The Lord works in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform. Lieutenant Governor Ron Ramsey and Tennessee House Speaker Kent Williams have apparently come to a tentative agreement on the budget for the coming year:
Key provisions of what both described as 'a verbal agreement' include Williams abandoning his push for construction of a new $16.1 million fish hatchery in Carter County, which was previously part of House plans, and Senate Republicans agreeing to restore funding to an infant mortality program that was cut under a previous Senate plan.
'You can still get hung up on the fine details. I hope that's not the case,' said Ramsey.
The fish hatchery and the infant mortality program had been symbolic of differences between the budget plan of the Senate, where Republicans have a solid majority, and the House, where Williams, banned from the Republican Party, presides over a more closely divided body.
Williams and House Democratic Chairman Mike Turner promptly declared that cutting the program was 'a deal breaker,' but then later indicated they had received assurances that restored funding for the program would be accepted by senators.
Williams and Ramsey were joined at the early afternoon private negotiating session by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, and House Finance Committee Chairman Craig Fitzhugh, D-Ripley, in their first personal meeting in several days.
Both said afterwards that the fish hatchery, which would be built near Williams' Carter County home, should ultimately be built. But Ramsey said it was 'a major sticking point' for this year.
'He just feels like this is not the time — and maybe he's right,' Williams told reporters shortly after the meeting. 'He's a reasonable man and I am, too. … Once we got all the politics out of it and could talk gentleman to gentleman.'
What I suspect happened was a shakedown to political reality for both men. Nearly everyone who understands the present East Tennessee political dynamic believes that Kent Williams stands a good chance of being re-elected in Carter County. However, even those who support building a fish hatchery on the Watauga River (of which I would count myself as one) acknowledge that the hatchery is not something that is so pressing that the government of this State must risk being shut down by the first of next month if it stymies budget agreement, neither is the fish hatchery something that can't wait until next year.
"They are going to put the money in the budget to design the hatchery, around a million dollars, but the hatchery won't be built this year," Rep. Frank Niceley (R-Strawberry Plains) told The Examiner this morning. One of the lesser-known issues surrounding funding for the proposed hatchery is that the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency wants the funding for the project to come from the State General Fund rather from it's own budget. Established as an independent agency with its own alloted budget, TWRA has avoided legislative oversight because of its unique independent status, and it is supposed to fund itself at least partly from the sale of Tennessee State hunting and fishing licenses. Representative Niceley says he believes TWRA should carry the burden of funding the proposed hatchery, which he does support. "The funding for the hatchery should come out of TWRA's annual budget, not out of the [State] General fund. If funding for the hatchery does end up coming out of the general fund, the Legislature should have more oversight over TWRA than it does." Some legislators have indicated that they would favor putting TWRA under the General Assembly's direct oversight through the House Conservation and Environment Committee and the Senate Committee on Conservation, Environment, and Tourism. However, there does not seem to be widespread support in either House for such a legal change in the agency's status. "They're pretty powerful up here [at the Capitol]," Niceley said of TWRA.
One piece of the budget that likely will not be cut as planned as a result of the apparent budget compromise is funding for a program that is a continued study into infant mortality in Tennessee. While it was agreed that the Carter County fish hatchery would not be fully funded this year, keeping the infant mortality study seems to have been a part of the negotiated compromise between the Lieutenant Governor and the Speaker of the House.
Just because both Houses seem to have come to an oral agreement doesn't mean that the Legislature is ready to adjourn sine die. Both the House and the Senate have yet to formally agree on the final budget and pass conference committee reports on a myriad of issues. Several Hill sources have said that it is expected that today will not be the last day the General Assembly will convene, and that the final budget and bills behind the budget may not be heard and passed by both Houses until Friday and/or Saturday. However, as will everything near the end of a legislative session, all of that is subject to change. The House is in recess until 3:30pm and the Senate until 4:00pm Central time today, each having met this morning and the Senate having recessed just after noon. Senator Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge), Chairman of the Senate Finance, Ways, and means Committee, announced that a printed version of the budget will be delivered to Lieutenant Governor Ron Ramsey's office this afternoon while the Senate is in recess. During the recesses of both Houses, the House Finance, Ways, and Means Committee, Budget Subcommittee, Education Committee, and Calendar and Rules Committee either are presently meeting at press time or will be meeting before the House reconvenes this afternoon. The Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee is scheduled to meet at 2:00pm today.
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