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Lawmakers: Tennessee isn't spending nearly $1 billion in aid for families in need

If the state doesn't spend some of the money by the end of the year, lawmakers said it will revert back to the Federal government.

Talking about money is not an easy thing--especially when you don't have much of it. And many of the working parents at Beverly Holland's East Knoxville daycare don't. 

"They need support. They're struggling. They don't know how to make ends meet," she said. 

They need help--and the state has a lot of money that could do that. 

"Close to a billion dollars that's geared toward the working poor in Tennessee that we've been sitting on," Rep. Rick Staples (D-Knoxville) said. 

Instead of spending it, the state has been saving it up. 

The Beacon Center said Tennessee has $737 million in unused federal dollars for Families First--a program that helps 1,900 working families and 3,300 children. 

"This is money that could help Tennessee working families and we're banking it instead of spending it," Rep. Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville) said.

That's money lawmakers want to spend. 

"I mean we could really use that. I know I could really use that. I know several agencies could really use that money. I know parents could really use that money," Holland said. 

"The money needs to be spent," State Sen. Richard Briggs said. "But we need to have a good, financially sound plan that helps the most people in the most need." 

So why hasn't the state spent the money? 

No one seems to know, it's just extra that's added up over the years. 

Most time-sensitive, the several hundred thousand more federal dollars lawmakers said are meant for the childcare development fund. 

"If we don't use those daycare dollars, we lose them," Johnson said, noting they expire at the end of the year. 

The governor's office said it is working on spending the money while also saving some in case the economy goes south and more people need it. 

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