Democrats in the Tennessee Senate will introduce a family medical leave bill tomorrow. Read more about it here.

The House Environment subcommittee voted against HB3348 that would ban mountaintop removal mining in Tennessee.

The Senate Environment, Conservation, and Tourism committee is scheduled to hear companion bill SB3822 a second time today.Today's KNS has an editorial on issue.

UPDATE: Sen. Tommy Kilby has blocked a vote on the bill in the Senate committee. Kilby is bullying committee members, and they don't like it. Notes taking during live video stream after the jump...

UPDATE: Tom Humphrey files this report on the House subcommittee vote. Voting against the bill were William Baird, R-Jacksboro; George Fraley, D-Winchester; Joe McCord, R-Maryville; Frank Niceley, R-Strawberry Plains; and John Tidwell, D-New Johnsonville.

Unless the Tennessee General Assembly takes action before the end of this legislative session to preserve the Tennessee Plan, the state could lose the unique arrangement that helps assure the quality and independence of the highest courts in Tennessee's judicial system.

Some 30 years ago, Tennessee adopted a major reform in the selection of judges, called the "Tennessee Plan." Under this arrangement, state appellate judges are no longer elected by the people. Instead, judges for the Supreme Court and other appeals courts are initially selected by the governor from candidates recommended on the basis of merit, but sitting judges periodically are subject to retention votes in which people vote "yes" or "no" on the retention of each judge.

Judge selection and retention under the Tennessee Plan is a bewildering process for citizens, but it has been successful in depoliticizing the state's judiciary. Today I learned that the Tennessee Plan is subject to a sunset law -- the two commissions that make the process work are scheduled to "sunset" on July 1 unless the legislature acts to continue their existence. Two sets of bills to continue the Judicial Selection Commission (which makes recommendations on candidates for judgeships) and Judicial Evaluation Commission (which evaluates the performance of each sitting judge and publishes its findings before a retention election is held) have been introduced in the General Assembly, where they are awaiting consideration by the House and Senate Government Operations committees. HB2141/SB2013 (introduced last year) would extend both sunset dates until 2014, and the combination of HB3216/SB2432 and HB3225/SB2433 (introduced this year) would keep the commissions around until 2012.

The Tennessee Plan has its opponents, who say that it takes power away from the public and gives it to lawyers' organizations. That's effective rhetoric, but the fact of the matter is that in other states the selection of judges by popular vote results in selections based on money, ideology, and campaign promises, not on legal ability and impartiality.

To protect the independence of our judiciary, the Tennessee Plan shouldn't be allowed to quietly disappear.

Many communities encourage pet owners to bring their dogs to outdoor cafes. And remember our City Mayor IS on the record as saying he wants to make Knoxville "the dog friendliest city in the country." If you love dogs support this legislation. These details were sent by Jennie Huetal at the dog site

Link...

Bill summary -

Municipal Government - Authorizes municipalities having a population of at least 100,000 to establish an ordinance and permitting process that would enable restaurants to allow admittance of patron companion dogs into designated outdoor dining areas. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 3, Part 18 and Title 6, Chapter 54.

HB3029 by Campfield creates a "tax-me-more fund" in the general fund for voluntary donations by taxpayers; all funds in such account are earmarked for abortion prevention:

Recognizing that there are individuals and entities who believe they are undertaxed and who advocate a greater tax burden for Tennesseans, it is hereby declared the policy of the state of Tennessee to provide these individuals and entities an opportunity to contribute more to state government. In furtherance of this policy, there is hereby established within the general fund a separate account to be known as the "Tax-Me-More Account".

Knoxville Republicans should be ashamed for sending this guy over there to turn the Tennessee House of Representatives into Romper Room when the state has serious business to conduct.

Pending state legislation would limit medical malpractice victim's rights. Read about it at TennViews...

State Rep. Jason Mumpower (R-Bristol) seeks to weaken the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation's enforcement capability.

State Rep. Mike Turner, a Democrat from Old Hickory (Davidson Co.), introduced a couple of bills last week that, given recent controversy in Knox Co., might be of local interest.

HB2524 allows student to attend the school closest to the student's residence, if the student so desires.

HB2525 prohibits construction of high schools with a student capacity of greater than 1,200.

New developments in the government funded hunting lodge story mentioned here earlier.

