Governor Lee made headlines again on July 4th by announcing the “Tennessee On Me” initiative. Last Sunday, Gov. Lee and country star Brad Paisley took to Twitter to announce the initiative, which will provide the first 10,000 people to book two-night stays at hotels in a Tennessee major city (Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville and/or Chattanooga) with $250 airline vouchers. The project, kept secret from both Lt. Gov. Randy McNally and House Speaker Cameron Sexton, is being paid for with state funds, and is valued at $2.5 Million.
The Beacon Center of Tennessee, a fiscally conservative operation, was one of the first organizations to express their opinion on the matter, stating: “It’s not the role of the government to give out our hard-earned tax dollars to tourists who want to check out Broadway.”
Other GOP leaders have joined the conversation as well. While state Sen. Bob Watson did not directly announce his opposition, he said, “It may not be the strategy I would employ.”
Gov. Lee’s new initiative might add to Tennessee’s already resurging marketing and touring industry, but not without consequence. In the future, GOP leaders such as Lt. Gov. McNally would like “more details” from both Gov. Lee and the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development during the budget process of their initiatives.
Package reservations for Tennessee On Me must be booked before September 15, 2021 at www.tennesseeonme.com.