TENNESSEE CAPITOL, NASHVILLE-Adjournment sine die of the 106th General Assembly of the State of Tennessee is being held in limbo thanks to a proposed Carter County fish hatchery.
In a year when the budget requires that the Legislature make cuts to some programs that have been deemed in the past to be "necessary," House Speaker Kent Williams believes that the State of Tennessee has the money to spend on a cold-water fish hatchery in his district. Some have pointed out that Williams has a point in that the $16 million that the fish hatchery costs is but a drop in the budgetary bucket. "That hatchery doesn't cost anything compared to the amount of money that we dole out to Memphis every year," pointed out Rep. Frank Niceley (R-Strawberry Plains), "and the truth is that there is only one active cold-water fish hatchery in East Tennessee, we could use a second one to better stock our rivers and tributaries."
"The problem with [the fish hatchery project] is that it is being used as a political football in a year when we can't afford that," said Rep. Stacey Campfield (R-Knoxville). "We have members who have pledged to hold the line on spending, but many of these same people are saying that 'if Kent (Williams) gets his, I want mine.'" One promenent House member said "if that fish hatchery becomes a part of the joint budget proposal, we'll be here for some time yet because people will want to light up the budget like a Christmas tree."
During last night's session, there was even a debate over the adjournment motion during which Rep. Harry Brooks (R-Knoxville) pointed out that the House could complete a budget this week "if we commit to stay here until it is done." It is widely believed that Kent Williams is trying to hold out on the budget in order to get the hatchery proposal included, while those who are satisfied with the Senate budget proposal are among those willing to hold fort at the Capitol until the House comes to an agreement.
Rep. John Lundberg (R-Bristol) had the one-liner of the whole process-"fish is the new pork," Lundberg crowed.
In other legislative news, outgoing House Republican Leader Jason Mumpower has warned the House GOP Caucus not to get ahead of themselves and presume victory in November before the voters have had their say. "I can say this because I don't have a dog in this fight," Mumpower told House Republicans assembled for a caucus meal Monday night, "but in 2008 when we won the majority, the Democrats lost it as much as we won it." Mumpower then said the Democrats' internal divisions were their undoing. "I saw Gary Odom and Mike Turner and Jimmy Naifeh so concerned about who was going to lead them that they forgot about their members and that they had to win the election first. If we start worrying about who will be Speaker or who will be Leader now, before we've had the election first, we won't need to worry about electing a Speaker in January." Mumpower, who has chosen not to seek re-election to his Tri-cities area constituency after 14 years in the Tennessee House of Representatives, warned that internal division could wreak the same havoc among Republicans this year if they did not unite in advance of the General Election.
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