Josh Flory at the KNS reports today that Tennessee House Majority Leader Gary Odom (D-Nashville) has requested an investigation by the State Comptroller's office and the Attorney General.

In case you missed the KNS article from last week, this sounds pretty outrageous:

When former state Rep. H.E. Bittle Jr. pushed for the creation of a "Sportsman" license plate in 1999, he stipulated that part of the revenue from the plates would go to a familiar foundation — his own.

Bittle was the prime House sponsor of House Bill 584, which created the specialty plate that features an image of a deer. In the years since then, more than $900,000 in revenue from the plate has been allocated to the Sportsmen’s Wildlife Foundation.

According to the article, the "Sportsman's Wildlife Foundation" was founded by Bittle (R-Knoxville) who is the foundation's CEO. Five of its six board members are family.

The money was used to purchase 329 acres in Cumberland County and build a luxury "hunting lodge" currently appraised at $319K to promote "hunter safety instruction."

The article mentions that Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey and State Sen. Jamie Woodson helped push the bill through the legislature. Read the whole article to fully appreciate how questionable all this sounds.

According to Tennessee Secretary of State business records (click "search using any part of a business name" and search for "wildlife foundation"), the Sportsman's Wildlife Federation was "administratively dissolved" by the State in Sept. 1999, just four months after the legislation passed. It was reinstated in December of 2001.

In case you hadn't heard, State Rep. Rob Briley (D-Nashville) was arrested for DUI after a high speed chase.

According to the report, when officers approached his SUV with guns drawn, he got out, reached back in, got his drink and finished it "at gunpoint". Extra points for style, I guess.

We hope he's OK and gets any help he needs.

State Sen. Ward Crutchfield, who pled guilty to a felony last week, will resign in "due time" according to his lawyer.

It has to be before Nov. 4th in order to trigger a special election instead of an appointment by Hamilton County Commission. I guess the question is, why hasn't he resigned already?

UPDATE: Joe Lance has a roundup of possible successors. (By way of ACK.)

This statement was just released by Democratic Caucus Chairman Senator Joe Haynes, D-Goodlettsville, after the announcement that Senator Ward Crutchfield, D-Chattanooga, had pled guilty to bribery in Federal court:

"The members of the Caucus are saddened by this turn of events. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Senator Crutchfield and his family during this difficult time. It is our hope that this does not obscure what was a record of noteworthy public service. Senator Crutchfield represented the people of his district with distinction for a very long time."

WBIR files this report.

KNS files this report.

Michael Silence has a roundup of background from bloggers around the state.

Republican State Sen. Raymond Finney, who represents Blount Co. and portions of Sevier Co. in the Tennessee Senate, has a massive, two-page ad in today's Maryville Daily Times summarizing this year's session, with his comments on the various legislation passed.

Although I don't agree with Sen. Finney's politics on a wide range of issues, I have always given him credit where credit is due for his accessibility, open communication with constituents, and communications outreach (with a couple of exceptions). Although he generally does not represent my views, I'm the minority in Blount Co. so he effectively represents his mostly conservative constituency.

Here's the web edition of Sen. Finney's legislative update ad that ran in today's paper. It's as good a summary of the session as you will see anywhere, although not all the controversial issues are discussed.

Even though he ran as a firebrand conservative, Sen. Finney's positions on the issues mentioned reveal that he may be more moderate than he lets on. Or maybe that's the impression he wants to portray.

By my tally, based on his positions and my interpretation of the generally accepted party line on the issues, Sen. Finney scores a 12 on the Democrat/liberal scale and an 11 on the Republican/conservative scale (out of a possible 26). If you weight it based on the intensity of his feelings on a particular issue, it comes out only slightly more conservative.

Of course, wedge issues such as abortion and gay rights weren't in the spotlight during this session, probably because it isn't an election year. A more thorough review of all his votes would probably suggest a more conservative record. But at least he documents them.

(It's curious that he voted "yes" on every piece of legislation put before the Senate except the very few times he abstained, and that nearly every bill passed unanimously. I wonder if that has something to do with letting them change their votes to tidy up their records as long as it doesn't change the outcome?)

(UPDATE: ACK previously discussed the vote "do overs". Not sure this is such a great idea, for exactly the reasons he states.)

After a failed Republican filibuster, the cigarette tax passed in the House yesterday. Tom Humphrey has this report on all the drama.

