance plan for uninsured children in Tennessee. CoverKids is a key part of Bredesen’s Cover Tennessee initiative, an innovative group of programs targeting Tennesseans who do not have access to health care insurance. In September 2006, the state submitted its plan for CoverKids to the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS).

“Our goal is to help Tennessee’s children access medical care as easily as they can check out a library book,” Bredesen said. “Most importantly, CoverKids will allow us to go beyond simply treating children’s illnesses and do something about preventing disease in the first place.”    » read more »

Tennessee Governor Bredesen Requests Federal Farm Aid for Four Counties

11/20/2006 -- Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen this week requested a federal designation of agricultural disaster for four more counties in Tennessee to help farmers who have suffered drought related damages this growing season. The designation would allow farmers to apply for low-interest emergency loans that could help them manage crop and livestock losses.

In a letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns, Bredesen requested the designation for Claiborne, Coffee, Grundy and Union counties.    » read more »

Tennessee Gov. Bredesen Unveils Specifics of Alternative Fuels Initiative

10/20/2006 -- Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen today announced specifics of Tennessee’s alternative fuels initiative to increase production and use of cleaner renewable energy resources.

Bredesen has accepted a series of recommendations made by the Alternative Fuels Working Group, which he created by executive order in February 2006, to develop a comprehensive alternative fuels strategy for Tennessee. The working group includes representatives from six state agencies, including the Departments of Agriculture, Economic and Community Development, Environment and Conservation, General Services, Health and Transportation.    » read more »

Bredesen Proclaims Tennessee's First Annual Sales Tax Holiday A Success

10/23/2006 -- Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen is pleased to report that Tennessee’s first annual sales tax holiday was a resounding success for Tennessee families and will help local governments as well. Held Aug. 4-6, the holiday provided valuable financial savings on clothing, school supplies and computers during the back-to-school shopping season.

“We had the resources to do something new this year to help save families money, and with support from the General Assembly, Tennessee launched its first sales tax holiday successfully in August,” Bredesen said. “This new tax holiday underscores my commitment to keep education as our No. 1 priority.”    » read more »

Tennessee Gov. Bredesen Requests Federal Farm Assistance

10/12/2006 -- Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen this week requested a federal designation of agricultural disaster for 18 more counties in Tennessee to help farmers who have suffered drought-related damages this growing season. The designation would allow farmers to apply for low-interest emergency loans that could help them manage crop and livestock losses.

In a letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns, Bredesen requested the designation for Bedford, Bradley, Chester, Giles, Hardeman, Jefferson, Loudon, Marion, Marshall, McNairy, Moore, Polk, Roane, Sequatchie, Smith, Trousdale, Williamson and Wilson counties.    » read more »

Tennessee Gov. Bredesen Launches Campaign to Promote Healthier Lifestyles

10/09/2006 -- Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen has launched a new health and wellness awareness campaign, GetFitTN, aimed at the prevention of Type 2 diabetes, commonly known as adult onset diabetes, and to promote healthier, more active lifestyles among Tennesseans.

“At its roots, GetFitTN is an opportunity for all Tennesseans to improve their lifestyles by making a modest increase in physical activity - regardless of age, social status, race or ethnic background,” said Bredesen. “To have a real impact on the health and the quality of life of future generations of Tennesseans, we must address Type 2 diabetes now and some of the risk factors that lead to it, like obesity and inactivity. I’m pleased to have Eddie George driving this initiative to encourage all Tennesseans to ‘get fit’.”    » read more »

Tennessee Gov. Bredesen Unveils High School Grad Rate Strategy

09/12/2006 -- Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen today outlined a key component in his “Next Steps: Education” plan with a comprehensive strategy designed to raise Tennessee’s high school graduation rate over the next decade.

Speaking to the Madison-Goodlettsville Rotary Club, Bredesen noted state government over the past three-and-a-half years has laid substantial “foundational” work in education by raising teacher pay above the Southeastern average to recruit and retain the best teachers and expanding pre-kindergarten opportunities with more than 500 classrooms statewide to better prepare children for the challenges ahead.    » read more »

Tennessee Governor Announces End of Geier Lawsuit

09/11/2006 -- Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen today announced the Geier lawsuit, a longstanding Civil Rights matter addressing equality and diversity in Tennessee’s higher education system, is ended. After decades of work, parties in the case – including the State of Tennessee, the federal government and Tennessee’s higher education agencies – have agreed to ask a federal judge to dismiss the suit.

“Today, I’m proud to announce that Tennessee has met the challenge set by the Geier lawsuit – to build a unitary public higher education system that truly offers equal access to all citizens,” Bredesen said. “Now, we’ll ask a judge to recognize something that we’ve long felt in our hearts … in Tennessee, the door really is open to all.”    » read more »

Tennessee Gov. Bredesen's Request for Federal Farm Assistance Granted

09/08/2006 -- Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen’s request for federal farm assistance for six counties in East and Middle Tennessee received approval this week by USDA. Bredesen made the request Aug. 1 based on crop and livestock damages from extreme heat and dry conditions in some areas of the state.

“I am pleased that USDA has granted this request and recognizes the difficult situation many of our farmers are facing this growing season,” said Bredesen. “Hopefully, those who need access to financial assistance will be able to mitigate losses and plan for next year.”    » read more »

Tennessee Gov. Bredesen Requests Agricultural Disaster Declaration

08/08/2006 -- To help Tennessee farmers affected by the season’s extreme heat and dry conditions, Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen has requested a disaster designation from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for six East and Middle Tennessee counties. The designation would allow farmers to apply for low-interest emergency loans that could help them manage crop and livestock damages.

In a letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns, Bredesen requested the declaration for Franklin, Fentress, McMinn, Meigs, Morgan and Scott counties. Bredesen also promised to work with Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Ken Givens to make additional requests for other counties as needed.    » read more »