State lawmakers convene the 110th Tennessee General Assembly on Tuesday with new leadership in the Senate and a House speaker eying a gubernatorial bid.
Both chambers featuring heavy Republican majorities are scheduled to begin their organizational sessions at noon Central.
Longtime Sen. Randy McNally of Oak Ridge is the Republican nominee to succeed Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey of Blountville. Rep. Beth Harwell of Nashville is the GOP choice to stay in charge of the House, though her 40-30 nomination vote was closer than she hoped.
Harwell is among several prominent Republicans pondering a bid to succeed term-limited Gov. Bill Haslam in 2018, and political considerations might complicate a session in which the governor is expected to ask lawmakers to approve the state's first gasoline tax hike since 1989.