Senate Democratic leader Sen. Jim Kyle (D-Memphis) notes in a press release that the cigarette tax, only the third increase in 40 years, funds another bill that raises the state funding of local school instructional costs from 65% to 75%, which benefits local governments and should reduce property taxes. Regarding Senate action on the bills, Sen. Kyle says:

The first bill passed with 32 of the 33 Senators voting for it. However, the second bill, the one that financed the 75 percent bill, the one that made all this possible, passed on a straight-line partisan vote. All Democrats voted yes, and all Republicans voted no.

What does this say about the Tennessee Senate? What does this say about Democrats and Republicans? I would say that it speaks volumes as to who can be trusted to lead our state. Please remember, for months Republicans said there were other ways to finance the education plan and the tobacco money was not needed, but in the end, Republicans did not fight the tax; they did not offer alternatives to the tax; they simply stood on the sidelines.

We Democrats asked our Republican colleagues to walk with us as we turn this state away from 49th. Sadly, they could not find the courage to go.

Tennessee deserves better. Tennessee deserves leadership that is willing to take risks, leadership that looks to the next generation and not the next election. Tennessee Democrats understand it is hard to lead, it is difficult to lead, but it is, to quote John Wilder, "good to lead." Tennessee deserves Democratic leadership in both the Senate and House.

Lots of folks think the cigarette tax should be raised, but that it would be more appropriate to use the funds for health care. Along those lines, Sen. Rosalind Kurita got her "two cents" in, with the revenues going to help fund trauma centers. From the press release:

Senate Speaker Pro Tempore Rosalind Kurita, D-Clarksville, secured much-needed funding for Tennessee’s financially strapped trauma centers on Thursday, May 31 when she successfully passed a two-cents-per-pack increase in the state’s cigarette tax. The estimated $10 million in new revenue generated by the hike will go to the newly created Trauma System Fund, a grant program the State will administer to assist trauma centers in covering the high costs associated with caring for trauma patients.

"Trauma centers are literally the difference between life and death for multiply injured patients," Kurita, a registered nurse, said.

Sen. Kurita notes that Tennessee has Level I trauma centers in Chattanooga, Johnson City, Kingsport, Knoxville, Memphis, and Nashville, one Level II center in Bristol, and three Level III centers in Athens, Etowah, and Maryville. Since 1990, eleven trauma centers in Tennessee have dropped their designations, and currently there are no Level II or Level III centers in Middle or West Tennessee.

"We cannot allow any more trauma centers to close," Kurita said. "When trauma centers close, critically injured Tennesseans die."

The workplace smoking ban has passed the Tennessee Senate. It is scheduled for the House next week.

In related news, one-half of the cigarette tax increase to fund education has cleared the Senate Finance Committee.

UPDATE: Statement by Senate Democratic Leader Jim Kyle on the cigarette tax:

"Tennesseans, regardless of political party, understand that our schools need more funding. That’s why you saw overwhelming bipartisan support today for increasing the cigarette tax.

I applaud the Republican senators that stood with us. But let me be clear, 20 cents won’t do everything the State needs to do. Twenty cents won’t fund the crime bills. Twenty cents won’t fund State employee pay raises and compression. Twenty cents won’t restore the road fund with recurring funds. And 20 cents won’t discourage as many young people from taking up smoking as 40 cents will.

It is my intention to push the full 40-cent increase that Governor Bredesen has requested when we get this bill to the floor. I expect my Senate colleagues, who understand the importance of these other measures as well as I do, to join me in this effort."

Sponsors of the AT&T statewide cable franchise bill say they will withdraw the bill for this year. They didn't feel they would have they votes and they are disappointed by the lack of support from local governments. It will likely be back for the 2008 session.

Knoxville News Sentinel (AP)

Memphis Commercial Appeal

Nashville City Paper

I'm surprised. I thought it was a done deal. One article speculates, though, that all the amendments neutered AT&T's advantage, so they wanted it pulled. It looks like Frank Cagle was right. This is the bill that keeps on giving - to lobbyists.

Tom Humphrey files this report, also involving drama, political intrigue, e-mails, and Sen. Burchett, who seems to be having a bad week.

Tom Humphrey files this report. There was some drama involving e-mails, high-profile lobbyists, and an exchange between an AT&T lobbyist and Sen. Tim Burchett (R-Knoxville), who objected to being called an "obstructionist." He voted against the bill in the committee.

