Regular session opens with dire budgetary picture

NASHVILLE — Following a two-week special session to reform Tennessee’s teacher accountability laws and overhaul higher education, lawmakers return to the state Capitol today to face the tougher work.

Facing the General Assembly is cutting hundreds of millions of dollars from a recession-ravaged budget, substantially slashed the two previous years, legislative leaders said.

“I think there’s going to be three things that are going to be a challenge: the budget, the budget, the budget,” said Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey, R-Blountville. “It’s going to be that simple. I don’t think you’re going to see a whole lot of landmark legislation that will pass. I don’t think you’ll see anything that actually costs money that will pass.”

House Democratic Caucus Chairman Mike Turner, of Nashville, said he doesn’t anticipate any major new initiatives from the governor or lawmakers during the regular session.

“We’ll probably try to get in here and get a balanced budget ... without hurting too many people,” Rep. Turner said. “But we’re going to have to hurt some people. This is going to be a tough budget year.”

In the special session, Gov. Phil Bredesen persuaded lawmakers to tie teacher evaluations and tenure to student achievement in order to apply for $500 million in federal Race to the Top funds. Lawmakers also linked funding for colleges and universities more closely to student performance and graduation rates.

In a Chattanooga Times Free Press interview before the special session, Gov. Bredesen said the regular session is “largely going to be about the budget. No one’s going to take seriously a major new initiative, nothing that has any money attached to it.”

The governor has asked departments to come up with cuts of 6 percent to 10 percent in the 2010-11 budget going to lawmakers on Feb. 1. Those reductions add to $750 million in cuts made in the current budget.

“It’s tougher at two levels,” Gov. Bredesen said of this year’s process. “We passed a lot of cuts last spring that were then deferred because of the (federal) stimulus money. They’re passed. They’re done. But most people have not come to grips with the fact that they’re passed.”

House Minority Leader Gary Odom, D-Nashville, said he anticipates eliminating $300 million to $400 million more in the upcoming budget.

“We’re looking at certainly one of the worst situations in the modern history of the state,” Rep. Odom said.

That could include 1,400 to 1,500 positions, some of which are filled, he said.

“The only good news is, we’re in better shape than most states because we have reserves,” he said.

The state has almost $533 million in the Rainy Day Fund and $342 million in TennCare reserves, Rep. Odom said.

Gov. Bredesen predicted there will be a “real move to just run the reserves down and avoid some hard choices, which would be a huge mistake.”

But, he noted that his standing is somewhat diminished “since I won’t be here next year.”

beyond the budget

While the budget will draw most of the attention, lawmakers will consider a handful of other issues.

Gun proponents are returning with a fix for allowing firearms in bars after that law was declared unconstitutional by a judge last year. The law allowed handgun-carry permit holders to be armed in establishments selling alcohol, provided they didn’t drink.

Rep. Glen Casada, R-College Grove, has legislation to legalize direct corporate contributions to state political campaigns.

Chattanooga officials, meanwhile, face a multipronged siege.

Rep. Jim Cobb, R-Spring City, and Sen. Bo Watson, R-Hixson, have introduced legislation to make Chattanooga’s annexation plans more difficult.

“It’s not going to be easy to pass because the Tennessee Municipal League will definitely line up forces against it, but it’s the right thing to do,” Rep. Cobb said.

Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield has raised the specter of annexing county area that is in the city’s growth boundary. He has put the annexation on hold in hopes of engaging the county on the issue of consolidated government.

Also this session, Chattanooga, Red Bank and other cities that use red-light and speed cameras to nab traffic scofflaws face efforts to make the cameras’ use more difficult and less profitable. Chattanooga officials say safety could be impaired.

“It’s going to be a very busy legislative session,” said Matt Lea, special assistant to Mr. Littlefield.