Sen. McNally on 'Inside Tennessee'

Randy McNally

East Tennessee lawmaker Randy McNally doesn’t plan to change much if he becomes the state’s next Speaker of the Senate.

But, he might help push forward a gas tax, so long as a number of factors fall into place.
McNally, a Republican state senator from Oak Ridge, is the frontrunner to replace Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey who announced last month that he won’t seek re-election.

“I don’t think there will be a lot of difference – it will be a fairly smooth transition,” McNally told WBIR 10News.

Senators will vote on the next speaker in January when the General Assembly begins its next session.
McNally, who has served in either the House or Senate since 1977, is the guest on this  Sunday’s “Inside Tennessee,” WBIR 10News’ political and public affairs program, which airs at 9:30 a.m.

“I want to continue the path that (Lt.) Gov. Ramsey, the current speaker, has set out of being a very fiscal conservative legislator – making sure our debt is low, our taxes are low . . . (and) controlling growth in expenditures and making sure the essential services are providing for Tennesseans, especially growing new jobs and promoting education,” he said.

McNally, who currently serves as the chairman of the Senate Finance, Ways and Means Committee, said he plans to spend the summer and fall working with Ramsey to help Tennessee Republicans maintain and grow their strong majority in the state Senate.

During Sunday’s discussion, McNally touches on a wide range of topics, including the state’s financial health, Insure Tennessee and funding for indigent defense.

When pressed about whether he would push for an increase in the gas tax – something Gov. Bill Haslam has floated – McNally said he would, but only under certain conditions, like limiting it to a “single digit increase.”

He told the panel that the tax is a “user fee” that “People who use the roads should pay.”