Week of February 12, 2007

Committees Get to Work

As the 105th General Assembly starts to move along, the newly appointed committees are scheduling hearings and legislation.

Chairman Steve Southerland (R-Morristown) brought a number of groups together for the Senate Commerce, Labor and Agriculture meeting to gather information regarding alternative fuels in Tennessee. Department of Agriculture Commissioner Ken Givens, Department of Environment Deputy Commissioner Paul Sloan, and Executive Director of Clean Cities of Middle Tennessee Dave Pelton were just a few of the individuals who testified about ethanol and biodiesel made from products such as corn, soybeans, and switchgrass.

The Senate Judiciary Committee was called to order by Chairman Mae Beavers (R-Mt. Juliet) and heard a brief report from the District Public Defenders Conference before taking up legislation. One bill that action was taken on was SB 217 by Sen. Ketron (R-Murfreesboro). The bill added an enhancement factor to allow courts to increase the sentence of individuals convicted of selling drugs to minors. The bill passed, was sent to the Calendar Committee and the full Senate will take action on it in the upcoming weeks.

Norris and Tracy go to Washington

This past weekend Sen. Mark Norris (R-Collierville) met in Washington D.C starting a six-month study of policies and agreements to prepare for future surface transportation needs. The meeting was a result of Sen. Norris being named a Principal of the National Intergovernmental Forum on Transportation Finance.

“Folks take roads and public transportation for granted, and they shouldn't. Traffic delays frustrate our freedom. Deteriorating systems are wasteful. They waste time and natural resources,” Norris said. “We are meeting to analyze alternatives for the future and common sense solutions,” Norris continued.

Sen. Jim Tracy (R-Shelbyville) was also in Washington D.C. to talk about transportation issues. The current Chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee met with Sen. Lamar Alexander, Sen. Bob Corker, Congressman Marsha Blackburn, and U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters to discuss transportation issues facing Tennessee.

“The Tennessee congressional delegation understands the importance of properly funding our projects,” Tracy said. “I look forward to working together with the federal, state and local officials to meet the transportation needs of Tennesseans,” Tracy continued.

Johnson Discusses Local Traffic

State Sen. Jack Johnson (R-Brentwood) held a meeting this week with a group of elected officials to prioritize traffic concerns of southern Williamson County and northern Maury County and to foster open lines of communication with state and local officials.

Attending the meeting with Sen. Johnson was the Chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, State Sen. Jim Tracy; Rep. Glen Casada; Rep. Tom DuBois; Williamson County Mayor Rogers Anderson; Maury County Mayor James Bailey; Mayor of Franklin Tom Miller;  Thompson's Station Mayor Leon Herron; Spring Hill Mayor Danny Leverette; and Columbia Mayor William Gentner.

“I am pleased that this many officials have decided to come together to look at the region’s traffic situation,” commented Sen. Johnson.  “We look forward to working with the Department of Transportation and Governor Bredesen to do what we can to expedite these projects.”

Sen. Johnson also said that he will schedule a series of “town hall type” meetings in conjunction with local officials to discuss road projects with the community.

Burchett Asks Governor to Reconsider Use of Guard

State Sen. Tim Burchett (R-Knoxville) has sent a letter to Gov. Phil Bredesen voicing his concerns about the safety of the members of the Tennessee National Guard as they assist the U.S. Boarder patrol in stemming the entry of illegal aliens.  Sen. Burchett contends that the Guard is not being used properly because they have been given rules of engagement in which they are unable to defend themselves. 

"Not allowing them to engage anyone, that's going to get somebody killed," Burchett told The Associated Press. "It's just a recipe for disaster."
                                                            Associated Press

"If they're not allowed to engage anyone, and I'm told they don't even have ammunition for their weapons," Burchett said. "It's the press' job to be observers - not the National Guard.  If the president wants observers, he might as well send the Peace Corps or the Girl Scouts," he said.
                                                                        Knoxville News Sentinel
 

User Friendly Website

The General Assembly has updated its website to allow easier access to track legislation.  Users can simply go to the legislature’s website, click on the list of members, and click on an icon that gives them information on all bills filed by that senator. The tracker updates and includes information surrounding the bill, gives a general description, a list of the sponsors and co-sponsors, and the latest action taken on it.  The General Assembly website can be found at http://www.legislature.state.tn.us/ .
 

Republican Legislation

Along with the additions to the General Assembly’s website, The Senate Republican Caucus is doing their part to make government business more accessible and accountable to the taxpayers.

Sen. Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) has filed SB 1074 to establish an ombudsman’s council to ensure full and timely compliance with laws providing for public access to state governmental records and meetings.  Interestingly enough, Gov. Bredesen has been getting the credit in the media, as the Tennessean and the City Paper have reported.

Sen. Raymond Finney (R-Maryville) introduced legislation that will enact the “Report to the Taxpayers of Efficient and Honest Government Act of 2007”.  If passed, SB 485 would require each department to maintain a program of “prevention, detection and correction of waste, mismanagement, abuse or fraud within the department,” and report to the General Assembly efforts to stem government waste.  Failure to do so may result in a ten percent (10%) reduction in the department’s budget.

Sen. Stanley has filed SB 430 which is the “Education First” bill.  Many people say that education is a top priority, however, they find many ways to spend taxpayer dollars before fully funding education. This bill requires that the legislature pass the education budget first and then fund the remaining functions of government.