NewsChannel 5.com - Nashville, Tennessee - Critics Complain Of Lawmaker Meeting

Critics Complain Of Lawmaker Meeting

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A government watchdog group is accusing some state lawmakers of meeting in secret.

The controversy comes as lawmakers are trying to solve the state budget crisis.

Lawmakers debated the budget during two caucus meetings Thursday night.

A NewsChannel 5 reporter tried to the meetings of House Republicans and House Democrats and eventually got into one. But it has some wondering what is happening behind those closed doors.

"You know I believe in open meetings," said House Speaker Pro Tem Lois DeBerry, D-Memphis, as House Democrats gathered for a caucus.

When a reporter asked her why not open it, before she entered the chambers, DeBerry said, "I will go in there and ask them."

House Majority Leader Gary Odom, D-Nashville, gave the okay. Miscommunication was blamed on the shut out.

House Republicans insisted on closing their doors, but they had some unexpected visitors. One member heard a noise from the second level where two political lobbyists sat.

They said the fact they were there was simply an honest mistake. But the only way up to that second level is from a stairwell that was roped off.

"I know they were planning some partisan shenanigans," Odom said.

Odom said caucus meetings are designed to gauge where their members are with certain issues.

"The kinds of things we talk about are generally things we talk about, are generally issues that we are dealing with publicly, anyway," he said.

"Tennessee really has a history of a sort of smoke-filled back room mentality. That's where deals are done and this really reeks of that," said Drew Johnson, president of the Tennessee Center for Policy Research, a government watchdog group.

He said House Republicans pulled the same thing last year. 

"These people, after all, are public servants," Johnson said. "They are here to serve you and me. There's nothing that they should be discussing that they can discuss to us as voters, as taxpayers."

House Republicans have little to say about what happened last night.

State law said that legislative bodies can close meetings, but only to discuss matters of national or state security or to consider an impeachment investigation. The law is unclear regarding caucus meetings.

House Republicans did not break any laws by closing off the caucus meeting to media.

In related news, Gov. Phil Bredesen is working out the details of a voluntary buyout package that could impact 2,000 state workers. A consultant has now been hired to speed up the process.

"I hope where we are at the end of July,  there should be a couple of thousand of people who are very happy with the results, and are moving on and taking the buyout and we can both address the financial needs the state has without hurting anybody in the process," he said.

Lawmakers declined voting on the matter until they had more time to study it. They will take another look at it on Tuesday.