The second session of the 107th Tennessee General Assembly convenes tomorrow at noon. One of the first items on the legislative agenda is redistricting. The process has been ongoing behind closed doors for several months, and the preliminary proposed maps for new Tennessee Senate, Tennessee House, and U.S. Congressional districts were released last week. The Tennessee Report has a good summary of the proposals. When all is said and done, the Republicans have majorities sufficient to pass the redistricting plans that they choose.
Leadership of both houses has indicated that legislative business will be concluded at least no later than last year’s adjournment date of May 21. To that end, the bill-filing deadline is rumored to be January 26, 2012, and that date, or another, should be confirmed by the end of this week.
Among the items taken off the table already and due for a year’s study are school voucher proposals and workers’ compensation reform.