One amendment would establish a new cable control board with representatives from local governments in addition to state officials. The original proposal would have put cable franchises under control of the Tennessee Regulatory Agency.

The bill cleared the committee by a vote of 6-3. Voting for the bill were Senators Beavers, Bunch, Crutchfield, Southerland, Stanley, and Wilder. Voting against were Senators Burchett, Burks, and Tate.

The House Commerce Committee deferred action again. It has previously cleared the House Utilities, Banking, and Small Business sub-committee.

The KNS has another editorial today with what sounds like a lukewarm endorsement of the AT&T proposal in order to promote more broadband access. We agree with the KNS on expanding broadband access. We wonder if this bill will actually do that (see links below for background).

For example, we live in a relatively new development. We have been begging BellSouth, now AT&T, for DSL service for more than three years and still can't get it. We are inside the city limits with all new infrastructure and utilities. We are exactly the kind of neighborhood where you would expect AT&T to "cherry pick".

And in fact they have been invited by the City to submit a proposal for their new cable/broadband service, but as far as we know they have not responded. They could move into our area with their service any time they want, with or without a statewide franchise, but they won't. They won't even provide basic DSL.

How exactly does this increase competition again?

Previous posts about the bill can be found here and here.

My prediction: This bill will eventually pass this time around because of the intense lobbying effort and the massive "voter education" campaign that has convinced everyone that "competition" is good and will benefit them.

UPDATE: Joe Powell has more.

The AT&T sponsored cable franchise bill is back on the calendar for tomorrow in both the House Commerce and Senate Commerce, Labor & Agriculture committees. Previous posts about the bill can be found here and here. (The Senate version now has ten amendments and I haven't had time to read them. Does anybody know what they say?)

The 40 cent cigarette tax is also back on the front burner. The tax, which is the funding mechanism for Gov. Bredesen's Schools First initiative, is on the joint House and Senate Finance, Ways & Means Committee calendar for tomorrow.

Sen. Rosalind Kurita, who was previously rumored to have said she wouldn't support it because she wasn't asked to sponsor it, is fully on board. She and Rep. Joanne Favors (D-Chattanooga), Tennessee Department of Health Commissioner Susan Cooper, and 98 registered nurses held a rally at the State Capitol last week to support the cigarette tax and promote awareness of teen smoking. Kurita, a registered nurse, has long been a supporter of higher cigarette taxes to help fund health care and as a way to reduce smoking.

Democratic Caucus Chairman Senator Joe Haynes conducted a constituent survey last month that showed 68% of the 807 respondents favored the cigarette tax increase to help fund education. (The survey of Nashville area voters also revealed that 78% support raising the minimum wage to $6.15 and 77% support state spending for alternative fuel research and development.)

The workplace smoking ban is also back on the Senate Commerce, Labor and Agriculture and the House Agriculture committees for tomorrow. There has been some previous (and sometimes heated) debate about this here. There are all kinds arguments on both sides, but even to a future ex-smoker like myself this one is a no-brainer that should be passed right away.

Some items of note from the Tennessee General Assembly...

• Sen. Roy Herron (D-Dresden) sponsored SB1566 that bans hunting while under the influence of drugs or a blood alcohol level of .08 (the same as DUI). A first offense will get you 48 hours in jail, a fine of between $350 and $1,500, and the loss of a Tennessee hunting license for one year. A second offense will get you 11 mo. 29 days in jail and a fine of up to $3500. The bill includes an "implied consent" provision for anyone hunting. The Senate passed the bill unanimously and it is now pending in the House. What's amazing is that this wasn't already the law.

• In related news, Sen. Tim Burchett (R-Knoxville) and Rep. Frank Nicely (R-Knoxville) sponsored HB2184 to allow carrying a handgun in state parks. The bill was passed by the House Judiciary Committee, and is on the Senate Judiciary Calendar for May 15th. Along the way, it was amended to eliminate prohibitions on carrying handguns on
"the grounds of any public park, playground, civic center or other property owned, used or operated by any municipal, county or state government, or instrumentality thereof, for recreational purposes," and a second amendment requires posting a sign to that effect at parks, playgrounds, civic centers, etc. What a bunch of yahoos.

So now, visitors to the beautiful State of Tennessee and our parks and our civic centers would be greeted with a sign informing that anyone and everyone there could be armed. How pleasant. I guess the gun nuts are happy, though, because they would be able to protect themselves from that guy peeing over there in the bushes who might be a terrorist or a child molester.

