Americans for Prosperity – Tennessee (AFP-TN) published its 2024 Legislative Agenda on Tuesday, suggesting four major policy changes in the state as the General Assembly convened for this year’s legislative session.
AFP-TN’s 2024 Reignite the American Dream Legislative Agenda calls on Tennessee state lawmakers to address universal school choice, certificate of need (CON) laws, state-wide property taxes, and transparency in the House.
The conservative political advocacy group is urging the General Assembly to implement Governor Bill Lee’s statewide educational choice plan, which would offer education savings accounts (ESAs) for students in all 95 counties in the Volunteer State.
“Education is the bedrock to ensuring future generations have the ability to self-actualize…Every parent, student, & teacher across the state should have the right to benefit from the school choice program being proposed by Governor Lee. It should be universal in application, & preserve home / private school independence,” AFP-TN said.
AFP-TN is also advocating for the General Assembly to repeal CON laws in the state, which permits state regulatory boards to decide whether or not healthcare providers can build or expand treatment facilities.
“Businesses shouldn’t have the ability to prevent competitors from entering the market. This is especially true for healthcare. Tennesseans are suffering from high costs & long wait times. Repealing CON is the 1st step to helping resolve these problems,” AFP-TN said.
A recent report published by the Beacon Center of Tennessee found that there would be 63 more hospitals in the state (including 25 more in rural areas), fewer deaths from postsurgical complications, and $223 in savings for residents per year in healthcare costs if Tennessee repealed all CON laws.
AFP-TN is also asking state lawmakers to ban state-wide property taxes, arguing such a ban would “ensure government is not given the ability to expand its power & spending.”
The political advocacy group is also encouraging state lawmakers, specifically in the House, to implement rules that require all votes cast by members to be recorded, arguing such change could be accomplished by “simple hand gestures to keep things timely.”
“Transparency is crucial to restore faith in our public institutions,” AFP-TN said.
“We know that when big government gets out of the way, Tennesseans can overcome and meet any challenge,” AFP-TN State Director Tori Venable said in a statement. “We look forward to partnering with lawmakers to continue advancing key reforms and keep the American Dream alive across Tennessee.”
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
