NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — This legislative session alone lawmakers will consider more than 3,000 bills. As time winds down, it should come as no surprise there will be disagreements. But the biggest divides this session aren't just between Republicans and Democrats. There's also a divide between the Tennessee House and Senate.
"We’re in two different spots," said Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville.
"I think there is a great deal of distance between the two chambers," said Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge. "But that doesn’t mean it can’t be resolved."
Franchise and Excise Tax
We're hearing that kind of talk, time and time again.
For example, Thursday, the Senate passed their version of a proposed business tax cut and rebate that would reform Tennessee's Franchise and Excise Tax.
The House has indicated they'll push their own version, but wouldn't disclose what their changes would look like.
"We think the bill that we sent over to them is the best approach," said Sen. Bo Watson, R-Hixson and Senate Finance Committee Chair.
School voucher expansion
On the school voucher expansion, the Senate wants to enact the governor's proposed 20,000 scholarships for public school students to transition over into private school using public money.
They also want to enact open enrollment for public schools, meaning students could attend schools outside their school zone or even outside their home county.
The House wants to do the 20,000 scholarships but then also enact sweeping public education reforms like increased insurance contributions for teachers, reforms to the fourth-grade retention law, ending the Achievement School District and changes to the teacher evaluation system.
"Our members overwhelmingly prefer the first vehicle that was passed, which was just the straight choice bill without all the bells and whistles that were added in the House," said Lt. Gov. McNally.
TSU Board of Trustees
The biggest wedge between the chamber currently seems to center around the future of the Tennessee State University Board of Trustees.
On the House side, they're suggesting only a few board members lose their positions. Along with two current vacancies, that would allow Gov. Bill Lee to appoint five new members but leave some current members on the board to help with continuity. The Senate appears to be saying they want all or nothing.
"My speaker and I have not had this conversation, but I believe the Senate is resolute in its position and failure to pass that bill in the form that we think is best, will result in the termination of the board completely," said Sen. Watson.
To be clear, that means senators are comfortable with letting the TSU board dissolve completely, without replacement members, leaving the university without a governing body for several months until the legislature can reach a consensus.
"Of course, it’s a concern," said Sen. Jeff Yarbro, D-Nashville. "You can’t have TSU without a board."
TSU issued a statement following the Senate's vote to vacate the full board:
We are disappointed by the Senate vote today. The Senate and House versions of the TSU Sunset legislation differ at this time, and we look forward to continuing to work with legislators in the House and the Senate to achieve compromise sunset legislation, with a push to secure a clean extension of the TSU Board of Trustees. The extension of the Board would avoid disruption of TSU governance during a critical time for the University and, most importantly, for our students. TSU will continue to push for more favorable legislation that would better serve our university family.
'Plagued from day one'
Sen. Yarbro says chamber battles aren't anything new, but this year has taken it to a whole new level.
"In most years in the Tennessee General Assembly, those fights don’t really start coming out until the very end. But we’ve been plagued from day one with really significant substantive disagreements between the House and Senate," said Yarbro.
Of course, when reporters directly asked chamber leaders about the divide, they downplayed it.
"At the end of the day, you have two bodies and there’s two different trains of thought," said Speaker Sexton. "I think we’ll get to a good place, it will probably take a little time."
"I don’t think overall between the Senate and the House there is that divide, but on certain issues, there is a great deal of distance," said Lt. Gov. McNally.
At the end of the session, when the clock actually runs out, we'll see how true those words really are.
"We should legislate like grownups," said Yarbro.
Of course, if both chambers can't agree on the finalized language of certain bills, efforts to change the law could die all together.
Fostering Hope provides Christmas for kids in foster care. I'm delighted to see Fostering Hope expand this year to expand their reach to now include kids in Foster care in metro AND foster kids in East TN hard hit by Helene.
-Bree Smith
