The Tennessee General Assembly convenes its second session today and gets underway in a matter of minutes as this column is being written. Indeed, by the time we go to press, session will almost certainly be underway in both Houses. Just as the General Assembly gets underway today, there is already talk of when the session will end, with the leadership of both Houses eager to get on with business and get out of Nashville as quickly as possible. Lieutenant Governor Ron Ramsey hinted during today's Senate session in an exchange with Senate Democratic Leader Jim Kyle (D-Memphis) as this column is being written that he was hoping for adjournment as soon as late April.
Honoring the original intent of the framers of the Tennessee Constitution is a good thing, and the Republican leadership in both Houses did an excellent job last year of getting essential business taken care of and not loafing around Nashville living the Life of Reilly, but getting home and saving the taxpayers money in the process. There is a similar push to adjourn earlier this year as well, a very laudable goal, but as Senator Stacey Campfield (R-Knoxville) so ably put it, it does little good to adjourn sine die early if the Legislature does not first do its job and pass a constitutionally mandated balanced budget. In case you didn't notice, that won't be an easy task this year and it is not one that should be lightly considered.
This writer has always favored adjournments of the Tennessee General Assembly at the earliest possible date, but not until the members do what our Constitution asks of them, and balance the budget in a responsible way.
Comments