As I am sure you have heard, the General Assembly adjourned Thursday night with a plan for both the House and Senate to come back into session next Tuesday. The speakers of both houses indicated that they intend for the legislature to finish its business that day and adjourn for the year. This week the legislature was working through long calendars and long days in an attempt to complete its work, but ultimately that was not possible. Much controversy and many questions arose over the Governor's proposed budget cuts unveiled on Monday night and legislators who had planned to stay through Friday to pass a budget ultimately decided to go home Thursday night and come back next week.
The biggest impact on county governments in the budget changes are that proposed improvements to the Basic Education Program funding formula have been shelved. School systems will get normal inflationary growth in education funding provided by the state, but there will be no more phase-in of the BEP 2.0 reforms that began last year. A provision in a bill promoted by the Dept. of Revenue that would have closed a loophole in state franchise and excise taxes and generated $15 million was rejected in committee this week. This created another budget gap that legislators were trying to fill Thursday. It appears that members are looking at raiding more of the earmarked funds from the state real estate transfer tax. Of the dedicated revenue from this tax, counties may be impacted by cuts to the Local Parks Acquisition fund. But generally speaking, apart from postponing the improvements to BEP funding planned for this year, counties have not been otherwise hurt by state budget changes. There has been no talk of cutting state shared taxes. We continue to watch these issues as the State attempts to deal with major budgetary problems.
In terms of good news, before adjourning Thursday evening the House passed the Energy Efficient Schools Initiative which creates a council that will distribute $100 million in lottery excess funds to K-12 school systems through grants and loans for projects that enhance the energy efficiency of school buildings. The Senate had passed the proposal earlier in the week. The bills ended up with some slight differences in amendments which will have to be worked out next week but the differences appeared to be non-controversial. A last ditch effort was made to amend the bill in the House and convert it to the Hawk/Tracy capital expenditure plan. That competing legislation which was first proposed and discussed last year would have distributed a flat dollar amount from lottery excess funds to school systems on a per pupil basis without any requirement for the money to be spent on energy efficiency. Ultimately, the energy efficiency provisions of the Winningham/McNally bill convinced some members of the legislature to support the proposal who were otherwise against the idea of using lottery funds for capital expenditures.
Legislation that could have added more requirements on a county regarding local education funding appears to be shelved for the year. As an alternative, the Senate Education Chair, Sen. Jamie Woodson introduced a resolution to ask the BEP Review Committee to study the issue of local maintenance of effort requirements this summer. TCCA was concerned about the potential effect of some provisions proposed in amendments to the bill and prefers this option to study the issue.
More details on legislative developments will be forthcoming after next week and of course there will be much more information distributed at the Post Legislative Conference in Gatlinburg the first week of June.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Monday, May 5, 2008
End of Session Nears
This week, the legislature has a limited schedule as efforts are underway to wrap up business. Many committees are already closed, subject to the call of the chair. Neither chamber is holding a Monday night session this week. The House of Representatives is scheduled to meet Tuesday and the Senate is meeting all day Wednesday. At this time, neither chamber is scheduled to meet on Thursday either.
This week will likely see most bills taken care of that do not have a significant budgetary impact. Then, next Monday night there will be a joint session of the House and Senate to hear a budget address from the Governor. Governor Bredesen intends to present proposed cuts to his budget at that time. With revenue forecasts worsening, difficult cuts will have to be made. This financial outlook has severely limited the ability of the legislature to enact significant new programs this year.
It is expected that the General Assembly will quickly consider the Governor's proposed cuts and bring the budget to a conclusion next week. Once that work is completed, there is little left that will keep the Legislature in town.
This week will likely see most bills taken care of that do not have a significant budgetary impact. Then, next Monday night there will be a joint session of the House and Senate to hear a budget address from the Governor. Governor Bredesen intends to present proposed cuts to his budget at that time. With revenue forecasts worsening, difficult cuts will have to be made. This financial outlook has severely limited the ability of the legislature to enact significant new programs this year.
