2011 Haslam stated that job creation and long-term economic growth were his top priority as governor, followed by education reform and workforce development. On June 16, 2011, Haslam signed a $30.8 billion state budget, a 3.9% decrease from the previous year's budget. The budget included 1.6% pay raise for state employees (though it also called for over 1,300 positions to be cut), grants to facilitate construction of an
Electrolux plant near Memphis and a
Wacker Chemie plant near
Cleveland, and $10 million for the Memphis Research Consortium. The budget bill also contained an amendment cutting off all state funding to
Planned Parenthood, but the measure was negated by an amendment inserted into the same bill by an unknown legislator, something Haslam vowed to correct in 2012. On May 23, 2011, Haslam signed a bill overturning a Nashville ordinance that barred discrimination against the hiring of homosexuals for any companies awarded city contracts. On June 1, Haslam signed a bill requiring voters to present photo identification at polling places, a measure supporters argue prevents voter fraud, but detractors have derided as an attempt to disenfranchise traditionally-Democratic voting blocs. On June 2, Haslam signed a bill replacing public school teachers' collective bargaining rights with a process called "collaborative conferencing", effectively bypassing the teachers' union, the Tennessee Education Association. Other legislation signed by Haslam included a
tort reform measure that limits non-economic damages in civil suits, a bill that lifted the cap on the number
charter schools in the state and opened enrollment in charter schools to more students, and a bill that allows college students to use Hope Scholarship funds during summer semesters. In October 2011, Haslam approved an order to implement a curfew on
Legislative Plaza in downtown Nashville next to the capitol, where several hundred protesters with the
Occupy Nashville movement (part of the greater
Occupy Wall Street movement) were camping out. In the early morning hours of October 28, 29 protesters were arrested when they refused to comply with the order, and on the following day, 26 were arrested. In both cases, the arrests were thrown out by General Sessions Night Court Commissioner Tom Nelson, who ruled that the state had no authority to set a curfew for Legislative Plaza. Haslam stated the curfew was necessary due to deteriorating sanitary conditions and safety issues on the Plaza, though critics, including the
American Civil Liberties Union, which filed a lawsuit in federal court on October 31 to halt the arrests, have stated that the curfew is a violation of the protesters' civil rights.
2012 The $31 billion budget bill signed by Haslam for 2012 included $50 million in tax cuts, $560 million for construction projects, a 2.5% pay raise for state employees, and additional funding to offset anticipated tuition hikes at state colleges. In June, Haslam signed bills that eliminated the state's gift tax and reduced the state's inheritance tax and the sales tax on groceries. He also signed the "Fast Track" bill, which provided cash grants to companies seeking to expand or relocate to Tennessee. Tennessee was granted a waiver requested by Haslam from certain portions of the federal government's
No Child Left Behind standards. Haslam argued that the law's Adequate Yearly Progress model labelled some state schools as failures in spite of these schools having made substantial improvement. In early April, he initiated the "Meth Stops Now" campaign, aimed at informing the public of the consequences of
methamphetamine manufacture. In May, he signed legislation aimed at curbing prescription drug abuse. On April 24, 2012, Haslam signed into law the Tennessee Excellence, Accountability and Management ("TEAM") Act, which established a new hiring system for state agencies and overhauled the evaluation standards for state employees by placing a greater focus on job performance rather than seniority. The bill also makes it easier for executive branch employees to be hired and fired, establishes merit raises for high performing workers, and gives preference to veterans in job openings where applicants have equal qualifications. In May 2012, Haslam signed a bill barring sex education instructors from encouraging "gateway sexual activity." Proponents of the bill argued it was necessary to clarify the meaning of abstinence, while opponents argued the bill's wording was overly vague, and could be construed to include behavior such as kissing and holding hands. Other bills signed by Haslam in May included a measure requiring drug testing for welfare recipients, a measure providing grants to companies to pay for training expenses for recently laid-off workers, and a bill requiring
Amazon.com to start collecting sales taxes on online purchases by 2014. After the General Assembly permanently adjourned in May, Haslam issued the first
veto of his governorship. He vetoed a controversial bill that sought to end
Vanderbilt University's "All Comers" policy, which required religious groups at the school to allow any student to join even if the student didn't share the group's religious beliefs. The legislature could not override the veto because it was no longer in session. Haslam stated he disagreed with the policy, but didn't think it appropriate for the government to interfere with the policies of a private institution. In December 2012, Haslam announced the state would not implement a provision of the
Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare") that allows for a state-run health care exchange. Haslam had considered a state-run exchange for several weeks, but argued the federal government had not provided enough information regarding costs of the program, and what had been provided consisted of draft proposals subject to change. "More and more I'm convinced they are making this up as they go," he said.
2014 In April 2014, Haslam signed into law a measure allowing prosecution of a new mother with criminal
assault if she had used
narcotics during pregnancy. The law has been criticised as discriminatory against women from poor rural areas with limited access to healthcare and addiction treatment facilities. In July 2014, the first woman prosecuted under this law was arrested in
Madisonville,
Monroe County.
2016 In April 2016, Haslam vetoed a bill to make the
Bible the official book of Tennessee. The bill, sponsored by
State Sen. Steve Southerland,
R-
Morristown, passed in both the
State House and the Senate. If signed by Haslam, it would have made Tennessee the first state to make the Bible its state book. Haslam vetoed the bill on April 14, 2016. An attempt to override the veto failed in the State House, garnering 43 votes, short of the threshold of 50 needed to override. Haslam took part in the 16-member search committee to select a new chancellor for the Tennessee Board of Regents. He continued to take part in restructuring the Board, which included the implementation of the FOCUS Act.
2017 In April 2017, Haslam signed the IMPROVE Act into law. The bill, which stands for "Improving Manufacturing, Public Roads, and Opportunities for a Vibrant Economy," cut the state
sales tax on food from five to four percent, increased the
gasoline and
diesel fuel taxes by six and ten cents, respectively, raised the tax on
natural gas by eight cents, increased vehicle registration fees, and instituted a
new $100 annual fee for
electric vehicles. Its primary purpose was for
TDOT to fund a $10 billion backlog of 962 needed highway projects. A similar plan called the Better Roads Program was initiated by then-governor
Lamar Alexander in 1986. In May 2017, Haslam signed
HB 1111/SB 1085 into law. The bill was seen by the
Human Rights Campaign as an attempt to challenge
Obergefell v. Hodges and undermine
same-sex marriage in Tennessee, and Haslam was criticized by the Tennessee Chapter of the
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the
Tennessee Equality Project (TEP) for signing it into law. ==Political positions==