NASHVILLE - State Sen. Ken Yager, R-Kingston, was elected by colleagues this week to lead the General Assembly's main watchdog panel, the Fiscal Review Committee.
Yager, who is chairman of the Senate State and Local Government Committee, has served since 2009 on the joint Fiscal Review Committee on which representatives and senators serve.
Yager, who served 24 years as mayor and county executive of Roane County, is now the bipartisan panel's chairman.
The committee reviews ongoing operations of state government.
It was created in 1967 as the General Assembly began taking its first steps toward asserting its independence from decades of domination by governors and the executive branch.
"Fiscal Review is the vehicle for the General Assembly to have oversight in the fiscal affairs of the Tennessee," said Yager, whose district includes Rhea County, in a news release. "I am honored to have the confidence of my peers who elected me and look forward to running the committee in a fair and impartial manner."
The panel's responsibilities include examining and approving non-competitive state contracts. And that can often turn into intense scrutiny of how well departments are conducting the public's business.
Fiscal Review staff also prepares analyses examining the financial impact of proposed legislation on state and local governments.
Another task involves providing estimates of state tax revenue and lottery proceeds for budgeting purposes.