Governor Bill Lee’s State of the State address will be Monday, January 31 at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT. The annual address is a critical part of the legislative process since the Administration announces its policy and legislative priorities. The State of the State also marks the official release of the first draft of the governor’s proposed spending plan, signifying which UT priorities are recommended to be included in the 2022-23 fiscal year state budget.
The University’s budget priorities for the year include funding to invest in the UT Oak Ridge Innovation Institute, support the UT College of Veterinary Medicine, and establish the Substance Misuse and Addiction Resource for Tennessee (SMART) policy network as part of the Institute for Public Service.
Top requests also include for the state to fully fund the higher education outcomes funding formula, invest in a new statewide higher education enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, and advance the University’s capital project priorities. Capital project priorities for new facilities include funding for a health sciences building at UT Chattanooga, a facility to support the Tennessee Entrepreneurial Science and Technology (TEST) Hub at UT Martin, and a new business building for the UT Knoxville Haslam College of Business.
