MURFREESBORO (AP) - The Tennessee Technology Center in Murfreesboro would become a big player in automotive training if the legislature approves a proposal by Gov. Bill Haslam.

A new $35.4 million Nissan Education and Training Facility would be an extension of the technology center and would replace the 30-year-old training center for the carmaker.

Tennessee Technology Center Director Lynn Kreider told The Daily News Journal (http://on.dnj.com/X84X51) the state is becoming the southern Detroit.

Under the plan, the Board of Regents would build a 154,000-square-foot educational facility near the Nissan plant in Smyrna.