Blog

As legislative session continues, I am surprised at the pace with which legislation is passing out of committees. We are literally seeing hundreds of bills each week, many of which we haven’t even had time to properly discuss. I have encouraged those in charge to slow things down a little so members can be fully prepared to vote on important legislation. We need to finish our work quickly, but we also need to do it in an orderly and responsible way. That is what the people expect us to do.

No piece of legislation is more important to carefully examine than the TEAM Act. This bill, proposed by the Administration, would do away with a number of civil service protections for state employees. For many years, state employees were subject to the political whims of whoever was in power. When a Democrat was elected to office, Republican state employees got fired and the same happened to Democrats when a Republican took over. Rep. Kent Williams, a Republican from Carter County, experienced this kind of patronage first hand. He was hired under a Republican, but when Ray Blanton got elected Governor, Rep. Williams found himself with two kids and no job.  That’s why the state implemented civil service in the first place.

Now I am not suggesting that our current Governor would engage in this kind of patronage if he is successful in getting rid of civil service protections, but we cannot be so certain about future administrations. Our state employees are not political and they shouldn’t be hired and fired based on their political party. I am not opposed to some reform, but we need a balanced approach here.  I have offered a number of amendments to the TEAM Act. These amendments would preserve important civil service protections, while modernizing our human resources procedures. I am in business in the private sector, so I understand the need to overcome bureaucratic hurdles in the hiring process. But when it comes to state employees, I think there is a better way to do that than returning to the days of patronage.

In other news, my 2012 Jobs Package(http://www.craigfitzhugh.com/blog/jobs/) is moving through the General Assembly. While these bills still face an uphill battle, I am hopeful that we can continue to attract bipartisan support. In particular I am pleased that the Governor has taken an interest in HB 2314, my “Back to Work Act.” This bill would make a one-time $20 million investment in our technology centers and community colleges. With this money, these two groups could replace equipment, expand programming and produce more graduates. We have done this once before in 2007 with phenomenal results. At a time when everyone agrees we need a more educated work force to attract jobs, I believe this is a worthwhile and sound fiscal investment.  I hope the Governor will come around to this plan and include funding in his budget amendment this year.   

As always, if you are ever in need of assistance or would like to hear more about another issue, please contact my legislative office and we’ll get your questions answered as soon as possible. Have a great week!

RIPLEY, TN –Rep. Craig Fitzhugh (D-Ripley) announced today that he will seek re-election as State Representative this fall. House District 82, which Fitzhugh currently represents, formerly encompassed parts of Dyer County. After the 2010 census, it was redrawn and now consists of Crockett, Haywood & Lauderdale Counties.

“It has been my privilege to represent the people of House District 82,” said Fitzhugh. “While I’m sad I will no longer represent my many friends in Dyer County, I am excited about reconnecting with the people of Haywood County as we welcome them to the district.”

Fitzhugh, a former Finance Committee Chairman, serves as a member of the Finance, Education, Government Operations, Pensions & Insurance and Calendar & Rules Committees. He is the House Minority Leader.

“Tennessee is very fortunate. We’ve had solid, pro-business leadership from Governor Bredesen & now Governor Haslam. I’ve partnered with both of them to pass balanced budgets, build our rainy day fund and preserve those core services our citizens need. Now, we have to work together again to get Tennesseans back to work.”

After his Tennessee Jobs Tour last fall, Fitzhugh put forward his 2012 Jobs Package (http://www.craigfitzhugh.com/blog/jobs/), which is currently making its way through the General Assembly. These seven bills, ranging from full funding for the West Tennessee Megasite in Brownsville to hiring Tennesseans first for state contracts, are attracting bipartisan support.

“We have to focus on jobs and that also means focusing on education. Governor McWherter said it best, ‘Education plus roads equals jobs.’ Whether its standing up for our teachers, preserving lottery scholarships for as many students as possible or putting in place higher standards like we did to win Race to the Top, education is the single most important part of making Tennessee’s economy work for the future.”

Fitzhugh, a retired Major in the U.S. Air Force Reserves, has been married to his wife Pam for 38 years. They have three children: Elizabeth Molder, son-in-law Chaz Molder, and Tom—all public school and University of Tennessee at Knoxville graduates. Craig & Pam have one grandchild, Marley Elizabeth, and a daughter-in-law to be, Windy Wheeler. Craig is a fourth generation member of Ripley First Baptist Church, where he serves as a Deacon. He is the President/CEO of Bank of Ripley. He has served on numerous community boards and commissions. In his spare time, he enjoys running, spending time with family and cheering on the Volunteers. 

