Hello, this is Senator Paul Bailey bringing you this week’s capitol update. Today I’m spotlighting Tennessee Tech University, which was founded in 1915.

It has provided an education for NASA astronauts, CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, as well as teachers, engineers and business people around the world. Students at Tennessee Tech received more than an excellent education. They learn to be leaders in their chosen careers and are lifelong learners.

We’re just a couple of weeks away from concluding the 110th General Assembly and I’m anxious to get back home to the Upper Cumberland.

On Wednesday, I pass legislation to help protect landowners by allowing local governments to oversee the wind turbine industry in Tennessee. This legislation protects the property rights of all landowners. It further allows local governments the ability to adopt their own standards by January of 2019.

I’d like to take a moment to thank George Chair Montes the Upper Cumberland preservation coalition who spent numerous days on Capitol Hill, helping to advance this important legislation. George was the co-founder of that coalition and recently lost his battle with cancer. But his inspiration and leadership are memorialized in this legislation.

A resolution passed the Finance Committee this week, urging the US Congress to take immediate action to fund the construction of a secure border wall across the nation’s southern border. As you probably know, President Trump has prioritized building a border wall, but Congress has not funded the construction.

As a state legislative body, we have consistently taken steps to address illegal immigration within Tennessee, but we must have support from the federal government in order to come to a long term solution.

Finally, I’d like to recognize Colonel Tracy Trott, who announced retirement on Wednesday afternoon. Colonel Trott has promised an outstanding leadership as the commanding officer of the Tennessee Highway Patrol for the past eight years.

Under Colonel Trott’s leadership, Tennessee has experienced the lowest traffic fatality rate since 1963. More than 170 lives have been saved annually during his tenure. I’d like to command Colonel Trott for his honorable service to the people of this state and extend to him my best wishes for much continued success in all of his future endeavors.

As always, feel free to contact my office if I can ever be of any assistance. And until next week, this is Paul Bailey, thanking you for allowing me to serve in the Tennessee State Senate.