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PRESIDENT CLINTON AND VICE PRESIDENT GORE'S
PRESIDENT CLINTON AND VICE PRESIDENT GORE'S
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Tennessee
EXPANDING ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL
- Unemployment Down to 4.1%:
The unemployment rate in Tennessee has declined from 6% to 4.1% since 1993.
- 417,400 New Jobs:
417,400 new jobs have been created in Tennessee since 1993 -- an average of 53,285 jobs per year, compared to an average of just 39,675 jobs per year during the previous administration.
- 377,900 New Private Sector Jobs:
Since 1993, 377,900 new private sector jobs have been created—an average of 48,243 jobs per year, compared to an average of just 34,825 private sector jobs per year in the previous administration.
- 37,900 New Construction Jobs:
37,900 construction jobs have been created in Tennessee since 1993 -- an average of 4,890 jobs per year. In contrast, an average of 825 construction jobs were lost each year during the previous administration.
- 319,000 Have Received a Raise:
Approximately 121,000 Tennessee workers benefited from an increase in the minimum wage—from $4.25 to $4.75 -- on October 1, 1996. They, along with about 198,000 more received an additional raise—from $4.75 to $5.15 -- on September 1, 1997. President Clinton and Vice President Gore have called on Congress to raise the minimum wage by an additional $1.00 over two years.
- Poverty Has Fallen:
Nationally, the poverty rate has fallen from 15.1% in 1993 to 11.8% in 1999, the lowest level since 1979. In Tennessee, the poverty rate has fallen from 19.6% in 1993 to 12.7% in 1999. [Census Bureau]
- Homeownership Has Increased In Tennessee:
Homeownership in Tennessee has increased from 64.4% to 71.9% since 1993.
- Home Building Up 5.3%:
Home building in Tennessee has increased by an average of 5.3% per year since 1993, after falling by an average of 4.3% per year during the previous four years.
- A $500 Child Tax Credit to Help Families Raising Children:
To help make it easier for families to raise their children, the balanced budget included a $500 per-child tax credit for children under 17. Thanks to President Clinton, the Balanced Budget delivers a child tax credit to 593,000 families in Tennessee.
- Tennessee's Families Reap Benefits of Deficit Reduction:
Public debt is on track to be $2.4 trillion lower in 2000 than was projected in 1993. Debt reduction brings real benefits for the American people -- a family in Tennessee with a home mortgage of $100,000 might expect to save roughly $2,000 per year in mortgage payments. Reduced debt also means lower interest rates and reduced payments on car loans and student loans.
- 9.0% Growth in Total Bank Loans and Leases:
Tennessee has seen a 9.0% average growth rate in total bank loans and leases per year since 1993. In contrast total bank loans and leases fell an average of 1.1% per year during the previous administration.
- 7.2% Growth in Commercial and Industrial Loans and Leases:
Since 1993, Tennessee has experienced a 7.2% annual growth rate in commercial and industrial loans and leases. In contrast, commercial and industrial loans and leases fell an average of 3.2% per year during the previous administration.
EXPANDING ACCESS TO EDUCATION
- Over 14,700 Children in Head Start:
14,753 Tennessee children were enrolled in Head Start in 1999. In FY00, Tennessee will receive $92.4 million in Head Start funding, an increase of $45.1 million over 1993.
- More High-Quality Teachers With Smaller Classes for Tennessee's Schools:
Thanks to the Class Size Reduction Initiative, Tennessee received $20 million in 1999 to hire about 516 new, well-prepared public school teachers and reduce class size in the early grades. President Clinton secured funding for a second and third installment of the plan, giving Tennessee $21.7 million in 2000 and $27.1 million in 2001.
- $18.5 Million for School Repairs:
President Clinton fought for and won a new initiative to repair America's schools, providing $1.2 billion in the FY 2001 budget for urgent school renovation. Tennessee will receive $18.5 million in school renovation grants.
- Over $7 Million for Technology Literacy:
This year [FY01], Tennessee receives over $7 million for the Technology Literacy Challenge Fund, which helps communities and the private sector ensure that every student is equipped with the computer literacy skills needed for the 21st Century.