But wait. The commissioner of the State Department of Environment and Conservation says that out of 50 million visits to state parks in 2005 and 2006, there were only 12 reported crimes against state park visitors. And the Tennessee Association of Park Rangers says that handguns are not compatible with the family friendly atmosphere at our state parks.

UPDATE: In what must be a sign of the Apocalypse, SayUncle tends to agree.

• Sen. Rosalind Kurita (D-Clarksville) and Sen. Raymond Finney (R-Maryville) co-sponsored SB0116 which requires the Department of Economic and Community Development to establish energy and lighting efficiency standards to be enforced by local governments. It establishes the 2003 International Energy Conservation Code as the minimum energy conservation standards for new residential construction in Tennessee beginning January 1, 2008. Current law requires the usage of building codes established in 1992. The bill passed unanimously in the Senate, and is pending in the House. If she can get it passed and to the Governor, this would be some redemption for Kurita. As for Finney, it moves him up from around -9 to -8 on my approval scale of 1 to 10.

• "Tort Reform" proposed by SB2001 sailed through the Senate but hit a snag in the House when Rep. Rob Briley (D-Nashville) tried to amend it to change some rules regarding expert testimony. It's now back in the House Judiciary Committee. Here's our take on why this is bad legislation.

• A Tennessee minimum wage bill has once again failed, except this time it was pulled by its own sponsor in the Senate, Sen. Doug Jackson (D-Dickson), who said "I want there to be a loud discussion and debate in the early days of the next session." SB1668 doesn't even increase the minimum wage, it just sets it the same as the Federal minimum wage with provisions to change it if the federal minimum is not changed for five years. This is weak and embarrassing.

Sources tell us Sen. Kurita is a little frustrated that she isn't feeling the love from fellow Democrats and may be helping out the other team.

Kurita allegedly told senior members of the Governor's staff and at least one cabinet member that she won't vote for the Governor's Schools First cigarette tax increase because she isn't sponsoring the bill. This is apparently not the first time she has complained about not being chosen to sponsor the bill.

Kurita has in the past been a strong supporter of raising the cigarette tax, and sponsored a bill in 2005 that would have raised the tax to 60 cents, similar to the Governor's proposal except the money was to be used for TennCare and the general fund. It was rejected by the Senate Finance committee.

Kurita has also apparently complained that she can't get any bills passed in the House (other than a resolution honoring the Vanderbilt Women's Basketball team) and has even asked Gov. Bredesen to talk to Jimmy Naifeh about it.

There are also reports that she tipped off Republicans about Senate Democrat plans to amend the rules so that committee membership and leadership reflect the actual make up of the Senate (16 Democrats, 16 Republicans, 1 Independent) and told Republicans they should reinstate the rule requiring a 2/3 vote for rule changes in order to stop this. She supposedly told them they needed to do it while Senators Cooper and Ford were absent so that she could vote with the Democrats, giving her cover.

The KNS profiles Stacey Campfield. Here's my favorite part:

While none of those ideas has been transformed into law so far, Campfield said he is optimistic about ultimate success. He compared his crusading to the 18th-century efforts of William Wilberforce to convince England's Parliament to abolish slavery.

"They tried to intimidate him, ridiculed him," Campfield said. "That shows that, if you just keep trying, sooner or later it'll happen."

That Stacey, he's so noble.

The Tennessee House Utilities, Banking, and Small Business sub-committee voted 8 to 6 to recommend passage of the cable franchise bill that will eliminate local control of cable franchises.

Representatives voting for approval were: Cobb C, Gilmore, Kelsey, Lynn, McCormick, Pitts, Curtiss, Shepard.

Representatives voting against approval were: Fitzhugh, Lundberg, Matheny, McManus, Rowe, Towns.

It is on the Senate Commerce, Labor, and Agriculture committee calendar for action today. The House action today was, I believe, the first recorded vote on the measure.

Here's a recent post by C.E. Petro about why this isn't a good idea, and here's a KnoxViews roundup.

Another update on the state-wide cable franchise bill. The latest edition of the KNS's Greater Knoxville Business Journal has this point-counterpoint between an AT&T spokesperson and Knoxville City Councilman Rob Frost:

FROST: "Competition is good, but the competition AT&T is talking about providing is to a fraction of our society. AT&T can come in right now, but they would have to provide their service to everyone. AT&T doesn't want to play by the rules that everyone else has.

