Sen. Bo Watson, R-HixsonNASHVILLE – Two legislators from Hamilton County and another from nearby Bradley County have now vaulted into top positions on the General Assembly’s most powerful committees.
Sen. Bo Watson, R-Hixson, on Thursday was named chairman of the Senate Finance, Ways and Means Committee by Republican Senate Speaker Randy McNally of Oak Ridge, who was elected speaker earlier this week.
Meanwhile, former House Majority Leader Gerald McCormick, R-Chattanooga, who didn’t seek re-election to the political leadership post, was named by Republican House Speaker Beth Harwell as the new chairman of the House Finance, Ways and Means Committee’s Budget Subcommittee.
On a third front, Rep. Kevin Brooks, R-Cleveland, who lost a bid in the GOP Caucus in November to succeed McCormick as majority leader, is now the finance committee’s vice chairman.
The announcements were made as the new 110th General Assembly wrapped up its three-day organizational session and left town.
Also elevated was Rep. Ron Travis, R-Dayton, whom Harwell appointed as the new chairman of the House Insurance and Banking Committee. He replaces Steve McManus, R-Cordova, who lost his re-election contest in November.
McNally, who had been Finance Committee chairman until becoming speaker, called Watson “just a natural” fit for the post, citing Watson’s service as vice chairman of the panel and adding the local lawmaker had made himself one of the state’s “foremost experts regarding state finances.”
“I think he’ll be great,” McNally said and added, chuckling, “I think he’ll do a better job than I did” in a position that “takes knowledge, it takes courage and it takes skill. You have to be able to tell people to go to hell and make them look forward to the trip.”
With Republican Gov. Bill Haslam expected to present the GOP-run General Assembly a road funding plan that will include proposed gas and diesel increases and sentiment among many lawmakers to slash taxes in other areas in the wake of a combined $1.9 billion surplus of one-time and recurring revenues, Watson is expected to have his hands full.
As will McCormick.
Watson had been hoping for the appointment. Up until now, he had also previously served as former Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey’s speaker pro tempore, technically a ceremonial post but one in which Watson was charged with helping keep the train running.
“Our responsibility is to be good stewards of the state’s resources. We hope to continue that,” he said of his new position. “We have a long tradition of that in Tennessee.”
There is a responsibility in maintaining Tennessee’s Triple A credit rating, he noted and then added, “we will continue conservative spending habits that we’ve had in this state literally for decades.”
McCormick said he’s excited about his new role.
“We’ve got a $35 billion state budget, and it comes right over through that subcommittee, and we get to negotiate with the Senate and the governor. I’m looking forward to it. It’s more of a policy position, whereas I’ve been in a political position,” McCormick said.
The House Budget Subcommittee’s nickname has been the “Black Hole committee,” a traditional killing ground for bills that are too expensive, impractical or sometimes simply not wanted.
“Being majority leader, I had to say no, too,” McCormick noted.
Harwell spokeswoman Kara Owen said in an email that McCormick “is highly capable and [the speaker] feels he will be an excellent chair of Finance Subcommittee, which, as you know, is a difficult but very important job.”
Brooks, meanwhile, called his appointment as the finance committee’s vice chairman “fantastic.”
Harwell made Rep. Mike Carter, R-Ooltewah, an attorney, the new chairman of the Civil Justice Subcommittee. He had been the vice chairman of the full Civil Justice panel but now heads a subcommittee where bills go first before being allowed to proceed – or not – to the full panel.
Carter remains on the Finance Committee. Rep. Patsy Hazlewood, R-Signal Mountain, remains on the Business and Utilities Committee, as does Rep. Marc Gravitt, R-East Ridge.
Rep. JoAnne Favors, D-Chattanooga, continues to serve on the Business and Utilities and the Health Committee.
Rep. Dan Howell, R-Georgetown, is the new vice chairman of the Local Government Committee.
Sen. Todd Gardenhire, R-Chattanooga, remains vice chairman of the Senate Education Committee. McNally has now appointed him to the Senate Finance Committee.
But not everyone may be happy about how they fared.
House Transportation Committee Chairman Jimmy Matlock, R-Lenoir City, had challenged Harwell for speaker position in the GOP Caucus’ November elections. He’s no longer transportation chairman.
Asked whether there was an element of retribution in the change, Harwell spokeswoman Owen said, “Rep. Matlock was assigned to two important committees for education and business, and Rep. [Barry] Doss expressed a strong interest in working on a solution for infrastructure issues.”
Contact staff writer Andy Sher at asher@timesfreepress.com or 615-255-0550. Follow him on Twitter @AndySher1.