- $138.8 Million for Students Most in Need:
Tennessee receives $138.8 million in Title I Grants (to Local Educational Agencies) providing extra help in the basics for students most in need, particularly communities and schools with high concentrations of children in low-income families [FY01].
- Turning Around Failing Schools:
Tennessee will receive $3.7 million in Title I Accountability Grants. President Clinton created the accountability fund to help turn around the worst performing schools through such measures as overhauling curriculum, improving staffing, or even closing schools and reopening them as charter schools.
- $164.6 Million in Pell Grants:
This year [FY01], Tennessee will receive $164.4 million in Pell Grants for low-income students going to college.
- Expanded Work-Study To Help More Students Work Their Way Through College:
Tennessee will receive $17.7 million in Work-Study funding in 2001 to help Tennessee students work their way through college.
- Over 1,900 Have Served in Tennessee through AmeriCorps:
Since the National Service program began in 1993, 1,933 AmeriCorps participants have earned money for college while working in Tennessee's schools, hospitals, neighborhoods or parks. [through 2/00]
- Tuition Tax Credits in Balanced Budget Open the Doors of College and Promote Lifelong Learning:
The balanced budget included both President Clinton's $1,500 HOPE Scholarship to help make the first two years of college as universal as a high school diploma and a Lifetime Learning Tax Credit for college juniors, seniors, graduate students and working Americans pursuing lifelong learning to upgrade their skills. This 20% tax credit will be applied to the first $5,000 of tuition and fees through 2002 and to the first $10,000 thereafter. 95,000 students in Tennessee will receive a HOPE Scholarship tax credit of up to $1,500. 116,000 students in Tennessee will receive the Lifetime Learning Tax Credit. [fully phased-in FY2000 estimate]
- Expanded Job Training to Tennessee's Dislocated Workers:
President Clinton's FY 2001 budget would triple funding for the dislocated workers program over 1992 levels. Tennessee received $19.3 million in 1999 to help 11,450 dislocated workers get the training and reemployment services they need to return to work as quickly as possible. In FY 2000 Tennessee will receive nearly $14.2 million to provide job training services for dislocated workers.
FIGHTING CRIME AND VIOLENCE
- Crime Has Dropped in Memphis:
Under the Clinton-Gore Administration, America has experienced the longest continuous drop in crime on record. In Memphis, between 1992 and 1997, murder has declined 22%. [1992 and 1997 Uniform Crime Reports]
- 2,122 More Police:
The President's 1994 Crime Bill has funded 2,122 new police officers to date in communities across Tennessee. [through 1/01]
- Reducing Crime with Drug Courts:
Working to reduce drug-related crime in Tennessee, the Clinton Administration has awarded Drug Court grants to the communities of Memphis and Nashville. The Administration had previously awarded grants to Clarksville, Decaturville, Knoxville, Maryville and Murfreesboro. Drug courts use the coercive power of the criminal justice system to combine drug testing, sanctions, supervision and treatment to push nonviolent, drug-abusing offenders to stop using drugs and committing crimes.
- $32.2 Million to Combat Domestic Violence:
Through the Violence Against Women Act, Tennessee has received approximately $32.2 million in federal funds to establish more women's shelters and bolster law enforcement, prosecution and victims' services. And in October 1999, Vanderbilt University was awarded $435,000 to help address sexual assault, domestic violence, and stalking on campus. [through 9/2000]
- Over $1.1 Million in Grants for Battered Women and Children:
In FY99, Tennessee received approximately $1.1 million in HHS's Family Violence Prevention Program grants to assist women and children fleeing domestic abuse.
- $7.3 Million to Keep Drugs & Violence Out of Tennessee's Schools:
Tennessee will receive $7.3 million in FY01 for the Safe & Drug Free Schools Program, which invests in school security and drug prevention programs.
