News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
A candidate for the Tennessee House wants to see increased strategic spending targeted at Tennessee’s key economies.
Candidate Dennis Bynum said the plan to build Tennessee’s economy is called Tennessee R.I.S.E. The addresses how to strengthen manufacturing, agriculture, small businesses and education.
“I feel like this plan directly compliments our state and federal leaders accomplishments prior to Covid-19,” Bynum said. “It begins to address what I believe are the four pillars of Tennessee’s economy and provides pathways to not only restore them to pre-Covid success, but to ensure future growth.”
Bynum said the most important part to the plan is supporting Tennessee’s academic infrastructure. Bynum wants to address university hiring credentials and submit legislation for eligibility restrictions.
“Education is the key,” Bynum said. “If our children are not educated properly, then we are going to end up faltering and following further behind. Tennessee has some beautiful, wonderful people. We have some amazing resources available to our children, and we are not capitalizing on those.”
The Tennessee R.I.S.E plan includes providing necessary funds to disadvantaged schools and expand funding for victims of child abuse.
Bynum said small businesses in Tennessee keep the economy going. He said he wants to provide regulatory relief for businesses delaying hiring and strengthen consequences for unemployment insurance abuse.
“It has gotten to a point that people do not want to go back to work, because they are getting too much money,” Bynum said. “We need to work on these things and put people back to work. If they are not willing to, they need to be penalized. The people willing to take the job need a bonus or a special training offered to them.”
Strategic spending on the education system of Tennessee would increase under the R.I.S.E plan. Bynum said revenue should be used to employee more educators and tutors instead of investing in more screens. More face to face interactions would help the child’s mental health and improve their grades.