It is expected that the General Assembly will quickly consider the Governor's proposed cuts and bring the budget to a conclusion next week. Once that work is completed, there is little left that will keep the Legislature in town.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Marie Murphy to Leave County Officials Association of Tennessee
At the end of this month, Marie Murphy will be stepping down at the executive director of the County Official's Association of Tennessee after serving in that capacity for 16 years. Marie began her indispensable public service in 1984 working for the University of Tennessee County Technical Assistance Service as a Staff Attorney. In 1992, she became the first Executive Director of the County Officials Association of Tennessee. Working for that organization which represents court clerks, trustees, registers of deeds and county clerks, she demonstrated an unsurpassed work ethic, breadth of knowledge and professionalism while advocating on behalf of the county offices she represented. Marie was instrumental in helping develop and promote many legislative reforms that made those offices more efficient and effective. Her efforts are greatly appreciated and will be missed.
William Snodgrass remembered
William R. Snodgrass passed away earlier this week. He was 85 years old. This esteemed gentleman served as the Comptroller of the Treasury for 44 years in Tennessee. As Comptroller Emeritus, he continued to work with the Comptroller's Office until shortly before his death. His wise fiscal management policies acting as a stabilizing force for decades in Tennessee and his influence extends throughout many facets of state and local government in Tennessee. Many career state employees serving in government today began their public service under the direction of Mr. Snodgrass. His funeral services were conducted this past Wednesday.
Back Up and Running
I apologize for the lack of updates to this site in recent months. In March, I had problems with a computer hard drive and was out of commission for several weeks. The County Government Day Conference April 8 and 9 took a good deal of time early this month. Now, the real crush of legislative activity is building up as the General Assembly moves toward adjournment.
I will try to re-establish the habit of providing updates and information. Hopefully this site will grow to become more useful to county officials and citizens across the state.
I will try to re-establish the habit of providing updates and information. Hopefully this site will grow to become more useful to county officials and citizens across the state.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Finding Legislative Information
If you are not familiar with some of the legislative resources on the Internet, I have good news for you. Our state General Assembly provides an incredible array of information and services on line. From the main legislative website (www.legislature.state.tn.us), you can find information about your legislative delegation, read bios of members, find out how to contact or e-mail members, read legislation, find out which legislators serve on committees, get status updates and fiscal impact statements on proposed bills, and even watch live streaming video or archived video footage of committee meetings and legislative sessions.
On the legislature's home page, you will find a column on the left hand side of the screen that will guide you into the more substantive parts of the website. Under the headings "Senate" or "House" or will find links to pages of information about members, committees, schedules, and calendars. Under the heading "Legislation," you can look up a bill by number or scan through an index of all legislation filed with the General Assembly during this session. You can also search bills by subject. You can even find all bills sponsored by an individual legislator by looking at the list of members in either the House or Senate and then clicking on the icon on the far right that looks like a hand signing a document.
If you enter a bill number or click on an entry in the bill index, it will take you to a page that gives a brief summary of the legislation and outlines the history of the legislation. From this main page for a bill, you can click on the bill number at the top of the page to open or download a .pdf file of the legislation (this will require Adope Acrobate Reader). If amendments have been added to the bill, you can access those as well. If the staff of the legislature has written a more detailed summary of the legislation, there will be a link to the summary on this page. From this page you can also access something called a "fiscal note." This is a document that analyzes the potential impact of legislation on both state and local governments.
The lower portion of the page tracks the status of the bills under the heading "Bill History." The latest activity on the bill in each house of the General Assembly will be listed at the top with the history working backward from there to the bills initial introduction. In some cases, it is tricky to decipher the exact status of the bills due to the abbreviations used and the dual nature of bills. Each bill has a House and Senate companion. These bills may move through committees simultaneously, or the bill may move all the way through the process in one house will the other bill sits idle.
