Tennessee needs to follow 3-part recipe for prosperity

If lawmakers were guaranteed that by combining three basic ingredients, they could provide their constituents with a mere 2 percent chance of falling into poverty, would they want the recipe?

Overwhelming research tells us the essential ingredients are simply access to a quality education, a good job and a stable, intact family.

For Tennesseans and those across the country, the possession of these three socioeconomic staples translates to a 98 percent chance at avoiding poverty. Conversely, if they lack the ability to obtain a good education, cannot find gainful employment or come from a broken home, they are far more likely to experience the plight of poverty.

Given the ingredients needed to make this transition, the Beacon Center of Tennessee has proposed a three-part Poverty-to-Prosperity agenda for 2017.

First, we call on our state leaders to expand educational opportunities for all Tennessee children, especially those who are low income and disadvantaged, by embracing educational choice.

Programs such as education savings accounts allow families to customize their child’s education and pave their own path to success, rather than relinquishing them to a onesize-fits-all government system that has failed so many poor families.

Educational choice has proven to help families find academic options that better suit their needs, while also improving the outcomes of those children who remain in their current classroom settings.

Second, our state leaders should eliminate barriers that prevent Tennesseans from obtaining good jobs. They can start by reviewing the myriad of occupational licensing laws and rules under the Right to Earn a Living Act.

Back in the 1950s, just one in 20 workers needed a license to do a job. Today, it stands at one in three. Tennesseans must now obtain a license to simply practice trades such as land surveying, horse massage therapy, and even hair washing. These licenses hit low-income Tennesseans the hardest.

Passed in 2016, the Right to Earn a Living Act declares that the ability to pursue an honest living in trades like these is a fundamental civil right, and it requires the state legislature to review the licensing regulations that stand in the way of Tennesseans’ ability to find gainful employment.

Properly implementing the Right to Earn a Living Act is the best way to provide the second key ingredient to success for thousands of Tennesseans.

Finally, our public policies are tearing families apart, and our criminal justice system is the main culprit. An astonishing one in nine Tennessee children has had a parent in jail within the last year.

Policymakers can help keep families together by reforming our criminal justice system, fostering a way forward for those leaving prison to provide for their families and become productive members of society. By addressing mental health and substance abuse problems on the front end while focusing on re-entry programs and removing barriers that make it harder for those leaving prison to integrate back into society on the back end, we can also protect public safety and save taxpayer money. While this isn’t a cure all, it is a large step in the right direction.

Beacon is committed to helping our fellow Tennesseans complete the cycle of success and move from poverty to prosperity. By extending the opportunity at a quality education, a good job, and a stable family, policymakers can join us in this important endeavor.

Tennesseans suffering from poverty are counting on us to embrace these reforms, and the future prosperity of our state depends on it.

Justin Owen is president and CEO of the Beacon Center of Tennessee. Lindsay Boyd is the center’s director of policy.

education, a good job and a stable, intact family.