Tennessee Republicans continue to run roughshod over woke Democrat ideology, using their voter mandate to implement sane, rational, and impactful policies that will produce positive outcomes for not just conservative voters, but all residents of the Volunteer State.
Just a day after the Republican-majority-legislature voted to expel members of the Democrat Party for their involvement in what has been described as an “insurrection” during a chaotic storming of the state capitol building, Governor Bill Lee addressed last week’s deadly school shooting by seeking to stop bad guys with guns from harming any more children in gun-free zones.
Presenting three budget amendments meant to keep children and schools safe, Lee first proposed funding for armed guards at every school. Lee said in a press conference that “[t]here is no excuse to not have a guard at every school.”
Lee’s second provision in the budget amendment proposal was “to make significant physical security upgrades at both public and non-public schools all across the state.”
Third, while not exactly specific, Lee at least acknowledge the growing mental health crisis among more and more Americans and sought to expand support “for mental health resources.” He justified additional spending to offer not just one “mental health liaison in every county but… multiple in many counties.”
All of this, he said, was done “with the recognition that we cannot control evil, but we can do something” about it.
Here was Lee speaking to reporters after presenting his latest proposals:
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Lee’s actions are in direct response to the deadly shooting at a private Christian school in Nashville last week, and bear even more importance considering a second mentally unwell individual, a self-identified transgender person, was arrested for seemingly preparing to carry out another horrific shooting in Colorado.
Lee’s full remarks appear below.
“This past week will certainly be remembered as one of the most heartbreaking weeks in our state’s history. And the history books will also reflect how Tennessee leaders responded in the wake of those tragedies,” he began.
“That’s why we’re here today. Leaders in this state, to announce a clear definitive next step, weill be presenting bipartisan solutions that we have all decided today as of today to do. These are practical, thoughtful solutions that we can all agree upon. We’ve been working on school safety for years, especially in the last year,” the governor continued.
“But today is a time to enhance even the legislation that we have already brought forward. Today is the next step. And steps we have taken, but it is not the last step. Our proposal includes three key steps, in addition to the bill that is currently before the legislature,” he went on.
“First, I believe that we ought to have an armed guard an armed security guard in every school in Tennessee. Our budget amendment will include $140 million for public schools to hire SROs and highly trained guards. With this funding, we’re taking the burden off of teachers and schools and districts. There is no excuse to not have a guard at every school.”
“Second, we will establish a grant fund to make significant physical security upgrades at both public and non-public schools all across the state.”
“Third, we will increase funding for mental health resources, double the amount of funding that we have for our school-based mental health liaisons so that we not only have one in every county, but that we have multiple in many counties,” Lee added.
“These are the three pillars. These are the additions that we will add to the provisions that we’ve already brought forward. These thoughtful, practical solutions that will enhance the safety of students and teachers immediately. But our conversations will continue. And we all agree that there is a serious conversation needed about school safety. It must begin with a recognition that we cannot control evil, but we can do something,” he said.
“In my State of the State address two months ago, I said that we will be working on this the rest of my time in office. That was the case before Covenant. It remains the case today. Our work to ensure the safety of Tennessee students and teachers will not stop. Maria and I will continue to lift these families up. We encourage you to do the same and ask that God bring peace to our state,” he concluded.
Featured image: Screen shot from embedded Twitter video.
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