“We’ve gotten a lot accomplished over the last two years, but there’s much more we can do on jobs and education. I hope to continue as your State Representative and I will work hard every day to earn your vote.”

By Rep. Craig Fitzhugh (D-Ripley) & Sen. Reginald Tate (D-Memphis)

It’s your daughter’s   first day of kindergarten. She’s excited, but also scared to be leaving Mom and Dad. You tell her it will be all right, that her teacher will take care of her and that she’ll make lots of new friends.

But as you open that classroom door, you’re shocked to see dozens of other children, all going through the same emotions as your daughter. Some are crying, some are yelling and several are trying to run out of the room. You wonder how your daughter will get the attention she needs from her teacher, who will struggle simply to find space for everyone. Suddenly, you’re feeling the same nerves as your daughter —  but for an entirely different reason.

A proposal from Gov.  Bill Haslam would permit public school districts in Tennessee  to create classes with larger numbers of children  and, as a result, would  decrease the individual attention our children receive from their teachers. The plan could also result in thousands of teacher layoffs, unbearable financial burdens on local governments and a reversal of the progress we have made in our schools.

We support the governor’s efforts to enact meaningful reform and provide the education our children deserve. That’s why we passed Tennessee’s  Race to the Top legislation two years ago, enabling our public schools to measure performance, better train teachers and support innovative ideas.

But the governor has made a mistake by pushing this year to allow larger class sizes in elementary and middle schools, a move that members of  his own party have opposed. Removing the state’s average class-size  requirement means schools would  put more students in every classroom, while laying off thousands of teachers at a time when we need them the most.

Currently, the state-mandated  average class size  for grades K-3 and grades 7-8 is 20 students, with the maximum number of students allowed in any class set at 25. Some classrooms may have the maximum number of students, but any school’s average class size must be at or below 20 students. (In grades 4-6, the   average class size  is set at 25 students and the maximum number of students allowed in any class is 30.)

Right now, the state bases its teacher funding on the average class size, funding  one teacher’s position for every 20 students in grades K-3 and 7-8.  Under the administration’s proposal, however, funding would be based on the maximum class size, meaning one teaching position would be funded for every 25 students in those grades..

In Memphis City Schools, the state currently pays for 3,221 teachers. Under the new proposal, only 2,641 teachers would be funded, leaving 580 jobs to be funded completely by the local school district.  Those positions would be in addition to 505 teachers whose salaries  are already paid solely with Memphis tax dollars.

Memphis City Schools officials would have to do one of two things to meet their budget: seek an increase in taxes or lay off teachers. The same is true for other school systems across Tennessee, as nearly 5,300 teaching jobs would be cut from state education dollars. Our local governments should not be put in the position of having to choose between taking money from our families or teachers from our children.

Nearly three decades ago, a study funded by the state legislature found that smaller class sizes make a significant difference in a child’s education, especially in early grades and among students from low-income households. The study prompted at least 24 states to put into place class-size restrictions or incentives.

Now, several of those states are raising class sizes to balance their budgets, and the administration wants to follow the same path. In Tennessee, however, we have a balanced budget, and we have lived within our means. Raising class sizes is not only a bad idea, it’s unnecessary. We didn’t win the Race to the Top by doing what everyone else was doing. We won because we promised to do what no one else would —  and we promised to do it together. Putting more children into  already overcrowded classrooms would break that promise. At a time when we need the best ideas in education, this isn’t one of them.

Rep. Craig Fitzhugh of Ripley is Democratic Leader of the Tennessee House of Representatives. Sen. Reginald Tate of Memphis is vice chairman of the state Senate Education Committee.

As we start another legislative session, I want to share my 2012 Jobs Package with you. You can click on the links below to learn more about each bill. It’s my hope that I can work with Governor Haslam to get these bills passed and put Tennesseans back to work.

-Craig

HB 2079 “Tennessee Contractors First”

• Gives preference on state projects to in-state contractors.
• We have a responsibility to give Tennessee businesses the first crack at state contracts, so our tax dollars create jobs here, not China or Mexico.

HB 2314 “Back to Work Act”

• $15,000,000 one-time appropriation to Tennessee Technology Centers, allowing them to expand programming and purchase new equipment.
• Now is the time to invest in workforce training through technical schools so young people and displaced workers have the opportunity to gain the skills they need for 21^st Century jobs.

HB 2312 “Jobs for Tennessee Act”

• Provides funding for the full and complete development of the West Tennessee Megasite in Haywood County.
• The mega site in Chattanooga received full funding from the state and landed Volkswagen and some 2500 jobs. We can do the same thing in West Tennessee if the Governor will commit to fully-funding this site.  

