August 2023's Special Session Overview

This week, the General Assembly convened for a tumultuous special session. While many observers expected the session to conclude by the end of this week, we now know it will stretch until at least Monday. Significant disagreements have arisen between the House and Senate, with the two chambers moving in very different directions. 

The session, called by Governor Lee in response to the Covenant School shooting in Nashville earlier this year, was authorized to take up several very specific topics focused on public safety. Over 100 different bills were filed in both the House and Senate. 

The Senate took a very focused approach, taking up only three substantive bills and...

NACo's 2023 Federal Policy Priorities

TCSA's Webinar on Opioid Abatement Funds' Reporting Now Available 

Tennessee County Success Story Nominations

Volunteer Tennessee Announces 'Volunteer Center and Youth Civic Engagement' Funding Opportunities

Grant Applications Due 9/25/2023

Volunteer Tennessee, Tennessee’s governor-appointed commission on volunteerism and community service, is pleased to announce grant opportunities for Volunteer Centers and Youth Civic Engagement programs. Both opportunities will allow organizations to utilize community engagement and service to address critical needs throughout the state. Grant applications are due Monday, Sept. 25, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. CDT.

In the first grant, Volunteer Tennessee seeks applications from Volunteer Centers to connect people who want to volunteer with other non-profit organizations that need volunteers in Tennessee’s communities.

These grants allow Volunteer Centers to assist Volunteer Tennessee in carrying out responsibilities outlined in the National and Community Service Act of 1990, as amended and the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act.

Medical Programs Send Budding Doctors to Rural County 'Healthcare Deserts'

Amid a growing urban-rural divide in health care, hospitals, and medical schools are creating programming to attract young talent and help rural counties bridge the physician gap. While the number of primary care physicians has increased significantly in the past decade, more young medical professionals are establishing roots in urban areas, classifying 82% of rural counties as medically underserved regions, according to a 2020 study published by the American Medical Association.  

The Family Medicine Rural Residency Program is a three-year program — the first year spent in Sacramento and the last two in rural Amador County — where residents work inpatient and emergency medicine rotations at Sutter Amador Hospital, which serves over 40,000 people and is the only hospital in the county. The program, which launched in 2021, currently has...

Tennessee's Unemployment Rate Sets New Record Low in July

Comptroller's Office Releases July 2023 Revenue Reports

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – [On Tuesday, August 15], Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration Commissioner Jim Bryson announced that Tennessee July revenues were $1.65 billion, which is $153.5 million more than the budgeted estimate and $46.3 million more than the state received in July 2022. The growth rate for July was 2.89 percent.

“July total tax revenues exceeded our budgeted estimates and grew at a modest pace compared to this same time last year,” Bryson said. “Monthly gains were led by sales tax receipts reflecting June consumer activity and corporate tax payments. When combined, all other tax revenues declined compared to July 2022.

“Annual revenues for fiscal year 2022-2023 exceeded our original budgeted estimates, but totals fell short of the funding board’s revised estimate from last fall. Although collections..."

Register Now for ACM's Annual Conference

First Group Of Offenders Earn College Degree At Riverbend Maximum Security Institution

[Friday, August 11, 2023] - History was made Tuesday evening as five offenders became the first cohort to earn college degrees at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution (RMSI).  Graduating with their Associate of Science in Business Administration from Nashville State Community College, the group joins over 200 other men and women who have earned a college degree behind the walls of a Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) prison.

Through partnerships with over 10 colleges and universities, TDOC offers degree programs across the state that allow offenders the opportunity to earn associate, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees.

“This is my favorite part of my job,” Rachel Riley-Coe, Assistant Commissioner of Rehabilitative Services, told the graduates. “I believe in the power of education.  With education comes perseverance, with education comes strength, confidence, critical thinking, and dreams of what could be.”

It is the goal of TDOC under Commissioner Frank Strada to have associate and bachelor’s degree programs in every institution...

Reminder for the TCSA Fall 2023 Conference and Trade Show Registration

Tennessee County Services Associations (TCSA) has set the dates and location for the annual Fall 2023 Conference and Trade Show. Mark your calendars and plan to join us in Chattanooga on October 18-20th. Major highlights include adopting the Legislative Platform, Board elections, and county vendor services, as well as good exhibits. 

We are still working on finalizing the agenda for the conference and trade show with various breakout sessions, general session speakers, and other educational opportunities at the conference. We hope to have  the agenda of the various events available for everyone over the coming weeks.

To register for the conference, please click here. We look forward to seeing you at the Fall Annual Conference and Trade Show. 

County Success Story Nominations