Of course, this association is here to serve you and provide information about legislative developments. If you have questions about bills, don't hesitate to contact TCCA. But if you want to be better informed and better acquainted with what is going on with your State Legislature, I thought it would be helpful to provide a basic primer here that lets you know all the resources your legislature makes freely available to the public.
On the legislature's home page, you will find a column on the left hand side of the screen that will guide you into the more substantive parts of the website. Under the headings "Senate" or "House" or will find links to pages of information about members, committees, schedules, and calendars. Under the heading "Legislation," you can look up a bill by number or scan through an index of all legislation filed with the General Assembly during this session. You can also search bills by subject. You can even find all bills sponsored by an individual legislator by looking at the list of members in either the House or Senate and then clicking on the icon on the far right that looks like a hand signing a document.
If you enter a bill number or click on an entry in the bill index, it will take you to a page that gives a brief summary of the legislation and outlines the history of the legislation. From this main page for a bill, you can click on the bill number at the top of the page to open or download a .pdf file of the legislation (this will require Adope Acrobate Reader). If amendments have been added to the bill, you can access those as well. If the staff of the legislature has written a more detailed summary of the legislation, there will be a link to the summary on this page. From this page you can also access something called a "fiscal note." This is a document that analyzes the potential impact of legislation on both state and local governments.
The lower portion of the page tracks the status of the bills under the heading "Bill History." The latest activity on the bill in each house of the General Assembly will be listed at the top with the history working backward from there to the bills initial introduction. In some cases, it is tricky to decipher the exact status of the bills due to the abbreviations used and the dual nature of bills. Each bill has a House and Senate companion. These bills may move through committees simultaneously, or the bill may move all the way through the process in one house will the other bill sits idle.
Of course, this association is here to serve you and provide information about legislative developments. If you have questions about bills, don't hesitate to contact TCCA. But if you want to be better informed and better acquainted with what is going on with your State Legislature, I thought it would be helpful to provide a basic primer here that lets you know all the resources your legislature makes freely available to the public.
Update on Legislative Session
The legislative session is getting into full swing. Bill filing deadlines have passed and the committee calendars are starting to get full. Already this session, several significant issues affecting county government have been discussed. To date, none of these issues have been finally resolved, but several are moving through the committee process. Included in the 1800-plus new bills filed this year are proposals related to open meetings and public records; education funding; jail management; tort liability; water resources; planning and zoning; economic development; and environmental regulation. These are on top of the approximately 2400 bills that were filed in the first year of the session, many of which remain active.
There are bills that would establish new mandates on local governments, bills that would restrict revenue sources for counties and bills that would manage how local budgets are adopted and tax rates are established. There are always exceptions to the rule, but in general, the Tennessee County Commissioners Association stands for the prospect that county governments need the tools, resources, and flexibility to govern effectively. As a result, we often oppose efforts that limit the autonomy that county governments have. Every week I communicate to your Senators and Representatives about how potential legislation enhances or stifles your ability to serve your constituents. As I have been getting to know the members of our General Assembly, I find many members who began their politcal careers on the county commission. These folks are quick to recognize your issues and they are imporant allies for us in the State Legislature. They know well that you have a challenging job to perform and they commend you all for your service.
There are bills that would establish new mandates on local governments, bills that would restrict revenue sources for counties and bills that would manage how local budgets are adopted and tax rates are established. There are always exceptions to the rule, but in general, the Tennessee County Commissioners Association stands for the prospect that county governments need the tools, resources, and flexibility to govern effectively. As a result, we often oppose efforts that limit the autonomy that county governments have. Every week I communicate to your Senators and Representatives about how potential legislation enhances or stifles your ability to serve your constituents. As I have been getting to know the members of our General Assembly, I find many members who began their politcal careers on the county commission. These folks are quick to recognize your issues and they are imporant allies for us in the State Legislature. They know well that you have a challenging job to perform and they commend you all for your service.
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