2018 Metro Legislative Scorecard: did Metro Council uphold our legislative priorities?

Every year, we put out a policy survey that asks our members to give their opinions on policy issues for both our region and the state. For the first time, we have developed separate reports for how well our legislative priorities were upheld at the state level and in Metro Nashville.

You can read more about the 2018 State Legislative Scorecard here.

The overall priorities we track every year are policies that create:

  • An environment where business can prosper;
  • Talent development for the region’s workforce;
  • Quality of life that attracts and retains residents and workers; and
  • Collaboration that leads to economic prosperity in Tennessee and the Nashville region.

For the 2018 Metro legislative session, the Council took at least one action supporting our position in each of these categories.

To create a prosperous business environment, the Council specifically passed legislation for more sustainable fiscal policies and abandoned legislation that would create duplicative or confusing regulations on businesses.

Metro Council also increased the operating budget for Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) by $7 million and passed a “Capital Improvements Budget” that includes $348,824,762 in projects for MNPS through 2024. This will help our region develop a talented workforce to fulfill the needs of our growing economy.

One of the biggest projects Metro Council tackled this session was approving the bonds for the new Major League Soccer (MLS) stadium slated for the fairgrounds.

Regionalism is incredibly important to the Chamber, so we also track legislative measures that promote collaboration with others in our 10-county region. Though the transit referendum failed, it was an incredibly important step to allow Davidson County voters the chance to vote on a transit improvement plan on May 1, 2018.

To read more about the legislative wins of this past year and see how your council member voted on issues you care about, download the full report here.

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