Tennessee State Museum asks for $512,000 to staff new Capitol visitor center; committee approves budget

Ashley Howell, executive director of the Tennessee State Museum, requested a $512,000 increase to support operations at the new military museum Capital Visitor Center (the former Legislative Plaza space) scheduled to be operational in January 2027. The request covers five new positions (three program assistants for tours and programming and two store positions) and startup costs for technology and supplies.

Howell described ongoing work moving the collection into the new storage facility and the museum's administration of a $5,000,000 annual capital grants program that, over three years, has supported roughly 180 local museums in 73 counties for capital needs such as HVAC and roof repairs. She said the museum has moved over 90,000 artifacts so far and currently cares for approximately 180,000 objects in total.

Senators asked about storage capacity, staffing sufficiency for the visitor center, and timeline. Howell said the storage facility was purpose‑built and is roughly 40–50% full with work still underway; construction on the Capital Visitor Center is on time and on budget with a target completion of January 2027. The museum plans to transition some current staff into the new space and add the requested five positions to support the expanded operation.

After the presentation, the chair entertained a motion to approve the museum budget. The motion was seconded; the clerk conducted the vote and the chair announced the result as "10 ayes" and the budget was approved in committee.

Action: Motion to approve the museum budget — outcome: approved (final tally announced: 10 ayes).