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Gov. Bill Haslam is defending an effort to outsource more of state government.
He says it will cut costs and that's an essential part of what he does.
The governor told reporters Tuesday that a previous privatization — outsourcing state office buildings to a real estate management firm — has already saved Tennessee millions. That's money that could be poured into other areas.
"That's millions of dollars that we can put into education, we can put into health care, we can put into drug prevention. That's what we should be doing."
The idea is still in its early stages. Last week, the Department of General Services quietly asked potential vendors to tell them how they'd run parts of state government, if given the chance. The "request for information" could be used to craft future outsourcing plans.
No contracts have been put out to bid. Officials have been clear, though, that they're thinking big. They've said just about anything could be outsourced, from serving meals on college campuses to cleaning rest areas.
Opponents predict the state workers will suffer as a result. They say employees will lose their jobs, only for them to be rehired with lower pay and fewer benefits by private contractors.
They say the plan won't save taxpayers a dime. Private companies will collect the profits from cost reductions, while workers will be more likely to go onto public health insurance and unemployment roles.
Haslam told reporters it's too early to say whether that will be the case, but it's not the government's job to guarantee employment.
"Our responsibility is about providing services to our six and a half million citizens," he said. "That's job one."
Democratic lawmakers are also criticizing the process itself. They say Haslam has given companies only 10 days to send in their thoughts, putting smaller vendors at a disadvantage.
Democrats say ifHaslamdoes go forward with outsourcing plans, he should at least commit to doing it in the open and going about it slowly.
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