NASHVILLE, Tenn. —State Rep. Gary Hicks, R-Rogersville, this week signed the 2023-24 budget bill as chairman of the House Finance Ways and Means Subcommittee of the 113th Tennessee General Assembly.
In his role as chairman, Hicks will help to guide passage of a balanced state budget that builds on strategic investments and priorities. Tennessee continues to be among the most fiscally stable state in the nation with the lowest tax burden per capita of all 50 states and zero debt.
“Fiscal responsibility is how we do business in the Volunteer State,” Hicks said. “We pay our bills. We invest in ourselves. We plan for the future and we live within in our means. Tennesseans enjoy the lowest state tax burden anywhere and we do all of this without a personal state income tax.
I’m proud to continue this tradition of good fiscal governance with my colleagues in the House of Representatives.”
Gov. Bill Lee on Feb. 6 presented his $55.6 billion budget proposals to members of the General Assembly in his fifth state of the state address.
Key highlights of Lee’s budget include a $3.3 billion investment that aims to alleviate urban traffic congestion and improve rural roads. Among other initiatives, Lee announced a three-month-long tax break on groceries, along with teacher pay increases, major investments in technical colleges and workforce development.
Hicks, along with other members of the General Assembly, will review Gov. Lee’s budget proposal and make their own budget recommendations in the coming weeks.
As chairman of the committee, Hicks was instrumental in passing an unprecedented $300 million in tax relief for Tennesseans in 2022 that included a month-long sales tax holiday on groceries and waiver of license plate fees to the state.
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