NASHVILLE —With Tennessee’s budget already going to the dogs, state health officials want permission to tack a $1 fee on rabies vaccinations to continue funding investigations into potential cases of the deadly disease.

Veterinarians are barking mad about the plan. Lawmakers, meanwhile, are baring their teeth at each other with a top Democrat accusing some GOP critics of preening like peacocks with their opposition.

Underscoring the tension is a stark fiscal reality: In a three-year period ending July 1, 2011, recession-battered tax revenues will have forced Tennessee to slash general state spending by an estimated $1.5 billion or 21 percent. It also doesn’t help that a fight is brewing over the proposed 2010-11 budget. Read More…