Lawmakers want $25M from surplus for Gatlinburg wildfire relief
A bill to provide property tax relief to victims of the Gatlinburg wildfires easily cleared a House committee Tuesday, but East Tennessee lawmakers are still hoping Gov. Bill Haslam revises his plan for the $1 billion in state surplus money to include at least $25 million in relief funding.
The bill was never expected to meet much resistance considering the focus of the legislation — the Senate version cleared that chamber's finance committee unanimously last week — but the use of state surplus money is still a question.
Haslam has said much of it is already targeted for key initiatives like the state's rainy day fund, raises for teachers and a tax cut he's including as part of his broad plan to address the state's backlog of road projects.
Rep. Dale Carr, R-Sevierville, said Tuesday after the House Local Government Committee that the state has contributed more than $2 million in state grant money to go toward infrastructure, but have a round $25 million figure in mind to get from the state's budget surplus.
Read more: http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2017/02/21/lawmakers-want-25-million-surplus-gatlinburg-wildfire-relief/98175938/