SB6003 establishes two new funding sources to support disaster recovery. The first is the Hurricane Helene Interest Payment Fund, which provides up to $110 million to help local governments in federally declared disaster areas cover interest costs on recovery loans, with the state paying up to 5% interest for up to three years. The second is the Governor’s Response and Recovery Fund, which allocates $100 million for emergency relief through grants or loans for expenses such as agricultural aid, unemployment support, and business recovery.
The Tennessee State Senate passed SB6003 on January 29, 2025 by a vote of 32 to 1. We have assigned pluses to the nays because, as President Grover Cleveland stated in his 1887 veto message for the Texas Seed Bill, “I can find no warrant for such an appropriation in the Constitution, and I do not believe that the power and duty of the General Government ought to be extended to the relief of individual suffering…. Though the people support the Government the, Government should not support the people.” Both that bill and SB6003 are intended to secure government assistance for local disasters. However, it is not the government’s role to solve every problem; these issues should be addressed by the private sector, the generosity of our friends and neighbors, and the principles of individualism.
