Category: Issues

Infrastructure & Broadband

Posted 1 month ago by Teri Mai

 

Safe roads, reliable bridges, and high‑speed internet access are essential components of modern infrastructure. In many rural areas, aging road systems and inconsistent broadband coverage create barriers to education, healthcare, and economic development.

 

Residents in District 92 depend on strong infrastructure for commuting, emergency services, business operations, and remote learning. Gaps in broadband access affect everything from telehealth appointments to homework completion.  Improving these systems supports safety, strengthens local economies, and ensures that rural communities are not left behind in an increasingly digital world.

Support Labor Unions

Posted 2 years ago by Teri Mai

Republicans have lined up to fight unions in Tennessee. As a matter of fact, Governor Bill Lee recently stated he believes it would be a mistake for workers at the VW plant in Chattanooga to unionize with the United Autoworkers. I respectfully and vehemently disagree with the governor. 

According to a December 15, 2021 report by the Economic Policy Institute, “Unions promote economic equality and build worker power, helping workers to win increases in pay, better benefits and safer working conditions.”

The positive effects of unions actually spill over to non-unionized workplaces. Some of the benefits all workers can thank unions for are:

  • The 8-hour work day
  • Unemployment benefits
  • Workers Compensation Laws
  • Employer provided health coverage
  • Child labor laws

According to an August 28, 2023 story on Labor Unions and the U.S. Economy published by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, unions helped close the race and gender gap in wages.  Additionally, union members generally vote more often than non-union members and union members are more likely to donate to charity, attend community meetings and volunteer for an organization. 

For these reasons and more, I strongly support our labor unions.   

Mental Health & Opioid Recovery

Posted 2 years ago by Teri Mai

 

Tennessee continues to face significant challenges related to mental health and opioid addiction. Families in many communities require greater access to counseling, crisis intervention, recovery programs, and long‑term treatment options. These services are often limited, especially in rural areas.

 

The opioid crisis affects not only individuals, but entire families and neighborhoods. Many residents in District 92 know someone who has struggled with addiction or mental health concerns.
Improved access to mental health services and recovery resources can strengthen families, reduce overdose rates, and help people return to work, school, and community life. Voters consistently emphasize the importance of addressing these needs with urgency and compassion.

End School Vouchers

Posted 2 years ago by Teri Mai

The School Voucher Scam

What is the school voucher program (aka the “voucher scam”) why should you care?  The school voucher scam only helps the wealthy pay tuition for their kids who are already enrolled in private schools, or who will be enrolled in private schools, even without vouchers.

A wise person once told me, “The large print giveth and the small print taketh away.”  Like all scams, the school voucher scam sounds good at first.  But check the small print.  The school voucher scam gives tax dollars to parents to help parents pay for their children’s private school tuition.  The unspoken message here is that private school education is better than public school education and rather than fix our public schools, we should just fund the private school education for all who want a better education.  That’s the large print. 

The truth is, private school education is not available to all Tennesseans.  Private schools still get to pick and choose their students.  Private school tuition will likely still be out of reach for the majority of Tennesseans, even with school vouchers. The voucher scam takes tax dollars from our neighborhood public schools to pay for the private school education of the wealthy.  Simply put, the school voucher scam defunds public schools by funneling your tax dollars to private and religious schools. This allows for the religious indoctrination of children to be funded by you, the taxpayer.  That’s the small print.

The unspoken result of the school voucher scam is that our public school system will continue to be ranked in the bottom 10 in the nation.  Rather than taking money away from our public schools, which are already underfunded, we should be looking for ways to increase public school funding so that all of our children, not just the wealthy, have access to a better education.

Affordable Housing

Posted 2 years ago by Teri Mai

 

Tennessee is experiencing a severe shortage of affordable housing, particularly for extremely low‑income renters. For every 100 eligible households, only 42 affordable rental homes are available. The state needs 128,000 more deeply affordable units to meet demand. Housing construction has not kept up with population growth, especially as Tennessee has attracted wealthier new residents and experienced regional migration since 2020.

 

High housing costs affect families across rural, suburban, and urban communities. When housing takes up more than 30–50% of household income, it leaves less available for food, transportation, healthcare, and savings.
In many parts of the state—especially Middle Tennessee—mortgage payments and rents have risen significantly since 2021, contributing to affordability challenges even for middle‑income households.
Housing stability is directly tied to workforce participation, school stability for children, and long‑term economic growth.

Establish a Livable Wage

Posted 2 years ago by Teri Mai

 

Tennessee has no state minimum wage, meaning the federal rate of $7.25 per hour applies. Meanwhile, the MIT Living Wage Calculator estimates that a single adult in Tennessee needs at least $21.99 per hour to cover basic expenses, and far more for households with children. Costs such as food, housing, healthcare, and transportation continue to rise, outpacing wage growth for many Tennesseans
Flat wages paired with rising living costs have created significant financial pressure on Tennessee families. With the living wage nearly three times higher than the minimum wage, many workers struggle to cover basic necessities even while employed full time. Studies also show that wage stagnation correlates with increased poverty, housing insecurity, and reliance on public assistance, making economic stability a central concern for many voters.

End the Grocery Tax

Posted 2 years ago by Teri Mai

Tennessee is one of only a handful of states that taxes groceries, applying a 4% state sales tax on most food ingredients, with counties adding up to 2.75% in local tax, for a combined rate typically between 6.25% and 6.75%. The grocery tax is unusual nationally; only 13 states still tax groceries, and Tennessee’s grocery tax rate is among the highest in the country.

Food is a major monthly expense for families, especially in areas experiencing rising living costs. Research shows Tennessee’s tax structure relies heavily on sales taxes, which can create a higher tax burden for families with lower incomes—those who spend a greater share of their income on essentials like food.

For Tennessee households, particularly those navigating inflation in food prices, the grocery tax directly affects their ability to manage budgets and maintain food security. Some estimates suggest eliminating the state grocery tax could save an average Tennessee family several hundred dollars per year.

Protect Healthcare Access

Posted 2 years ago by Teri Mai

Tennessee faces significant healthcare access challenges, driven in part by rural hospital closures. The state has experienced 16–17 rural hospital closures since 2010, the second‑highest total in the nation and the highest per capita.  These closures create “care deserts,” where residents must travel long distances for emergency or specialty care. Across the state, 10.4% of adults and 5.6% of children remain uninsured, ratios higher than national

When hospitals close, communities lose access to emergency rooms, maternity care, mental health services, and other critical supports. This leads to delayed diagnoses, worse health outcomes, higher mortality, and economic strain on other regional hospitals. Uninsured residents often skip care due to cost, 14.9% of Tennessee adults reported avoiding medical care because they couldn’t afford it, compared to 11.6% nationally.
Reliable healthcare access is essential for community stability, economic productivity, and public health.