TN Lawmakers Adjourn 106th General Assembly

 Early this morning legislators adjourned the 106th General Assembly after hours of debate and House amendments, added in the omnibus budget bill, were later removed due to Senate objections.  Ironically, the debate toward the end of session was more House vs. Senate as opposed to Democrat vs. Republican.  House leaders have accused the Senate of being unwilling to compromise on anything, Senate leaders on the other hand have accused the House of agreeing to everything in a tight budget year.  It should make for an interesting election season.

The Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry is beginning work on our comprehensive analysis of the 106th General Assembly.  Our analysis will include in-depth vote counts on crucial business issues along with a comprehensive analysis of the upcoming races to watch which include the U.S. Congress, Tennessee Governor, and State House and Senate legislative races.

A special thanks to all of our members and local chambers for your hard work this session.  This has been one of if not the most trying session for business and industry due to the economy and so many other factors.  Thank you for all you did. 

 

Air Pollution Control Board Enters Wind-Down:  Senate Fails to Consider Renewal: House Approves Unanimously 

One of the most significant industry regulatory boards is entering wind-down phase this year.  Senator Bo Watson (R-Hixson) chairman of the Senate Government Operations Committee failed to bring up for Senate consideration renewal of the air pollution control board due to differences with industry and the House.  On March 15, 2010, the House passed the companion bill to extend the board to 2012 on a vote of 95-0.  The air pollution board is the regulatory arm of Tennessee’s air control permit process.  The Chamber and many other industry groups and business are very concerned about the implications this move by Senator Bo Watson could have on regulated entities in the state.   The wind-down phase will no doubt send a negative signal to federal EPA regulators whose recent regulatory activities have advocated a more stringent regulatory scheme in many areas on industry.   The Air Pollution Control Board will continue to operate for the upcoming year July 1, 2010 – June 30, 2011 but will cease to exist unless the legislature renews next session.  We encourage all of our members to talk to legislators over the summer about this very important issue and tell them it is crucial for business that a timely and acceptable resolution to this problem is found.