Legislators Want To End Session Early, But Likely Differ On Budget

Several Tennessee legislative leaders are running for higher office. That means they want to end the legislative session early, so they can hit the campaign trail. But a budget fight could slow that down.

Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey says there’ll be a showdown between the upper and lower chambers when it comes time to pass the state budget that starts July 1st.

“There’s gonna be some fights between the House and the Senate. We on the Senate side don’t want to take any more money out of our savings account. We don’t see that light at the end of the tunnel. Apparently, down the hall, they’re talking about taking more money out of the savings account.”

Ramsey is talking about the state’s “rainy day fund.” Governor Phil Bredesen has already recommended tapping it for about two hundred million dollars. House members might want to take more.

House Finance Chairman Craig Fitzhugh says adequately funding public safety – cops, courts, and jails – is at issue.

“I think we can judicially use some more of those reserves to keep essential services, and keep people employed, and doing the jobs that the public wants them to do. … Yeah…, I think that’s the tenor of a good portion of the House now.”

The showdown between the two chambers must start about the end of March, if the legislature is to finish before May.

Legislative leaders have a target date of April 30 to finish their work. Last year’s state budget fight lasted until June 18th.

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Chairman Fitzhugh, a Democrat from Ripley, saw cuts made to departmental programs last year, although some of those were softened at the last minute by federal economic stimulus funds.

“We’re just in a budget where we’re trying to reduce at the state level. And this is the second or third year that we have made substantial reductions, I mean, upwards, some departments, of 25 percent in administrative overhead and things like that.”

Fitzhugh says the cuts are beginning to show in state services.

“So the question this year has become, are we affecting the public safety, public citizenry, and state services, and overwhelmingly the answer is “Yes.” And then the second question is… we’ve got people doubling up, we’ve got people working two or three different jobs. Can we continue this on a sustainable basis? And the answer, generally, is, ‘Probably not.’”

Fitzhugh says both Democrats and Republicans are noting the public safety budget cuts.

“Those are …where the rubber meets the road, type of thing. And especially in the TBI, the DA’s and the Department of Safety, that’s where we are in conflict with the criminal element. So, it indeed affects the public.”

The only job the state legislature has to do – according to the state constitution – is to pass a budget. So it takes center stage at the end of session. Or as Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey says:

“Obviously you’ve still got that one, big, 800-pound gorilla out there, in the budget, but at least all the light, at that time, will be shined on the budget. So there will be some fights out there, but I hope we can resolve those quickly and still be out of here.”