tennessee senate

Via Say Uncle:

State Senator Raymond Finney has been given a rating of “A” by the National Rifle Association (NRA) for his four years of service in the Tennessee General Assembly. In addition, the NRA has endorsed his candidacy for re-election to the Tennessee Senate.

The Thicket reports that only Tennessee can match New York in stability of leadership in its upper legislative chamber:

In what has to be a relatively unprecedented move, former Lt. Governor John Wilder travels all the way from Fayette County to Clarkville to campaign for Democratic state Senate candidate Tim Barnes and holler at his opponent, Democrat incumbent State Senator Rosalind Kurita:

From the Office Of The Lieutenant Governor:

The Tennessee Democratic Party thinks Diane Black forgot to do something before she voted on the budget:

An interesting thing happened last night on the Tennessee Senate’s way to passing the state budget: Republican Caucus Chair Diane Black refused to declare Rule 13 before voting in favor of the budget.

The Tennessee Senate was unable to reach a compromise that would have wrested some control away from the lawyerly interests controlling the Tennessee Supreme Court picks under the so-called “Tennessee Plan.” Reformers sought to open up the commission meetings as well as the make-up of the body.

I’m proposing my own form of cap and trade.  Cap the number of bills that can be sponsored in Nashville. Legislators can trade the allotted number of bills that they can sponsor if they like.

That would be one small step towards getting rid of legislation like this:

Times are a’changing in Nashville.  The Tennessee Senate seems to be stepping away from the tradition of legislating like a club and has moved full steam towards legislating as a deliberative body.  And with differing of opinions that are actually expressed, tempers will flair, indeed.

Senate Democratic Caucus spokesman Mark Brown comments on the attempt to unseat GOP State Senator Jim Tracy in the Shelbyville Times Gazette: