Update from the Tennessee Senate Democratic Caucus....

Senator Andy Berke, D-Chattanooga, brings SB2931 [1] to the Senate floor today, Monday, April 21, 5:00 p.m. CDT, requiring that 70 percent of all education funding be spent on classroom expenditures by fiscal year 2012-13 and that 90 percent of all such funding be spent in classrooms by FY 2016-17.

Also on the Senate floor Monday, Sen. Beverly Marrero, D-Memphis, forwards SB2841 [2] which requires that all non-profit organizations for which new specialty license plates are issued be certified for non-profit status by Tennessee's secretary of state before the issuance of such plates. Marrero's bill was introduced in response to controversy [3] surrounding the non-profit organization of former Republican state Representative H.E. Bittle.

Three Democratic proposals for surplus lottery funds will be taken up when the Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee meets on Tuesday, April 22 at 8:30 a.m. CDT (12 LP):

TENNESSEE STUDENT ASSISTANCE AWARD FUND: Sponsored by Sen. Berke, SB4197 [4] enacts Governor Phil Bredesen's initiative to transfer $200 million from lottery reserves into an endowment that will fund grants offered by the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation. TSAC will use interest earned on this principle to offer financial assistance for higher education to Tennessee students. These awards are based on financial need. The Fiscal Review Committee estimates that the TSAAF will generate approximately $10 million annually for TSAC.

HELPING HEROES ACT: Sponsored by the Senate and House Democratic Caucuses, SB2397 [5] creates a scholarship program to provide up to $1,000 per semester for Tennessee veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars that attend approved state institutions of higher learning on a full-time basis.

TENNESSEE BACK TO CLASS ACT: SB4127 [6], sponsored by Sen. Charlotte Burks, D-Monterey, uses $90 million of lottery reserve funds to create an endowment for Tennessee students that left college after getting within 30 hours of completing their baccalaureate degrees. Over 36,000 Tennesseans are eligible. The grants will end with the 2013-14 academic year.