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New political realities on Hill with GOP-led Senate By John Rodgers, NashvilleCityPaper.com The new political landscape formed in January when Republicans broke a 138-year streak of Democratic lieutenant governors when Ron Ramsey (R-Blountville) ousted longtime Lt. Gov. John Wilder (D-Mason) for the position. As a result, Ramsey and the Republicans in the state Senate have a majority on each of the committees, which can have a significant impact on what bill becomes law and what doesn’t. Wilder used to always say, “the Senate is the Senate,” but Ramsey said Thursday that’s no longer the case and that the Republicans controlling the upper chamber is a “new political reality” for the Democrats. “I think that reality has set in and we’ll be able to work with it,” Ramsey said. “I think (Democrats are) adapting well.” Compromise between the Republican Senate and the Democratic House could come on issues such as medical malpractice reform and how much to increase the cigarette tax that Gov. Phil Bredesen has proposed. But the gridlock and most of the mudslinging so far has come on immigration-related bills, such as English-only driver’s license tests and abolishing certificates for driving. In the early days of this year’s legislative session, both sides have butted heads on the bill to put driver’s license tests in English-only. The Senate passed the bill Monday with every Republican voting in favor of it along with five Democrats. But many Democrats are opposed to the bill. Gov. Phil Bredesen has said he would consider vetoing the legislation. And House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh (D-Covington) said Thursday that the Republicans “wanted to flex their muscles” concerning the English-only bill. He then quoted former President Ronald Reagan’s farewell speech in 1989 about America being a “shining city” that was “open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here.” “I think that this will be the first of a number of issues that we will probably see … where the Republican majority in the Senate has prevailed,” Naifeh said. “And the Democratic majority in the House will have to take a responsible look at it.” They may also be headed toward gridlock concerning two very similar bills that eliminate the certificate for driving program and replace it with a license for legal immigrants. But while both sides are in agreement on the core of the issue, they are in disagreement concerning who should sponsor the legislation that actually becomes law. Ramsey said his Republican colleague, Sen. Bill Ketron of Murfreesboro, has championed eliminating the certificate for driving program “for years” and should be the sponsor of the bill that passes and becomes law. “Nothing personal, that’s just the way it oughta be,” Ramsey said. The Democrats, however, want to pass the Bredesen administration bill concerning certificates for driving. House Majority Leader Gary Odom (D-Nashville) said the Department of Safety has worked on the bill and would be administering the legislation, and “that’s obviously important.” And Rep. Mike Turner (D-Old Hickory), the House sponsor of the Bredesen bill, said he is not signing onto Ketron’s Republican-backed measure. “That’s not going to happen,” Turner said. While the Republicans and Democrats could be headed for gridlock on certificate for driving legislation, they may have reached a compromise on one of their biggest differences — medical malpractice reform. Rep. Rob Briley (D-Nashville), the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, and Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris (R-Collierville) have put together a deal on the issue. The compromise would, in part, not put caps on non-economic damages for harmed patients but would require lawyers to sign a certificate that they believed their lawsuit was valid to make sure they weren’t filing frivolous claims. |