HB 2309 “Tennessee Works Act”

• Restructures unemployment compensation to allow unemployed workers to continue receiving payments from the state, while retraining under a new employer.
• This allows companies to train new workers at no cost to them, moving more people from the unemployment rolls into the work place.
• Unemployment is meant to be a hand-up, not a hand-out. This program creates a partnership between laid-off workers and businesses so that workers can learn new skills, then have the opportunity to be hired on full time. It also saves businesses money by avoiding costly new skills training.

HB 2323 “Unemployment to Work Bill”

• Provides a tax-credit to businesses that hire people off the unemployment rolls.
• We have thousands of Tennesseans looking for work. Companies that make a good faith effort to hire these individuals deserve to be rewarded for saving the state money over the long-term.

HB 2308 “New Energy Act”

• Directs the University of Tennessee to put in place a plan by 2013 that maximizes the output of the West Tennessee Solar Farm.
•  Other states are investing in new energy with visible success and more jobs. With the right planning, the West Tennessee Solar farm can double it’s output and put more Tennesseans back to work.   

HB 2582 “New Entrepreneur Tax Credit”

• Provides a 20% tax credit for new small businesses in Tennessee employing 5 or less people.
• We want entrepreneurs to go out, invest their capitol and create jobs for our citizens. As a state, we need to do everything we can to make this process easier, including providing tax credits like this that help jump start businesses.

Over the past few weeks, I have talked a lot about education and many people have asked me what “real education reform” means. Today I want to address that issue as we wind up this series on education.

 First, we need to note what education reform is not. Education reform is not taking away teachers rights to bargain for things our students need like new text books, smaller class sizes, janitorial services and other classroom items. Taking away our teachers’ rights to bargain for the tools our students need to be successful is not about education reform, but instead about politics.

 Education reform is not about a back door process to get rid of tenure for our best teachers. Last session the General Assembly passed new laws, which I opposed, governing tenure. Under this system, teachers are arbitrarily scored on a scale of one to five. Teachers must teach for five years and score excellent two years in a row in order to receive tenure. On the surface this sounds like a good system, but the devil is in the details. As I talk to teachers & principals across my district—and across the state—they tell me that this new system simply doesn’t work. Administrators don’t have time to evaluate all of their teachers fairly; teachers are forced to spend too much of their day preparing to be evaluated and not enough focus is being placed on classroom instruction.

 Furthermore, the state department of education is failing to do its job training administrators on new evaluation procedures. In fact, training for these new evaluations lasted only four days and by all accounts was vague, confusing and unproductive.  This coupled with the fact that 60 percent of teachers don’t receive the data the state uses to evaluate teachers, completely undercuts our teachers and the goals of last years Race to the Top grant.

 So what is real education reform? Real education reform is giving our teachers the tools they need to help our students succeed. We achieve this when we allow them to bargain as a group for what they need to be successful. Real education reform is a system of tenure that works. We achieve this when we set high, but realistic standards for reaching this professional goal. Real education reform is a fair evaluation system that’s not just an overly burdensome mandate on schools. We achieve this when we bring everyone to the table-teachers, principals & administrators- to set fair, realistic and simple rules for evaluations.

 In the end, real education reform is about letting our teachers focus on what is important—educating our students. When we give teachers what they need to be successful, when we make tenure an achievable goal, when we evaluate them fairly they will rise to the occasion and prove once again that they are professionals up to the task of educating the next generation. That is real education reform.

If you have any questions about this new law or would like to hear more about another issue, please contact my legislative office and we’ll get your questions answered as soon as possible. Have a great week!

NASHVILLE – Tennessee’s House and Senate Democratic Caucuses announced Wednesday that their members will embark on a six-day tour across the state Sept. 19-24 to talk to business owners, local officials and the public about how to best grow jobs in Tennessee.

“Across the country and here in Tennessee, we are stuck in a jobs crisis, and it’s going to take everyone working together to get us out of it,” said House Democratic Leader Craig Fitzhugh. “Jobs are the number one priority for Tennesseans, and they also must be the top priority for their elected officials.”

Members will begin the tour Monday, Sept. 19, in Memphis, with stops throughout rural and urban areas across the state. The tour will end Saturday, Sept. 24, in Putnam and Smith Counties.

The unemployment rate in Tennessee currently sits at 9.8 percent, meaning more than 306,000 Tennesseans are looking for jobs and can’t find one. County unemployment rates are as high as 19.8 percent.

“People want their lawmakers to do something to combat the unemployment crisis, especially in rural areas that have been hit the hardest,” said State Senator Eric Stewart. “There’s a lot we can learn from going out there and listening to the people who are creating jobs, as well as the people who are looking for jobs.”

