Tennessee session ends with flurry of activity
April 26, 2013
By Phil Sletten
NASHVILLE, Tennessee: The Tennessee State Legislature ended its session after considering a long list of legislation in its final two days. The legislature ended their session this year on an earlier date than any year since 1990.[1]
The legislature dealt with 374 bills in the last two days of the legislative session, although about 160 were procedural motions or noncontroversial and others were tabled.[2] The legislature passed bills putting a moratorium on city annexations to review the existing laws, allowing retired police officers and trained teachers to carry guns in schools, and a $32 billion state budget.[3][4][2] However, the legislature rejected key bills on judicial redistricting, charter schools, and school vouchers. The House and Senate did not reach agreement on several high-profile reform bills, disappointing the legislative leaders in each chamber.[4]
Lawmakers tabled a proposal, which garnered some national attention, to have the state legislature decide on U.S. Senate party nominees rather than party primaries. Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam (R) threatened to veto the bill after it passed through committee.[5][6][7]
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Footnotes
- ↑ The Knoxville News Sentinel, "Heated debate caps '13 session of the Tennessee Legislature," April 20, 2013
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Commercial Appeal, "Tennessee legislature is in the home stretch with much to do," April 18, 2013
- ↑ The Times Free Press, "Tennessee Legislature comes to a close," April 19, 2013
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Tennessean, "Tennessee legislature adjourns amid flurry of disputes," April 20, 2013
- ↑ The Atlantic, "Tennessee's Colossally Bad Plan to End Senate Primaries," April 2, 2013
- ↑ The Commercial Appeal, "Veto threat leads to surrender on GOP's U.S. Senate election bill," April 2, 2013
- ↑ The Tennessean, "TN lawmakers seek power to select U.S. Senate nominees," March 30, 2013
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