Report: Tennessee rising in political stature

NASHVILLE — Tennessee has advanced in national political clout this year more than any other state has in the past decade, according an assessment by Roll Call, a Washington newspaper devoted to coverage of the U.S. Congress.

The Congressional Quarterly publication does an annual “political clout index,” that it says provides “a quantifiable measurement of every state’s potential for power at the start of each new Congress.” Two years ago, Tennessee was ranked 14th in political clout, “unremarkable because that (ranking) is closely in line with its ranking as the 16th most populous state,” the report says, and six years ago it was No. 27, indicating “the 11-member delegation (two senators and nine representatives) was punching well below its weight.”

But this year, Tennessee has risen to No. 9 in the rating of political clout, entering the top 10 with far more populous states such as California (No. 1), Texas (No. 2) and Florida (No. 3) and ahead of neighboring states such as North Carolina, Georgia and Kentucky.

Says Roll Call:

“What’s changed is that the state has done better and better, especially relative to other states its size, in the calculable things that contribute to a delegation’s overall leverage. In a Republican Congress, it makes a difference that both senators and seven of the nine House members are on the majority side. In an institution with plenty of recent turnover but where seniority still provides tangible benefits, it makes a difference that all but one of the Volunteer State’s lawmakers have been in office longer than six years.

“And the partisan alignment and longevity has helped propel members of the delegation into positions that convey authority and power. Not only are both senators in their third years as chairmen of premier panels, Bob Corker at Foreign Relations and Lamar Alexander at Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, but also two House members have been handed committee gavels this winter: Diane Black at Budget and Phil Roe at Veterans Affairs.”

Speakers on open records

Responding to a suggestion at a Tennessee Press Association meeting, Lt. Gov. Randy McNally says the Legislature “probably” should reconsider the hundreds of exemptions to the state’s Open Records Act since it was enacted in 1957 and House Speaker Beth Harwell says she’ll think about it.

When the law was first passed declaring most records of public agencies open to residents, there were just two exceptions – medical records of public hospital patients and security information held by state military officials. Since then, legislators have enacted more than 350 exceptions, according to a Tennessee Coalition for Open Government count.

The House and Senate speakers were questioned about the exceptions and the possibility of reviewing them to determine if all are still warranted. McNally replied the exemptions could be revised to make each subject to expiration unless periodically renewed by the legislature – similar to the “sunset” system in place for all state government departments, boards, commissions and agencies. Each governmental entity must be periodically renewed by the Legislature – typically every six years – or it will “sunset” and cease to exist.

“I think that’s an idea we probably need to pursue,” said McNally.

Harwell nodded her head affirmatively during McNally’s remarks, but did not offer a comment. Asked about the idea afterward, she said, “I’ll look at it.”

“Keys to Open Government,” a booklet published by TCOG, says the state’s public records law “has been amended in such ad hoc and cavalier fashion and is so poorly organized” that there’s no definitive count on exemptions, which are scattered throughout state statutes on a vast array of different subjects.

Campaign investment bill

The Senate State and Local Government Committee has approved 8-1 a bill by Sen. Doug Overbey, R-Maryville, that puts new restrictions on legislators making investments with campaign funds.

The bill (SB377) comes after an audit found former Rep. Jeremy Durham, R-Franklin, had invested more than $100,000 of campaign money in a company operated by a major political donor and also used the funds to make substantial loans to a professional gambler and his wife. That’s not illegal under current law, though Durham is under investigation for multiple other allegations of activity that would be illegal.

Overbey’s bill declares that campaign funds can be invested only in federally-insured accounts at a bank or credit union. The no vote came from Sen. Todd Gardenhire, R-Chattanooga, who declared “you can’t legislate against stupidity” and observed that the bill would prohibit some relatively safe and non-controversial investments such as municipal bonds.

Overbey said that “reasonable minds might differ” on where to draw a line on permitted investments, but that his bill simply restricts campaign money investing to what most legislators already use after “some things that never would have occurred to most of us to do.. did occur.”

The bill is scheduled for a floor vote tonight.

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