January 18, 2011
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Legislative Update - January 18, 2011
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The Tennessee General Assembly concluded its one week organizational session last week on Saturday, January 15, 2010 with the inauguration of Governor Haslam and will reconvene on February 7 to begin the business of the state. The majority of Governor Haslam’s cabinet has now been announced.
In the House, Beth Harwell was elected Speaker. Speaker Harwell made Tennessee history as the first woman elected to be the House Speaker. Her committee appointments and the rearrangement of the subcommittees reflect her background as a Ph.D. in political science. In an attempt to move legislative matters forward more quickly, rather than sending all bills to subcommittees, the Speaker’s office will refer bills that need to go to subcommittees into a single subcommittee from each full committee. Other bills will go directly to the full committee, from whence they will be referred to either the Finance Committee or the Calendar Committee, thereby saving possibly a week or so in getting bills to the floor. This new process will take some time for everyone to get used to, but the effect is likely to be that many bills that may have failed in subcommittee will now at least be heard in the full committee.
Speaker Harwell’s election also led to the appointment of Joe McCord, a former legislator from Maryville, as the new House Clerk ending some 20 years of Burney Durham as the Clerk of the House.
Also during the organizational session, Treasurer Lillard and Comptroller Wilson were both re-elected unanimously for two-year terms. The Secretary of State, Tre Hargett, has a four-year term and was not up for election this year.
There were only a few noticeable changes in the Senate. Because Diane Black went to Congress, her role as chair of the Senate Republican Caucus is now being filled by Bill Ketron. He is being replaced by Ken Yager as chairman of the State and Local Government Committee. Senator Yager, who has also practiced law, is a former county mayor for Roane County.
The three-week break between the organizational session and the actual beginning of the working session is necessary in order to relocate the offices of almost all members of the House. We have begun tracking bills of interest and will begin reporting on those bill in a weekly fashion once the session begins in earnest. This year, not only the Governor but both the Lt. Governor and the House Speaker are wanting to pass bills that make it easier on business. While we do have a great legislative agenda, please email your ideas on how to decrease government regulation or make the business climate more favorable to our industry to greg@tnhospitality.net
Late last week just before the inauguration, the Governor had most of his cabinet positions filled (see below). If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.
This is the list of appointments to Gov. Bill Haslam's Cabinet and the previous positions they held. Haslam has also kept on two aides to Gov. Phil Bredesen on a temporary basis. They are interim Health Commissioner Susan Cooper and acting Education Commissioner Patrick Smith. The cabinet members were administered the oath of office by the new governor on Saturday.
AGRICULTURE: Julius Johnson, 62, chief administrative officer for the Tennessee Farm Bureau.
CHILDREN'S SERVICES: Kathryn O'Day, 54, president and CEO of Knoxville-based advocacy group Child and Family Tennessee.
COMMERCE AND INSURANCE: Julie Mix McPeak, 41, former executive director of the Kentucky Office of Insurance.
CORRECTION: Derrick Schofield, 50, assistant commissioner of corrections in Georgia.
DEPUTY TO THE GOVERNOR: Claude Ramsey, 67, mayor of Hamilton County.
ECONOMIC AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT: Bill Hagerty, founder and managing director of investment firm Hagerty Peterson & Co., and a former national finance chairman for ex-Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's presidential campaign in 2008.
ENVIRONMENT AND CONSERVATION: Robert Martineau, 52, partner at Nashville law firm Waller Lansden Dortch and Davis and formerly of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION: Mark Emkes, 57, retired president and CEO of Nashville-based tiremaker Bridgestone Americas.
FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS: Greg Gonzales, 53, held same position in Bredesen administration.
GENERAL SERVICES: Steve Cates, 47, Brentwood real estate developer and former chairman of the political action committee for the National Home Builders Association.
HUMAN RESOURCES: Rebecca Hunter, 55, director of human resources for Hamilton County.
HUMAN SERVICES: Raquel Hatter, 41, president and CEO of Family and Children's Services in Nashville.
INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES: Jim Henry, 65, president and CEO of Omni Visions Inc., and a former gubernatorial candidate and state House minority leader.
LABOR AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT: Karla Davis, 44, director of Urban Strategies Memphis Hope and previously worked for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for 16 years.
LEGAL COUNSEL TO THE GOVERNOR: Herbert Slatery, 58, chairman of Knoxville law firm Egerton, McAfee, Armistead and Davis.
LEGISLATION ADVISER TO THE GOVERNOR: Dale Kelley, 71, mayor of Huntingdon and a former state lawmaker and transportation commissioner under then-Gov. Lamar Alexander.
MENTAL HEALTH: Doug Varney, 60, president and CEO of Gray-based Frontier Health.
MILITARY: Tennessee National Guard Maj. Gen. Max Haston, 53, held same position in Bredesen administration.
REVENUE: Richard Roberts, 56, attorney and director at Miller Industries Inc. of Greeneville, the world's largest manufacturer of towing and recovery vehicles.
SAFETY: Bill Gibbons, 60, Shelby County district attorney general and former Republican gubernatorial candidate.
SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE GOVERNOR: Mark Cate, 45, Haslam campaign manager.
TOURIST DEVELOPMENT: Susan Whitaker, held same position in Bredesen administration.
TRANSPORTATION: John Schroer, 59, mayor of Franklin.
VETERANS AFFAIRS: Tennessee Army National Guard Co. Many-Bears Grinder, 57.
More information about Governor Bill Haslam and the transition team can be found at www.billhaslam.com.
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