Rumors at Sundown

The state legislature is about a month away from closing up shop. As the pressure builds and lawmakers gear up for election season, tensions are on the rise.

A Bruising for Bailey

State Senator Paul Bailey (R-Sparta), who chairs the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee, raised some eyebrows when he didn’t hold a committee meeting this week. The rumor mill is churning, especially since several of Bailey’s bills have recently been withdrawn, taken off notice, or deferred in the House. Why? Some say House leadership is putting Bailey on notice.

Earlier this month, a few of House Speaker Cameron Sexton’s (R-Crossville) bills were either delayed or placed in the General Subcommittee (a place where bills usually sit and wait to die) by Bailey’s Commerce and Labor Committee.

It’s also worth noting that over the last few years—in anticipation of Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally’s (R-Oak Ridge) inevitable resignation—Bailey’s name has been floated around as a potential member who might vie for McNally’s coveted leadership position in the State Senate. Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson (R-Franklin) has also been favored to take up the mantle. In February, McNally officially announced that he won’t be running for reelection. Certainly, senators jockeying for the position are already strategizing. Could GOP leadership in the House and Senate be closing ranks to send a signal?

Perhaps it’s all idle gossip. We reached out to Bailey’s office about the absence of a committee meeting this week but have yet to receive a response.

Pesky Pesticide Bill

Speaking of whispers, Tennessee’s contentious pest control bill may take an encore before the session’s final curtain call. In January, the legislation that would broaden legal liability protection for pesticide and herbicide companies was delayed for the second time by the House Judiciary Committee.

In February, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to ensure the domestic production of glyphosate-based herbicides in the name of national security. Given that supporters of Tennessee’s pesticide immunity bill are likely encouraged by the president’s actions to protect glyphosate—and that the state Senate has already passed the bill, leaving it only awaiting House approval—there’s a good chance we’ll see the legislation back on the calendar before the end of this year’s session. This is especially true because it’s the final session of the 114th General Assembly; if supporters wait until next year to advance it, they would have to start the process from scratch.

Thinning Out the Herd

The Tennessee Republican Party has kicked 40 people off the Republican primary ballot. Several of the candidates were hoping to challenge Republican incumbents, including the infamous Cade Cothren—former top state House aide who was convicted and then pardoned in a public corruption case alongside ex-House Speaker Glen Casada. Cothren sought to challenge the GOP's freshman incumbent in House District 71, Representative Kip Capley (R-Summertown).