Democratic leaders accused Gov. Bill Haslam and the Republican Party Thursday of failing to act to help the economic recovery in Tennessee.
“Today marks the 40th day of the new administration, and we’re simply asking: where is this jobs plan?” Senate Democratic Caucus chairman Lowe Finney said at a news conference.
Haslam submitted his package of bills to the legislature last week and acknowledged that none was aimed at immediate job creation. “I don’t think there’s a legislative package up here that will create jobs,” he said, promising to rid the state of burdensome business regulations instead.
For the cameras at their media event, Democrats stacked up 1,500 Republican bills that they said had nothing to do with jobs and placed that pile next to the few pieces of legislation that they said are focused on the economy.
Instead of helping Tennesseans find jobs, Republicans are telling them, “You’re on your own,” House Democratic leader Craig Fitzhugh said.
Democrats said their own bills would give a sales tax holiday to small businesses and change the law to require state government to buy goods and services from Tennessee businesses if possible rather than contracting with companies outside the state.