Tennessee budget hearings start Monday

Monday marks the start of the annual weeklong process in which state leaders present their proposed budgets to the governor.

Budget hearings are one of the first steps in crafting the budget for the upcoming financial year. Gov. Bill Haslam, Department of Finance and Administration Commissioner Larry Martin, Chief Operating Officer Greg Adams and state budget director David Thurman preside over the hearings.

A schedule for the hearings is included below. All of the hearings will be streamed live at www.tn.gov.

Tennessee agencies asked to prepare budgets with 3.5% cut

Every year, the heads of every state department present their budgets. Haslam already directed each department to prepare their budgets for the next fiscal year with a 3.5 percent cut — that is, with the expectation that they will receive 3.5 percent less funding next year than they did this year.

That is only a request: Haslam and the administration are quick to note that this presentation is an exercise to examine potential cuts and in no way means any of those cuts will actually happen. Last year the governor asked departments to prepare their budgets with a 7 percent cut, but proposed a budget with cuts that were generally much lower.

The administration uses the proposals to come up with the budget presented to lawmakers. But it is up to members of the state House and Senate to pass the final budget. They can make changes during the legislative process. As with any legislation, those changes are subject to a possible veto from the governor, although that's very rare.

Lawmakers return to work in January when the legislative session reconvenes.

Reach Dave Boucher at 615-259-8892 and on Twitter @Dave_Boucher1. 

Schedule for budget hearings

Monday, Nov. 30
9:45-10:45 a.m.                 Human Services
10:45-11:15 a.m.               Tourist Development
11:15 a.m.                         Media availability 
2:45-3:15 p.m.                   Financial Institutions 
3:15-3:45 p.m.                   Commerce and Insurance 
3:45-4:45 p.m.                   Economic and Community Development 
4:45 p.m.                           Media availability
 
Tuesday, Dec. 1
8:45-9:45 a.m.                  Health Care Finance and Administration/TennCare
9:45-10:30 a.m.                Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
10:30 a.m.                        Media availability
1:30-2:30 p.m.                  Children’s Services 
2:30-3:30 p.m.                  Safety and Homeland Security
3:30-4 p.m.                       Revenue 

Wednesday, Dec. 2
9:45-10:45 a.m.                 Education 
10:45 a.m.-12 p.m.            Higher Education  
12 p.m.                              Media availability
2-2:30 p.m.                       Education Lottery 
2:30-3 p.m.                       Military 
3-3:30 p.m.                       Labor and Workforce Development 
3:30-4 p.m.                       Agriculture 

Thursday, Dec. 3
9:30-10:30 a.m.               Correction 
10:30-11 a.m.                  Environment and Conservation 
11-11:30 a.m.                  Tennessee Bureau of Investigation 
11:30 a.m.                       Media availability 
1:30-2:30 p.m.                 Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services 
2:30-3:15 p.m.                 Health 
3:15 p.m.                         Media availability 
 
Friday, Dec. 4
9-10 a.m.                        Transportation 
10-10:30 a.m.                 Finance and Administration 
1:15-2 p.m.                     General Services
2-2:45 p.m.                    Human Resources 
2:45-3:15 p.m.               Veterans Services 
3:15 p.m.                       Media availability