To close out 2025, Tennessee’s various state departments put in their budget requests to Gov. Bill Lee’s administration, totalling $4.72 billion for fiscal year 2026-27. Lee is set to propose a budget taking all of the requests into account on Feb. 1.Â
Requests include more staff for the Department of Children’s Services and the Tennessee Highway Patrol, as well as money to give private prison company CoreCivic a raise and absorb federal cuts to Medicaid and SNAP.Â
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The Tennessee Department of Education has requested $37.92 million in recurring and $1.5 million in nonrecurring funds for summer learning camps, paid parental leave and teacher salary increases, as well as its school turnaround program. However, the department declined to include any funding requests for its K-12 student funding formula or the state’s universal school voucher program in its presentation. Gov. Lee’s Education Freedom Scholarship Act, which allows the use of public dollars to go toward private school tuition, was one of the biggest stories of 2025’s legislative session. That program is facing a lawsuit arguing that it violates the Tennessee Constitution.Â
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The Department of Children’s Services requested a total of $151.6 million, which includes an additional 153 staff positions in an effort to mitigate high caseloads. A team of national child welfare attorneys in May filed a lawsuit against the DCS on behalf of 13 children they allege are being denied education, health care and stable homes. As recently as October, at least 10 Tennessee foster children were sleeping in DCS offices.Â
Health Department, Human Services Absorb Federal CutsÂ
For the Tennessee Department of Health, the largest line item is for dental care — including $27.6 million out of the total $56.59 million request to continue expanded dental classes at Meharry Medical College and make a pilot program at Lincoln Memorial University permanent. Of note, Tennessee is one of 10 states that have not expanded Medicaid, leaving a gap that is set to widen due to federal cuts to Medicaid and an increase in pricing for the Affordable Care Act. Because of this, the health department is asking for $9 million more for county health departments to assist a growing uninsured population. The state already spends $31 million annually on care for people without insurance.Â
The Department of Human Services is also absorbing federal cuts, budgeting $97.1 million to offset cuts to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program funding, which amounts to $77.7 million in new recurring money and $19.4 million in one-time funding to keep the program running this year.Â
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Law Enforcement Looks to Add Highway Patrol, Investigation StaffÂ
The Tennessee Department of Safety & Homeland Security, which manages Tennessee Highway Patrol and driver services centers, is seeking the highest number of additional staff out of all the departments: 212. Sixty-eight of those will serve in driver services centers, and the rest will work in trooper, supervisor and support staff positions.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is also seeking to add 74 staff members. Of those, 20 are set to work on crime scene response, 13 in the drug investigation division focusing on drugs delivered by mail, and 10 in elder financial abuse prevention. The department is also asking for $13 million to purchase a second single-engine aircraft.Â
As part of the Tennessee Department of Correction’s $84.19 million budget request — which includes the highest line item of $14.2 million for facility maintenance — CoreCivic would receive a $13 million pay bump. The state renewed its $168 million three-year contract with the private prison company last year, despite a growing number of deaths in their facilities.
