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Commerce & Insurance presents $311M budget; lawmakers press on $60M incentive funds and hiring portal
Summary
Commissioner Carter Lawrence presented a $311 million budget request, flagged $251,000 in statutorily mandated cost increases, and defended multi‑year law enforcement hiring incentives and a largely unspent statewide hiring portal appropriation, saying encumbrances and use of existing labor platforms explain the carryover.
Carter Lawrence, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, told the Finance, Ways, and Means committee the department’s budget totals about $311 million and includes statutorily mandated cost increases for law enforcement training salaries and other categories. “My name is Carter Lawrence. I have the privilege of serving as the commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Commerce Insurance and appreciate the opportunity to present the governor's budget,” he said.
Committee members focused on program implementation and unspent appropriations. Chairman Williams asked why roughly $46 million of a previous $60 million non‑recurring appropriation for law enforcement incentives remained unspent; Lawrence and Deputy Commissioner Chip Kane explained the program tracks multi‑year eligibility and encumbrances tied to three‑year deadlines and that about $24.5 million is currently encumbered for participating departments. On the hiring portal funded with about $1.6 million in 2022–23, the department said it piggybacked on the Department of Labor’s existing platform, which produced cost savings and left funds unspent that may revert under statutory limits. Deputy Commissioner Kane said the statewide salary supplement process has been digitized to ease local participation and that 243 agencies have enrolled in the salary‑supplement program so far.