The tour will include several discussions and events open to the public, as well as daily press briefings and updates through traditional and social media. Members participating on the tour have pledged to use the feedback they receive on the tour to draft legislation directly addressing job growth throughout the state.

“The tour is our opportunity to listen, gather ideas and make decisions on what we can do as a state legislature to promote jobs in Tennessee,” Fitzhugh said. “We hope it will mark the beginning of a sustained focus on jobs and economic growth from all of our elected officials as we enter the next legislative session.”

Ripley, TN – State Representative Craig Fitzhugh (D-Ripley) is pleased to welcome Quaprotek USA’s announcement of a new factory to be located in Ripley.

“This has been a long time coming,” said Rep. Fitzhugh. “Many people have worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make this happen. Mayor Rod Schuh, Mayor John Paveletic, our county commissioners, city aldermen, the chamber of commerce and our community banks have all put in the work that has now paid off big for Lauderdale County.”

Quaproteck USA is a German manufacturing company that builds metal parts for cars, engines and power trains. The company’s decision to relocate to Lauderdale County will bring 126 jobs and a $22 million dollar investment to Ripley.  

“I’m very pleased with our company’s decision to make Tennessee our newest home,” Klaus Kielwein, general manager of Quaprotek USA said. “I’m convinced our Ripley location will become an important asset in meeting the needs of our customers.”

Quaprotek will begin operating out of the Volz Road building in Ripley, while outfitting the 63,000 square foot Spec Building on Highland Street, which will serve as the company’s permanent location. The Ripley facility is expected to employ 126 people, with the majority of those jobs opening up in 2012.

“People want to work; the jobs simply aren’t there. What this project shows is that when local government, state government, community groups and the private sector work together, jobs are created and the people reap the benefit.  I’m proud to have been part of this endeavor and I look forward to more companies coming to West Tennessee in the future,” said Fitzhugh.

Those interested in applying for positions with Quaprotek USA should contact the Tennessee Career Center in Ripley at 731-635-3479.

By Rep. Craig Fitzhugh

Last year under Governor Phil Bredesen, Tennessee made great strides in education reform when we won the Race to the Top Grant. Unfortunately, one year later, we have back tracked and jeopardized our standing as a national model for education. Over the next few weeks, I want to cover these changes and show why I think it’s so important to reverse course next session and preserve our public education system.

Among the multitude of anti-public education bills filed this session was HB 1030, commonly known as the “Virtual Schools” bill. Under previous law in Tennessee, any school board could start a virtual education program for students enrolled in their public schools. This was commonly used to provide students with classes not offered at their institution or for students home bound by illness. It was provided free of charge and operated on a non-profit basis.

Under HB 1030, local school boards can still start their own virtual school, but now the state has opened the door to for-profit businesses running virtual schools as well. I opposed this legislation because I believe it will have several negative consequences.

First, I opposed this bill because public education is not intended to be a for-profit business. Tennessee’s constitution requires us to provide free public education to every student in the state. Under HB 1030, school boards can now charge tuition to students for virtual schools. Additionally, millions of your tax-payer dollars will go to private companies and the state will still be forced to provide computer and internet access to students enrolled in these for- profit virtual schools. This goes against the spirit of public education and is fiscally irresponsible.

Second, I opposed this bill because it is a prime example of special interest groups infiltrating the legislative process. K-12 Inc is a multi-million dollar virtual schools company founded by a convicted felon. During the last legislative session, K-12 Inc hired 3 lobbyists to push through the virtual schools bill. Don’t be fooled, K-12 Inc didn’t do this because they care about education; they did it because they stand to make millions by starting for-profit, tuition charging schools with your tax-payer dollars.

Finally, I opposed this bill because it is a step too far. While I support virtual education programs for homebound students or for students wanting to take more advanced classes not offered in their school, I am opposed to this legislation because it promotes for-profit virtual schools as an alternative to traditional, in-classroom learning. It is irresponsible to do this because, as the National Education Policy Center points out, we have no data to show us how these for-profit virtual schools will perform against traditional public schools. Until we have this data, it is premature to use tax-payer money to open hundreds of for-profit virtual schools.

As always, if you have any questions about this new law or would like to hear more about another issue, please contact my legislative office and we’ll get your questions answered as soon as possible. Have a great week!

By Rep. Craig Fitzhugh

Our economy is still in recovery. Businesses are hurting, it’s getting harder to send the kids off to college & even buying groceries has become a struggle for many families. That’s why I believe it’s time for state government to stand up and do something to help working people.

