Statements
Mission
The Beacon Center of Tennessee empowers Tennesseans to reclaim and protect their freedoms, so that they can freely pursue their version of the American Dream.
Background
The Beacon Center is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, and independent organization dedicated to providing concerned citizens and public leaders with expert empirical research and timely free market solutions to pressing public policy issues in Tennessee. The Beacon Center promotes personal freedom and limited government through policy solutions that: Generate economic growth through reduced tax and regulatory burdens Expand educational opportunity by empowering parents, students and teachers with choices and opportunities Advance healthcare solutions that restore dignity and encourage personal responsibility Identify opportunities to reduce cost and increase efficiency at all levels of government Reflect the Founding Fathers' vision of a free society grounded in property rights and individual liberty based in personal responsibility The Beacon Center generates and encourages public policy remedies grounded in the capacity of private enterprise, the ingenuity of individuals and the abilities of active communities to achieve a freer, more prosperous Tennessee.
Impact
Our research and policy recommendations have resulted in:
• A repeal of the Hall Income Tax on stocks and bonds--making Tennessee just the second state in history to eliminate an income tax--and also eliminated Tennessee's Death Tax, returning more than $2 billion to taxpayers since 2012;
• Stopping an unaffordable and immoral expansion of Medicaid under Obamacare, instead enacting free market healthcare reforms such as direct primary care, certificate of need reform, and Right to Try for terminally ill patients;
• Passing Tennessee's first ever school choice program, and enacted a course access program for high school students;
• Enacting the Right to Earn a Living Act, requiring legislative review of all state occupational licensing laws, and successfully repealed multiple licensing laws that stood in the way of Tennesseans' ability to earn an honest living;
• Drastically overhauling the protectionist CON laws and expanding telehealth to give Tennesseans more access to quality healthcare
• Reining in of emergency powers to ensure that the heavy handed government over reach that w saw during the pandemic does not occur again
• Placing Right to Work on the ballot in 2022 so Tennesseans can enshrine it in the state constitution
Needs
The Beacon Center of Tennessee is funded through the generosity of individuals, private foundations and corporations who understand the importance of maintaining limited government, providing an environment where free market solutions can solve our biggest problems and protecting individual liberties in Tennessee. We do not accept any government funding.
CEO Statement
Reclaiming and sustaining economic liberty over the long-term is what really matters to the Beacon Center. Individual policy victories are only the starting point. The Beacon Center exists not simply to repeal a regulation here or to lower a tax there, but to reclaim and preserve an economic environment whereby the greatest number of Tennesseans--regardless of race, sex, creed, or circumstance--can freely pursue their version of the American Dream. The Beacon Center is the conduit through which Tennesseans can advance free markets, individual liberty, and limited government. While Beacon or one of our staff members may be written about in the newspaper, or achieve our policy priorities, or receive awards for our work, we know that the real heroes are the generous donors investing in liberty, without whom none of our work is possible in the first place. We will never lose sight of that fact.Unfortunately, many charitable organizations have broken faith with their donors. But when you support the Beacon Center, you can rely on three things: To use your gift to advance our mission; to honor your intent as a donor; and to treat you with respect, no matter what. We regard your support as a trust, and hold ourselves accountable to you. Your gift to Beacon does more than to produce excellent public policy research and solutions. Your gift improves lives.
Service Categories |
|
Primary Category: | Public & Societal Benefit - Research Institutions & Public Policy Analysis |
Secondary Category: | Education - Research Institutions & Public Policy Analysis |
Tertiary Category: | Community Improvement, Capacity Building - Research Institutions & Public Policy Analysis |
Areas Served
Although the Beacon Center is based in Nashville, the organization serves the entire state of Tennessee.
TN |