Gas tax talk to highlight legislature’s week
NASHVILLE - It’s another marquee week for key pieces of Gov. Bill Haslam’s legislative initiatives, as the gas tax is scheduled for the full floor. Lawmakers’ focus now turns almost entirely to the floors of both chambers as committees conclude their calendars. Here are some important items to keep track of this week.
Gov. Haslam’s gas tax
This is the main event, as the gas tax hits both floors on Wednesday. While it’s been relatively smooth sailing through the Senate, Republican infighting in the House has caused the bill to dominate the entire legislative session, delaying other pieces of legislation.
The gas tax has drawn protesters from all over Tennessee who’ve descended on the Capitol — both in opposition and support of the measure, which looks to raise the state tax on gas by a few cents to pay for improvements to road and bridges.
Expect a long and drawn out debate in both the Senate and House, delaying other bills on the regular floor calendar.
Voter fraud rewards
Coming before the full Senate floor on Wednesday, this bill would impose an additional fine of $1,000 on anyone convicted of voter fraud and offer a $1,000 reward for any tips that lead to a conviction.
Sponsored by Mae Beavers, R-Mt. Juliet, this bill originally imposed a $5,000 fine and offered a $5,000 reward, but a House amendment reduced the amount. The House version passed in March.
More than 4.3 million votes were cast in the three 2016 elections, with only 42 reports of potential voter fraud.
Tennesseans might be able to propose their own legislation in a few years if a proposed constitutional amendment from Sen. Jeff Yarbro, D-Nashville, is enacted. His joint resolution would allow for regular Tennesseans to propose laws by a ballot initiative, similar to laws in California. This is only the first step in the long, multiyear process to amend the Tennessee Constitution. His proposed legislation would have to work its way through both chambers this year, get the signature from Gov. Bill Haslam and be reintroduced next year before any permanent change takes place.
Voter selfies
Voters in Tennessee could move closer to being able to take selfies in voting booths, as the House Local Government Committee is set to hear a bill Tuesday.
This legislation is partially inspired by Justin Timberlake who made national headlines in November after he posted a selfie while casting his ballot in a Memphis-area polling place. By posting the selfie, the “SexyBack”singer violated a little-known Tennessee law that made it illegal to take pictures inside a voting booth. The bill changing this law unanimously passed the Senate last week.
This year’s school voucher plan is set to be heard in the House Finance Ways and Means Subcommittee Wednesday. The bill is narrowly aimed at Memphis schools but has taken up hours of debate by lawmakers who worry this would set a precedent. The bill has opposition from public schools and the state’s teachers union, while a few private schools and some school choice groups back the bill. Reach Kirk A. Bado on Twitter at @kirk_bado.