For the past several months, the State of Tennessee has brought in more money than our budget anticipated. In layman’s terms, this means the public paid more in sales tax than we intended and we now have a surplus. Rather than finding a place to spend this surplus, I believe we need to use it to provide businesses & working families with some much needed relief.

That’s why earlier this week I filed the “Tennessee Tax Payer Relief Act.” As introduced, this legislation would take the surplus revenue each year and invest it in two ways. First, half of the surplus would go to provide need based college scholarships through the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation. Second, the remaining half of the surplus would go toward a reduction in the sales tax rate on food & food ingredients.

This kind of tax relief will have 3 positive impacts on our economy in Tennessee.

First, it will help families struggling to pay for college. We know that an educated workforce is the key to attracting good jobs to our community. By investing some of this surplus money in our kids now, we are helping our economic prospects down the road.

Second, it provides tax cuts for working people & brings our sales tax on food down to levels more like other states. Our current sales tax rate on food is 5.5%. This rate is burdensome, especially to working families already struggling to pay for food, gas, clothing & a mortgage. It’s also disproportionately high when compared to states around Tennessee.  Arkansas, for example, taxes food at 2%, Missouri at 1.2%, Alabama at 4% & Kentucky has no tax at all on food. Our food tax rate is too high for this economy and we need to bring it in line with other states.

Finally, this bill will stimulate our local economies. By reducing the tax on food and relieving some of the burden of increased tuition, we are putting more money into people’s pockets. As a result, these individuals are more likely to spend that money elsewhere. This will generate more sales tax revenue for our state and help boost the profits of local businesses.

All in all, this is a win-win situation for our state and our citizens. I am proud to join my Democratic colleagues in introducing this legislation. I hope Republicans will join us and provide some real tax relief to the people of Tennessee.

As always, if you have any questions about this new law or would like to hear more about another issue, please contact my legislative office and we’ll get your questions answered as soon as possible. Have a great week!

NASHVILLE –Minority Leader Craig Fitzhugh and the House Democratic Caucus filed a bill Thursday to allocate any surplus state revenues to cutting sales taxes on food and providing for need-based college scholarships.

“When the state is taking in more money than needed, as we’ve seen over the last few months, then this money needs to go back to Tennesseans not into the state’s pocket book,” said Fitzhugh (D-Ripley). “I and my colleagues in the House Democratic Caucus plan to push this bill forward in January when the Legislature returns to Nashville.”

The bill says that “surplus revenue” is defined as any amount of state revenue generated from sales & use taxes beyond budgeted estimates. 

Each April, the Commissioner of Finance & Administration, along with the Commissioner of Revenue, would certify the exact amount of surplus revenue the state has collected for the current fiscal year. The Commissioners would then notify the Governor, Lt. Governor & Speaker of the House.

Out of the certified surplus, half of the amount would be placed in a reserve account for the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation for the purpose of need-based scholarships. The following fiscal year, the remaining half of surplus revenue would be used to adjust down the sales tax rate on food & food ingredients for human consumption.

“The current sales tax rate on food in Tennessee is 5.5 percent,” Fitzhugh said. “Tennessee has a revenue surplus. This money belongs to the people and should be used to their benefit. This will help put food on the table for working families and stimulate the economy.

“Arkansas has a two percent sales tax on food. Kentucky has none.”

For the academic year 2011-2012, the University of Tennessee raised tuition anywhere from 9.9-15 percent. This is on top of a 9 percent increase from academic year 2010-2011.

For academic year 2011-2012, the Tennessee Board of Regents raised tuition anywhere from 8.8-11 percent. This is on top of a 5-11 percent increase from academic year 2010-2011

“Families are hurting in this recession and it’s getting harder to send our kids to college. As a result more and more students are qualifying for need-based scholarships through the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation; we need to pay for as many scholarships as we can,” Fitzhugh said.

State Representatives who have agreed to co-sponsor the bill with Leader Fitzhugh are Caucus Chairman Mike Turner (D-Old Hickory), Speaker Emeritus Jimmy Naifeh (D-Covington), Rep. Lois Deberry (D-Memphis), Rep. Joe Pitts (D-Clarksville), Rep. Jeanne Richardson (D-Memphis), Rep. Gary Moore (D-Joelton), Rep. Janis Sontany (D-Nashville), Rep. Mike Stewart (D-Nashville), Rep. Johnny Shaw (D-Bolivar), Rep. Mary Pruitt (D-Nashville), Rep. Mike McDonald (D-Portland), Rep. Karen Camper (D-Memphis), Rep. Antonio Parkinson (D-Memphis), Rep. Tommie Brown (D-Chattanooga).