Tagged: tennessee legislature

From NPR: Winning matters. Having earned a second term, President Obama will attempt to build on and expand the agenda from his first, launching new initiatives on tax policy, education and immigration. But having won the popular vote by a bare majority — and still facing a divided Congress — Obama may find it difficult to gather momentum for his policies.

Tennessee Republicans have secured a supermajority in both chambers of the Legislature. The GOP in Tuesday's election claimed the two seats necessary in both chambers to gain the supermajority. The margins are now 24 to 9 in the Senate and 67 to 24 in the House, with one independent.

Tennessee Republicans expect to add to their already considerable advantage in the state House tomorrow. That’s despite the loss of seven Republican incumbents in August primary races. Governor Bill Haslam is predicting GOP supermajorities in both chambers.

Democratic leaders in the Tennessee legislature are calling for all state lawmakers to undergo diversity and sensitivity training.  They point to insulting comments made by two Republican lawmakers earlier this month to the Legislature's black caucus as the reason.  Democratic Senate Minority Leader Jim Kyle says he believes lawmakers would benefit from some type of sensitivity session, even if it means incorporating it into the mandatory ethics training.  Vanderbilt University’s Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center director Frank Dobson says the lawmakers' offensive comments are par