Norris working on myriad of issues

By Greg Little, Managing Editor The Covington Leader

March 22, 2005

Mark Norris is a busy man these days.

“It’s been very busy,” said the state senator last week from his office in Nashville.

Norris, R-Collierville, said a record number of bills have been filed this session in the Senate. It’s more than 2,000.

He also noted that 25 percent of those bills must go through the House Judiciary Committee, of which he is a member.

He’s also dealing with 187 bills as chairman of the Transportation Committee.

The meth problem

A bill which made it out of the full Senate last week deals with the methamphetamine problem in Tennessee.

Norris said the bill would make access to pseudoafedrin more difficult. It would no longer be an over-the-counter drug and would have to be sold by a pharmacist. That drug is one of the main ingredients in meth.

Norris said the bill would limit the number of packets a person could purchase in a year and would also create a registry of people who bought the drug.

“One of the interesting things about the registry is the clinical paranoia which runs rampant in these meth users,” said Norris.

He said persons would have to sign a notebook.

“It plays on the addict’s paranoia,” said Norris. “It is said to be a major deterrent.”

Asked what law enforcement and corrections officials are saying about the problem in the state, Norris said it was a “blight, particularly in rural portions of Tennessee.”

He called meth “incredibly destructive and dangerous.”

Norris said there is a similar bill in the House. He said Gov. Phil Bredesen supports the legislation.

Meeting with Frist

Norris said he recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with Sen. Bill Frist, R-Tennessee, and majority leader of the U.S. Senate.

The main focus of his luncheon with Frist was medical liability reform

“It was a very productive meeting,” said Norris.

Also at the meeting was Dr. J. Edward Hill, the incoming president of the American Medical Association who is from Tupelo, Miss.

“I wanted to see what the progress was and prognosis at the federal level for medical liability reform,” said Norris. “Obviously, it is a work in progress.”

Also while in Washington, Norris said he met with the vice-chairman of the federal Surface Transportation Board which regulates railroads in America. Norris said as chairman of the Transportation Committee, he wanted to “have a preliminary conversation about the nation’s railways, particularly those through Tennessee.”

Norris said it is “incredibly important” the state makes sure the railroad “infrastructure is in good shape.”

He said officials are certain that rail freight shipments are “likely to increase in Tennessee by 100 percent in the near term.”

Making sure the system is in good shape in Tennessee is vital, he said, because the rail traffic brings important dollars to the state.

“We have to take care of basic safety and making sure that it is in top shape,” said Norris.

Local land use planning

Another issue which Norris said is critical, especially to a fast-growing area like Tipton County, is land use planning.

“Preserving private property rights has always been a big issue with me,” said Norris.

Norris said government entities can sometimes go too far in trying to regulate land use.

“It can trample on individual and real property rights,” said Norris. “It is problematic and something everyone has to work with. If you give most governments an inch, they will take a mile.”

Norris said a study committee has been looking at the issues for several years. He said there are a “lot of difficult issues” involved with land use planning and it is critical that all sides be represented before decisions are made by lawmakers.

He said some of the proposals which came out of the study are quite simple.

For instance, one requires the mayor of an annexing city to notify the county executive they are going to annex a certain area. Additionally, he said in “some instances,” a proposed bill would allow citizens to request a referendum if they are opposed to the annexation.

Interstate 69

Norris has also been working on the issue of the proposed Interstate 69 which, if completed, will dissect West Tennessee.

He did say the U.S. House of Representatives recently passed the transportation bill which totals $284 billion.

He said that is about what the Tennessee Department of Transportation had based its projections on when proceeding with the I-69 issue.

“We are within the projections if the federal bill passes the Senate,” said Norris.

The biggest frustration with West Tennessee advocates of the I-69 project is that TDOT officials have yet to schedule public meetings to determine an exact route. That issue is crucial to landowners, business owners, community leaders and many others who are planning for the future.

“I ask every other week,” said Norris.

Norris said not only is the budget process complicating the matter but also said TDOT officials told him there are “complexities with the terrain in the area.”

However, Norris said he will continue to press TDOT officials about the issue and hopes the public hearings can be held in the near future.


Why can't the parties go all the way and establish a common agenda that recognizes the importance of education to this community?

Elected officials too often throw these kinds of issues to the courts. The approach helps them keep from losing a few votes in the next election if they should -- heaven forbid -- alienate anyone.

And that way, if things don't turn out the way their constituents want, they've got a handy scapegoat at the courthouse.

In this case, much more would be accomplished by reaching consensus on how to provide adequate funding for this community's educational mission.

That would be good news, indeed, for city and county schools.