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Daily Dose for February 28, 2007
Daily Dose
Bredesen Cuts Off Funds to Local E-911 Centers -- The Knoxville News-Sentinel reports that Knoxville officials are critical of the Governor for not distributing $918,000 in cell-phone fees due to the Knoxville Emergency 911 Center. The state collects a $1 fee on every cellphone and then redistributes the money to the local E-911 Centers. Chris Masiongale, president of the Tennessee Emergency Number Association: "The funds are there to be disbursed...To be honest, we don't understand why the governor has failed to do that." Apparently, Commissioner for Finance and Administration Dave Goetz, ordered a halt to disbursing the cell phone money so that the state can set guidelines on how the money is spent, but some local 911 centers, including Knoxville, were counting on the money to balance their budgets.
Alexanders Speaks to Governor Association -- The Chattanoogan has a report from Sen. Lamar Alexander's speech to the annual meeting of the nation's governors. Alexander assailed unfunded mandates and encouraged states to come up with their own innovative programs. Alexander: "In many ways, Washington has its foot on the neck of states trying to promote competitiveness, and we’re working to lift it. But there’s still a lot you can do to invest in maintaining America’s historical advantage in brainpower."
Cohen: Sorry for Slavery -- Congressman Steve Cohen is using the rostrum of his new role to call for the US to apologize for slavery. Cohen has sponsored a resolution which would apologize for slavery and the Jim Crow laws that followed. The Commercial Appeal has the story.