MOVING TENNESSEANS FROM WELFARE TO WORK
- 173,572 Fewer People on Welfare:
There are 173,572 fewer people on welfare in Tennessee now than there were at the beginning of 1993 -- a 54% decrease. [through 6/99]
- Child Support Collections Up 145%:
Child support collections have increased by over $123 million—or 145% -- in Tennessee since FY92. [through FY98]
- Encouraging Responsible Choices—Preventing Teen Pregnancy in Tennessee:
Since 1993, President Clinton and Vice President Gore have supported innovative and promising teen pregnancy prevention strategies, with significant components of the strategy becoming law in the 1996 Personal Responsibility Act. The law requires unmarried minor parents to stay in school and live at home or in a supervised setting; encourages "second chance homes" to provide teen parents with the skills and support they need; and provides $50 million a year in new funding for state abstinence education activities. Efforts are making a difference, adolescent pregnancy rates and teen abortion rates are declining. And between 1991 and 1997, teen birth rates declined 14.2% in Tennessee.
- $78.7 Million for Tennessee Welfare-to-Work:
In 1998 and 1999, Tennessee received $41.8 million in Federal welfare-to-work state formula grants (the state matched $20.9 million in funding), helping Tennessee welfare recipients get and keep jobs. In addition, in 1999 and 1998 a total of $16 million in competitive grants were awarded to Tennessee localities to support innovative welfare-to-work strategies. Part of the President's comprehensive efforts to move recipients from welfare to work, this funding was included in the $3 billion welfare to work fund in the 1997 Balanced Budget Act.
- Helping People Get to Work
: Through the Access to Jobs initiative, the Clinton-Gore Administration is working with communities across the country to design transportation solutions to help welfare recipients and other low-income workers get to and from work. Statewide, Tennessee has received $1.2 million to fund innovative transit projects. In addition, Chattanooga, Knoxville, Kingsport, Johnson City, Bristol, Jackson, and Clarksville have received a total of $2.3 million for these transportation projects.
INVESTING IN TENNESSEE'S HEALTH
- Health Care for Over 9,700 Uninsured Tennessee Children:
In 1997, President Clinton passed the largest single investment in health care for children since 1965 -- an unprecedented $24 billion over five years to cover as many as five million children throughout the nation. This investment guarantees the full range of benefits that children need to grow up strong and healthy. Two million children nationwide have health care coverage thanks to the President's plan, including 9,732 in Tennessee. [HHS, Health Care Financing Administration, FY99 SCHIP enrollment data]
- Helping Nearly 150,000 Tennessee Women and Children with WIC:
The Clinton Administration is committed to full funding in the Special Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC). In FY99, Tennessee received $80.8 million in total WIC grant funding, helping 148,532 women, infants and children in need receive health and food assistance, 18,100 more than in 1994. [through 8/99]
- More Toddlers Are Being Immunized:
As a result of the President's 1993 Childhood Immunization Initiative, childhood immunization rates have reached an historic high. According to the CDC, 90% or more of America's toddlers received the most critical doses of each of the routinely recommended vaccines in 1996, 1997, and again in 1998 —surpassing the President's 1993 goal. In Tennessee in 1998, 95% of two-year olds received the vaccines for diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis; 93% received the vaccine for polio; 93% received the vaccine for measles, and 94% received the vaccine for Haemophilus influenzae B, the bacteria causing a form of meningitis.
