I was privileged to meet Gov. Bill Lee a couple weeks ago when he came to ETSU. Though the East Tennessee region has often felt like the neglected backwoods of the state, he reminded us that we are not forgotten, that we are important.
Unlike so many politicians, Gov. Lee is holding true to his promises. While he was still running for candidacy, he wrote a piece for The Tennessean on how he would help rural parts of the state.
“We need to support innovation and technology to improve economic, health and educational opportunities,” Lee said.
Last year, Gov. Lee partnered with ETSU to ensure the success of the newly-formed Center for Rural Health Research, promising ETSU “a $1.5 million first-year grant for the implementation of the center, and then a recurring $750,000 annual investment to support the ongoing operations,” according to ETSU’s website.
More recently, Gov. Lee proposed a budget to the state General Assembly that included increases in funding for institutions of higher education.
“If the budget is approved this fall, ETSU will have its largest state appropriation in the institution’s history, potentially receiving just over $122 million,” said ETSU President Brian Noland in a recent edition of “From My Notepads.”
The governor’s proposal would also see notable impacts on health care in our region.
“Gov. Lee’s proposed budget includes a major accent on the health of children and teens in the Appalachian Highlands through a $1.1 million improvement for ETSU to recruit additional pediatric surgeons and subspecialists,” Noland said. “The addition of these specialists will support the operations of the Quillen College of Medicine and Niswonger Children’s Hospital.”
“[We] need to work with faith-based nonprofits and organizations to help provide services in partnership with the government,” Gov. Lee had also written in the article.
With the newly signed adoption law, Gov. Lee is doing just that, ensuring small adoption agencies can perform their services free from government encroachment hindering their mission.
I don’t think anyone would doubt that Gov. Lee’s dedication to serving regions like ours comes from his upbringing.
“I’m a product of rural Tennessee, and I still live on the family farm where I was raised,” Gov. Lee said. “I’m passionate about this because it is so much of who I am and where my family is from.”
Rural Tennessee notwithstanding, Gov. Lee has proposed legislation that would grant legal protection to all Tennesseans the moment their heart starts beating, recognizing our unborn neighbors as persons themselves.
Gov. Lee’s background remind us of Dr. Manny Sethi, a surgeon running for U.S. Senate, who has rural loyalties as well. Born and raised in Coffee County, Tennessee, Sethi remembers his roots and has promised to help rural Tennessee in the Senate.
Either way, whether voting for state or federal government, we want politicians who value the lives of rural citizens. We should surely be grateful that we have people in office doing just that.
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