Beacon Center of Tennessee

09/15/2026

Most states saw an increase in their average property taxes over the last six years. Many of those increases were more subtle, thanks in part to some form of property tax cap.

But Tennessee doesn't have a property tax cap, so there was nothing subtle about the increases here 🫣

Read more —> https://www.beacontn.org/tennessee-leads-the-nation-in-property-tax-hikes

09/10/2026

DID YOU KNOW?

While 38 other states currently offer dedicated tax incentives to attract data centers, 67% of Tennesseans oppose Tennessee following their lead and offering tax incentives.

Read more —> https://tennsight.com/polls/august-2026/

09/03/2026

Here's a fun one from the August Beacon Poll: We asked Tennessee voters how long data centers have existed.

❌ 38% said within the past 5 years.
❌ 31% said they weren't sure.
✅ Only 4% correctly identified that data centers have been around for more than 50 years!

Why does this matter? Because data centers are at the center of some major policy debates in Tennessee right now, and it helps to know what we're actually talking about.

Check out the full poll results: https://tennsight.com/polls/august-2026/

09/03/2026

🤖🧠💻 If you have concerns about artificial intelligence, you're not alone.

A solid majority (58%) of Tennesseans use AI multiple times a week. As a result of this familiarity, most Tennesseans approve of the public having access to AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot.

At the same time, however, the latest Beacon Poll shows that people are more concerned about the negative impacts of AI than about the possibilities it creates.

As policymakers at the state and local levels attempt to grapple with AI, they should know that their constituents’ views are more nuanced than they might otherwise be led to believe.

Read more by Justin Owen here 👇

09/03/2026

According to the latest Beacon Poll results, Tennesseans have complicated feelings about artificial intelligence. 54% approve of the public having access to AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini, but 53% believe AI will eliminate more jobs than it creates over the next ten years. Only 7% think AI will be a net job creator.

Translation: Tennesseans are okay with AI existing — they're just not sure it's going to work out for them. Check out the full results here 👉 https://tennsight.com/polls/august-2026/

09/03/2026

OUT NOW: The results of the August 2026 Beacon Poll are here! A few takeaways...

🗳 In the race for governor, Senator Marsha Blackburn leads Democrat Jerri Green 55% to 34% among likely voters, a 21-point lead.

🇺🇸 For the first time in the history of the Beacon Poll, President Trump’s job approval in Tennessee has gone underwater. Just 48% of voters approve of the job he is doing, and 51% disapprove.

💻 Among Tennesseans who are currently employed, a third (33%) are concerned that AI could eliminate their own job within the next five years, while 65% are not concerned.

🏈 Nashville hosting the 2030 Super Bowl is one of the most unifying findings in the entire poll, with 83% of Tennesseans thinking it will be a good thing for Nashville and the state, while just 11% think it will be bad.

See it all here 👇

Fieldwork: August 15 through August 26, 2026Estimated margin of error: ± 2.77%

09/02/2026

NEW RESEARCH BRIEF: Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act has been a nearly annual debate since Insure Tennessee was introduced and voted down in the 2015 session. In the decade since, there is now data showing how other states have experienced expansion and whether it had a declining effect on the number of hospitals in Tennessee.

That is why Beacon looked into the data in "Beyond Medicaid Expansion: Promoting Innovation and Access in Healthcare." State data showed that the number of hospitals has not declined as many expansion proponents claimed it would, but has increased modestly.

Formerly shuttered rural hospitals have reopened, with innovative micro-hospitals and freestanding emergency rooms filling a healthcare access gap for many rural Tennesseans.

Coupled with the recent certificate-of-need reforms, Tennessee has a better healthcare future thanks to sound public policy and innovation, not the federal government.

Read more —> https://www.beacontn.org/beyond-medicaid-expansion-promoting-innovation-and-access-in-healthcare

09/02/2026

According to new research from the National Taxpayers Union, tariffs have cost Tennesseans $11 billion, the 10th most impacted state in the country.

Read our principled case against tariffs at the link 👇

It was free trade, not tired old tariff policies, that made us the strongest country in the world.

09/01/2026

Did everyone hear Speaker Cameron Sexton? He said capping property taxes...

✅ Is a bipartisan issue
✅ Protects taxpayers
✅ Will be a "number one" priority next session

We agree and definitely like the sound of that!
https://fox17.com/news/local/dozens-of-nashville-businesses-appeal-property-value-as-state-leaders-prioritize-tax-cap

08/17/2026

🏡💸 LET'S TALK PROPERTY TAXES 🏡💸

Catch Justin Owen on the Matt Murphy Show on Wednesday, August 19, at 4 PM, talking about all things property taxes in Tennessee.

Listen live at https://997wtn.com