Update from the Tennessee Senate Democratic Caucus....

Senator Andy Berke, D-Chattanooga, brings SB2931 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 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 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 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 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, 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.

Tennessean: Bill to offer lottery scholarships to veterans advances in Senate

Honorably discharged veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan could use lottery funds to attend school under legislation advancing in the Senate.

The measure sponsored by Democrats Jim Kyle of Memphis and Joe Haynes of Goodlettsville was among the bills that passed the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday.

According to this Knoxville News Sentinel report, a state audit of the publicly funded "Sportsman's Wildlife Foundation" found numerous problems, but says steps are being taken to correct them. H.E. Bittle, head of the foundation, says "not a single penny was misspent."

The foundation is funded by sales of a specialty license plate. (See previous discussion at KnoxViews.) Apparently, most of the funds have gone to build a luxury hunting lodge and payment of Bittle's salary. (Bittle sponsored the bill that created the specialty license plate and directed the proceeds to his foundation while he was a member of the Tennessee House.) The state audit recommends changes to state law to require better accounting of how such funds are spent.

Earlier this year, legislation was introduced to discontinue funding for the Sportsman's Wildlife Federation and instead allocate proceeds from the specialty license plate to TWRA for hunter education. Another bill would require the Secretary of State to verify the non-profit status of any organizations receiving funds from specialty license plate sales. More on those bills can be found at here.

Democrats in the Tennessee Senate are busy this week with proposals on health care and education:

• Senator Lowe Finney, D-Jackson, brings a bill (SB4181) to restructure Tennessee's long-term health care system before the Senate General Welfare, Health, and Human Resources Committee on Wednesday, April 9 at 11:00 a.m. CST (12 Legislative Plaza).

• Several Democratic proposals for surplus lottery funds will be taken up when the Senate Education Committee meets on Wednesday, April 9 at 9:00 a.m. CST (12 LP), including:

• Sponsored by Sen. Andy Berke, D-Chattanooga, SB4197 enacts Gov. Bredesen's initiative to transfer $200 million from lottery reserves into an endowment that will fund grants offered by the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation.

• Sponsored by the Senate and House Democratic Caucuses, SB2397 creates a scholarship program to provide up to $1,000 per semester for Tennessee veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

• SB4099, sponsored by Sen. John Wilder, D-Mason, Sen. Roy Herron, D-Dresden, and Sen. Steve Roller, D-McMinnville, creates a scholarship program for Tennessee students studying to become designated types of health care professionals that agree to practice in rural and other underserved areas across the state.

• SB3229, sponsored by Sen. Berke, earmarks lottery proceeds for a scholarship program targeting Tennessee students studying to become teachers.

• SB4127, sponsored by Sen. Charlotte Burks, D-Monterey, uses $100 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.

More details on these and other proposals can be found at the Tennessee Senate Democratic Caucus newsroom.

Tom Humphrey handicaps the races for the Tennessee House and Senate.

Earlier this year, state GOP legislators roundly criticized the Community Enhancement Grant program as "pork spending."

One of the loudest critics, GOP House Leader Rep. Jason Mumpower (R-Bristol), was at a chamber of commerce photo op event Thursday to hand out a $10,000 Community Enhancement Grant check, part of $250,000 being awarded in Mumpower's district:

The Chattanoogan reports good turnout at the 2007 Kefauver Dinner and support for Andy Berke, the Democrat running for State Senate in a District 10 special election coming up Thursday.

According to the article, state Sen. Roy Herron said the people of Tennessee need Berke and attacked "the Republican hypocrisy of talking one way but acting the other."

Another interesting note: The article says Democrat "Mike McWherter is a candidate for U.S. Senate." That's news to us. We've been waiting patiently for an official announcement.

Earlier in the week. the KNS's Tom Humphrey had this analysis of the District 10 special election, concluding with why he thinks Berke will win.

Joe Lance at Tennessee Ticket has good pregame coverage on this important election, which will decide whether Republicans take a one seat majority in the State Senate or Democrats hang on to a tie.

BONUS: The Tennessee Democratic Party slams Berke's Republican opponent for his ties to Sundquist and crew.

Joe Lance at the Chattanooga Pulse has an excellent rundown on the two candidates in the 10th District special election which could tip the balance in the Tennessee Senate.