- Funding for HIV/AIDS Assistance Programs:
In FY 2000, Tennessee will receive $5 million in Ryan White Title II formula grants. This funding provides people living with HIV and AIDS medical and support services. Also through the Ryan White Act, Tennessee will receive over $6.4 million for state AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAPs), which help those without insurance obtain much needed prescription drugs. There has been a tenfold increase in ADAP funding in the last four years, up from $52 million in 1996 to $528 million in 2000. [HHS, Health Resources and Services Administration, 4/7/00]
- Tobacco Plan Will Cut Smoking and Premature Deaths by 46% in Tennessee:
The Clinton Administration's tobacco proposal, combined with the recently enacted state tobacco settlements, will cut youth smoking and resulting premature deaths 46% in Tennessee by 2004. Between 2000 and 2004, 69,900 of Tennessee's youth will be kept from smoking and 22,400 will be spared a premature tobacco-related death. [Treasury Dept., 2/99]
- 2,300,000 Americans in Tennessee Cannot Be Assured They Have Patient Protections:
Even if Tennessee enacted all the protections in the Patients' Bill of Rights, 2,300,000 people in Tennessee cannot be assured they have the comprehensive patient protections recommended by the President's Advisory Commission. This is because the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) may preempt state-enacted protections. That is why the President has called on Congress to pass a federally enforceable patients' bill of rights so that everyone enrolled in managed care may have a basic set of protections. Notably, 1,180,000 Tennessee women are in ERISA health plans and are therefore not necessarily protected. Women are particularly vulnerable without these protections because they are greater users of health care services, they make three-quarters of the health care decisions for their families, and they have specific health care needs addressed by a patients' bill of rights.
PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT
- 10 Toxic Waste Sites Cleaned Up:
Since 1993, the EPA has completed 10 Superfund toxic waste clean-ups in Tennessee. The sites are located in Arlington, Lawrenceburg, Toone, Memphis, Chattanooga, Collierville, Moscow, Gallaway, Lewisburg, and Waynesboro. Not one Superfund site was cleaned up in Tennessee during the previous twelve years combined. [through 3/1/00]
- $10.4 Million in Safe Drinking Water Funding:
This year [FY00], thanks to President Clinton, Tennessee will receive $10.4 million for the Drinking Water State Revolving Funds to provide low-interest loans to municipalities to build, improve, and prevent pollution of drinking water systems.
- Revitalizing Brownfields Projects in Knoxville and Memphis:
As part of the Clinton-Gore Administration's efforts to clean up Brownfields, the EPA has awarded grants to two communities in Tennessee—Knoxville and Memphis—for environmental clean-up and economic revitalization. These projects are intended to jump-start local clean-up efforts by providing funds to return unproductive, abandoned, contaminated urban properties to productive use.
SPEARHEADING URBAN AND RURAL RENEWAL EFFORTS
- Revitalizing Tennessee's Communities:
Memphis, Nashville, and the counties of Fayette, Haywood, and Scott were all designated Enterprise Communities in December, 1994 and were awarded a total of over $10 million to create more jobs, housing, and economic opportunity for area residents. In 1999, Knoxville was designated an Urban Empowerment Zone.
- Expanding the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Will Help Develop 3,700 To 4,500 New Affordable Housing Units in Tennessee Over the Next 5 Years:
Last year, the President and Vice President pushed for a 40-percent expansion in the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit. This year, the President and Vice President will try again to enact tax incentives to develop affordable housing. In Tennessee alone, this proposal would mean an additional 3,700 - 4,500 quality rental housing units for low-income American families during the next five years.
PROVIDING DISASTER RELIEF
- $207.6 Million in Federal Emergency Assistance:
Since 1993, Tennessee has received $207.6 million in disaster relief. This includes $56 million for severe storms, tornadoes, and flooding in 1998, and $60 million in assistance to recover from a severe winter ice storm that occurred in February 1994. [FEMA, 2/29/00]
EXPANDING FUNDS FOR TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT
- Over $1.7 Billion in Federal Highway Aid:
Since 1993, Tennessee has received over $1.7 billion in federal highway aid, including $2.4 million for emergency relief in response to natural disasters. These funds have helped generate nearly 77,200 jobs. [through FY99]
- $274.4 Million in Aviation Funds:
From FY93-FY99 Tennessee received over $274.4 million in Airport Improvement Plan funds to help build and renovate airports, and, when necessary, to provide funds for noise abatement to improve the quality of life for residents who live near airports.
- Over $273.1 Million in Transit Funds:
Tennessee has received over $273.1 million in Federal Transit Administration funds since 1993.
- Saving Lives and Property:
In 1999, the United States Coast Guard saved 21 lives and over $69.9 million of property in Tennessee.
January 2001
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