12 local state lawmakers gather for legislative luncheon, take questions

On Saturday afternoon, a panel full of lawmakers came together to address issues they're representing this legislative session in front of journalists who cover the issues they discuss. 

 

More than 70 people attended the East Tennessee's Society of Professional Journalist's annual legislative luncheon.

 

"This was one of the largest crowds I've seen at this gathering and it's that the general public is really engaged in what's happening right now in Nashville," Representative Eddie Smith (R-Knoxville) said.

 

With the legislative session underway, lawmakers addressed plenty of issues on the table, including highway infrastructure, gas tax, open carry law and seat belts on school buses.

 

"We need to do something but the question right now is what do we do?" Smith asked regarding seat belts on school buses.

 

Smith said having seatbelts on school buses sounds great, but lawmakers have to look further into the law, not only because of the cost, but because of potential negative consequences. 

 

"Whenever we look at a law, we have to look at what are the intended but what are the unintended consequences of any law," he said. 

 

Representative Bob Ramsey (R-Maryville) says it will take research to figure out what's best.

 

"Then it's up to us to find the funding and the revenue to pursue whichever statistically is the best solution for the safety of our students," Ramsey said. 

 

Another hot topic brought up was a letter sent to the president of the University of Tennessee opposing job outsourcing plans.

 

"They are not asking for much. They are asking for job security and they are proud to serve the State of Tennessee so I think it's only right to support those that have been working so hard for the university of Tennessee and other state institutions," Rep. Rick Staples (D- Knoxville) said. 

 

From seat belts to outsourcing, the conversation on big issues continues for these lawmakers in Nashville as the legislative session has just began. 

 

"It's important that they get to see who we are a lot of times it's just a name and see what we think about certain events, certain topics, and laws that are coming into place or action or consideration," Smith said.

Meet the local legislators Saturday

More than a dozen local legislators are gathering for a public panel discussion this Saturday.

The East Tennessee Society of Professional Journalists is hosting its annual Legislative Luncheon.

This is an opportunity to find out where your legislators stand, engage with them and hear their priorities for the 2017 legislative session. Members of the public will be able to submit questions to the panel.

RELATED: ET lawmakers gather for 2016 legislative luncheon

The event will take place at Bearden Banquet Hall on Kingston Pike in West Knoxville.

Doors will open for lunch at 11:30 a.m. and the panel discussion will start around noon.

Cost for the lunch is $15 in advance for SPJ members, $18 in advance for non-SPJ members and $20 at the door.

If you don’t plan on eating, the event is free. Donations are encouraged for coffee and tea, which will be available.

The event is open to the public, but reservations are required for lunch. Please reserve your lunch ticket HERE.

Legislators attending include:

• Sen. Richard Briggs (R-Knoxville)
• Rep. Harry Brooks (R-Knoxville)
• Rep. Martin Daniel (R-Knoxville)
• Sen. Becky Duncan Massey (R-Knoxville)
• Rep. Bill Dunn (R-Knoxville)
• Rep. Roger Kane (R-Knoxville)
• Rep. Jimmy Matlock (R-Lenoir City)
• Sen. Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge)
• Rep. Bob Ramsey (R-Maryville)
• Rep. Eddie Smith of Knoxville (R-Knoxville)
• Rep. Rick Staples (D-Knoxville)
• Sen. Ken Yager (R-Kingston)
• Rep. Jason Zachary (R-Knoxville)

Information on the event and ETSPJ is available HERE.

TCOG and ETSPJ raise concerns in open meeting case for Greene County IDB

I'm going to run this as is. What's going on in Greene County is a bunch of bull. Here ya go:

The Tennessee Coalition for Open Government and the East Tennessee Professional Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists have issued a joint statement o concern about efforts to interpret the Tennessee Open Meetings Act that could fundamentally reduce citizen access to public meetings.

The Industrial Development Board of Greeneville and Greene County and the private company US Nitrogen contend in a lawsuit that the Tennessee Open Meetings Act does not require that citizens be able to hear proceedings at a public meeting, only that a governing body give citizens an opportunity to be present.

The Tennessee Coalition for Open Government and the East Tennessee Professional Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists believe such a narrow interpretation would make a mockery of the state’s Sunshine Law and allow or even encourage absurd scenarios where a governing body could hold a public meeting, but prevent citizens from hearing what they say.

The law makes clear that efforts to circumvent the Tennessee Open Meetings Act by members deliberating privately amongst themselves will not be tolerated:

“The general assembly hereby declares it to be the policy of this state that the formation of public policy and decisions is public business and shall not be conducted in secret.” (T.C.A. 8-44-101)

And in language that emphasizes the importance of audibility, the law instructs governing bodies that allow a member to participate electronically or by phone that: “Each part of a meeting required to be open shall be audible to the public at the location specified in the notice of the meeting…”

The issue of audibility arose after citizens attended a July 18 meeting of the Industrial Development Board and a citizen was ejected from the meeting and arrested after asking the governing board to speak up so members of the audience could hear. Citizens filed 59 complaints with the Office of Open Records Counsel, some of which protested they could not hear and that the industrial development board held the meeting without using microphones, and sat around a table so that some members had their backs to the audience.

Elisha Hodge, who was then the state’s Open Records Counsel, reviewed the complaints and video of the meeting and wrote a letter to the chairman of the Industrial Development Board, who is also the Greene County mayor, that it was her opinion that to be in compliance with the Open Meetings Act “that all public meetings of a governing body are required to be held in a manner that permits the public to hear the issues being deliberated and/or the decisions being made.” She said she could not hear portions of the meeting on the video she watched, even though the recorder had a microphone.

TCOG and SPJ-East Tennessee chapter believe arguments to interpret the Open Meetings Act as not requiring deliberations of a governing body to be audible in a public meeting are inconsistent with the core purpose and intent of the Act, which is to prevent secrecy in how decisions are arrived at by governing bodies.

TCOG is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization founded in 2003 whose mission is to promote and preserve transparency in government through education and awareness of the state’s open records and open meetings laws. More information can be found at www.tcog.info.

ETSPJ is a professional chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, the nation’s most broad-based journalism organization, dedicated to encouraging the free practice of journalism and stimulating high standards of ethical behavior. It was founded in 1909.