The Tennessee Economic Council on Women operated as part of our state government for 18 years before being shut down in June 2016 after a Senate panel failed by one vote to pass a routine renewal of the agency’s funding and future. The Council operated on $250,000 a year and had three employees.
Executive Director at the time, Phyllis Qualls-Brooks said, “There is no other state agency that does what we do. We look at women’s issues through than economic lens.”
“The agency issued detailed reports and data about the economic status of women, measuring the economic impact of women-owned businesses and the status of women in each of Tennessee’s counties. A 2013 report found that violence against women in Tennessee cost taxpayers $1 billion per year spent on law enforcement and other needed services.”
Here are a few articles detailing the TECW: