House Finance Chair Gary Hicks, far right, is packed with House Republican leadership members, including House majority leader William Lamberth, back to camera, and Hicks’ Cameron Sexton speakers. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)

Tennessee legislators approved a $59.8 billion budget Wednesday for the upcoming fiscal year, but the House members were engrossed in the last minute move to insert millions of dollars to fund county primary elections across the state.

Two days after the House passed another action to demand a primary, Republicans and Democrats challenged the $8 million addition to the House floor to reimburse the county election committee for the primary.

The promotion of the primary comes from the political divisions of Williamson and Morley counties. There, far-right groups want to keep aucus rather than primary elections to determine Republican candidates for local elections. A caucus is a gathering of political party members to select candidates for elections, as opposed to primary elections where voters go to polls.

Critics said bills calling for a primary were offered that would not affect the state budget.

But Cookville Republican Rep. Ryan Williams introduced budget amendments on the House floor on Wednesday, quickly opposed by Republicans and Democrats before passing 57-30.

Nashville Democrat Jason Powell has accused Republican lawmakers of trying to inject funds later in the budget process to influence the election.

“This is a dramatic change in the way we voted for so long in our state,” Powell said.

Todd Warner, a Republican Rep. from Chapel Hill, Morley County, where Republicans own the caucus, was even more stubborn, saying he and other lawmakers were told the costs of the main requirements bill were not important.

“We were lying to the committee. We lied about this bill,” Warner said. He later added that the Senate budget debate showed that money was added to pay for the major bill.

Williams replied that the measure was “merely a misappropriation” to local governments to pay for the primary. House Speaker Cameron Sexton supported him and said he needed money to refund counties that have already held primary elections.

The Republican-controlled House has broken several Democrats’ attempts to amend the budget to add items such as grocery sales tax cuts, with private school administrators amending funds to amend the state’s highways, including $120 million, $113 million for charter school management and $4.5 million in 10 positions within the Attorney General’s office. Another amendment would have seen the state’s new immigrant “Emperor” move more than $5 million to reduce waste and fraud.

Calculate numbers

Of the $59.7 billion budget that will take effect on July 1, roughly $30 million comes from the state’s revenues and nearly $20 billion from the federal government.

The lawmaker received $179 million from the governor’s supplementary budget and placed it on 181 demands of law or spending in the district.

Congress also created a $42.5 million grant pool for volunteer fire departments, rescue teams, emergency medical services, senior centers, courts, museums and Second Harvest Food Bank, which suffered from federal fund cuts.

Republicans praised the budgetary efforts, but Nashville Democrat John Ray Clemons said the past two GOP governors, including Gov. Bill Lee, have lived “high on the pigs.” He predicted that the state would reach a “fiscal crisis” over the next five years.

“This governor is the only worst governor in Tennessee’s history state,” Clemons told a mix of cheers and jealousy.

Clemons also said Lee could draw a line to his donor and state contract, but he did not provide details.

Republican leaders responded by saying that Tennessee has the lowest per capita debt in the country, in addition to its low tax burden.

Williams, chairman of the House Finance Subcommittee, rebutted, saying lawmakers should spend more than $1 billion in states 15 years ago.

House finance committee chairman Gary Hicks said the state spends its income repeatedly on repeat items, although funded for only a year, allowing it to maintain a “significant balance” at the beginning of each year.

According to Hicks, tax growth has slowed at the state general fund, with zero growth falling this year, generating $376 million at just 2% next year.

The state department will return $1.5 billion of untouched funds for fiscal year 2024 and will be spent on next year’s budget, he said.

The next budget also includes $700 million interest revenues on federal funds received by the state for Covid Pandemic Relief.

Major spending includes $597 million for disaster relief and $640 million of new funds for K-12 education. This includes $189 million, a one-time teacher bonus related to a private school voucher voting earlier this year.

Higher education has earned an additional $264 million for universities, higher wages and benefits and capital improvements.

The $1.5 billion new spending on health and social services is part of the budget, including sharing savings between the state and federal government. Rural hospitals include $78 million, uncompensated care, and $4 million for the county health department project.

Congress borrows $1 billion for the road project. This is apart from state policies to pay infrastructure with gas taxes.