"They're going to provide competition to the wealthiest of the wealthy and no one else. Government should not be in the business of allowing the creation of economic classes. This is coming from someone who traditionally votes Republican, but right is right and wrong is wrong, and this is wrong."

Read the whole thing.

Tom Humphrey at the KNS files this report on a proposed 2.5 cent per-gallon ethanol subsidy currently before the Tennessee General Assembly.

The "pilot" program would be targeted at nine East Tennessee counties. A Pilot Oil lobbyist is promoting the bill. According to the article, the cost would be somewhere around $3.3 million, based on an expected output of 60 million gallons from a producer in Knoxville. The article also mentions Bredesen's proposed $40 million "biomass ethanol production plant" in Oak Ridge.

I've pretty much decided that ethanol is the wrong path to pursue. Some experts say it takes more petroleum to produce ethanol than it replaces and that it's a net energy loss. It seems like a pretty primitive solution, too. We need bigger ideas. And there's already a 51 cent per-gallon federal ethanol subsidy, not to mention corn subsidies.

What if they used the $3.3 million to provide hybrid tax credits instead? A $1000 hybrid tax credit would encourage 3300 new hybrids on Tennessee's roads. Throw in Bredesen's $40 million for an ethanol plant, and that would stimulate purchase of 43,300 new hybrids.

If you figure 15K miles per year at 20MPG v. 15K miles per year at 35MPG, that's a reduction in fuel consumption of more than 14 million gallons per year. Throw in the federal subsidies, and we could all be driving free hybrids! Well, not quite, but you get the picture.

Who would argue with a policy that reduces fuel consumption by 14 million gallons per year and saves Tennessee motorists $37 million at the gas pumps?

Oh, wait...

According to a press release, members of the Tennessee Senate Environment, Conservation & Tourism Committee will visit Kyle's Ford on the Clinch River on Friday, April 20 to examine the effect that pollution from Virginia coal mines is having on the Tennessee waterway.

The committee has has heard testimony that Virginia mining...

The Knox County Commission is set to vote today on a resolution opposing the statewide cable franchise bill. More info here, background here.

UPDATE: Joe Powell on the disinformation campaign being run by the bill's promoters.

The AT&T lobbyist sponsored bill HB1421/ SB1933 in the Tennessee General Assembly eliminates local control of cable franchises, regulates local franchise fees, restricts or eliminates customer service and quality standards, provides state regulation of local public right of way for the benefit of cable companies, restricts or eliminates local build-out requirements, and allows cable companies to create statewide franchises.

The House version has been deferred three times, and is currently on the House Commerce Committee calendar for April 10th. The Senate version has been deferred once, and is currently on the Senate Commerce, Labor & Agriculture committee calendar for April 10th.

Click "read more" for a comprehensive update...

Here's an update on the situation with Democratic State Sen. Rosalind Kurita, who cast the deciding vote for Republican State Sen. Ron Ramsey for Speaker and Lt. Governor, and State Sen. Mike Williams, who recently jumped the GOP ship to become an independent after also voting for Ramsey.

Senate Democrats passed a resolution welcoming Williams to caucus with them without requiring him to declare himself a Democrat, and recognizing every member's duty to vote their conscience based on the merits of the issues instead of partisan considerations.

Republicans weren't so magnanimous. Apparently, Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey tried to have Williams removed from the Senate Education Committee, asking Sen. Randy McNally to take his place. According to a source, McNally refused because a) Ramsey wanted him to vote against the Governor's education proposals, and b) removing Williams from a committee would be bad PR for Ramsey.

On a related note, Ramsey named Kurita Senate speaker pro tem in return for her vote, and bonus, she got an expanded office out of the deal -- an expansion that annexed most of Sen. Williams' office space.

Williams was moved to a different building, but not without a parting shot. Yesterday, he introduced a proposal that would require 30 days public notice for all legislative office space construction plans and approval by the state architect and building commission. (Williams says the idea originally came from Republican Caucus chair Sen. Diane Black.)

Sources also tell us that Senate Republicans, led by Sen. Paul Stanley, have been courting Kurita to switch sides and join the GOP. She hasn't yet of course -- I think we would have heard about that -- but she is said to be doing some PR work with Ramsey's deputy chief of staff Lance Frizzell.