Mariah Phillips, Democratic nominee for Tennessee State House 37th District, and Matt Ferry, Democratic nominee for Tennessee State House 48th District, have a plan to create the Supporting Civil Servants Act if elected as State Representatives, according to a press release.

"Community servants work extremely hard - especially in light of COVID-19," said Phillips, whose siblings are all teachers, firefighters, and LEOs. "If elected, I will propose a bill to increase pay for our community's public servants that are on the front lines.

"We will focus on those who work in publicly-funded industries, which include teachers, police officers and firefighters, and other first responders," she said.

The average wages in these professions is $44,000 per year in Tennessee. It is becoming increasingly difficult to fill the positions across Rutherford County.

"If we want to retain our frontline professionals, we need to pay them what they deserve. A wage increase has been promised for years, and our state leaders keep letting them down," Matt Ferry said. 

In light of First Responders Day on Oct. 28, Phillips and Ferry released news of their proposal to acknowledge the workers in their communities who are on the front lines every day during the pandemic. They are currently drafting a proposal that will be introduced in January 2021, if elected.

Mariah Phillips is one of the top-raising Democratic challengers in the 2020 Tennessee legislative race. Her district covers northwest Rutherford County. Matt Ferry is an environmental and affordable healthcare advocate. His district covers mostly the eastern side of  Rutherford County.

For more information, please visit Mariah4TN.com or MattFerryTN48.com.