Bredesen submits budget proposal

In serving up his budget proposal for the 2003-2004 fiscal year, Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen urged lawmakers to “do the same thing that every family in our state has to do” and put spending in check with the amount of revenue the state collects.

That Bredesen would emphasize such a common sense approach to running state government in his 20-minute speech to the General Assembly on Monday may seem at first glance to be a less-than-groundbreaking message. History reveals, however, that Bredesen’s proposed budget represents the first time in more than a decade in Tennessee that a governor has called for a reduction in state appropriations. In fact, the $355.1 million in total cuts that Bredesen is suggesting ($131.6 in state taxpayer appropriations) represent only the third round of cuts proposed in the last 30 years in Tennessee.