Not waiting until January

State legislators are already beginning to file legislation for the upcoming 106th General Assembly. Big thumbs up on HJR0003 (no income tax) and HB0009/SB0003 (picture ID for voters). Looks like Rep. G. A. Hardaway (D-Memphis) is still on his parental rights soapbox. You may remember he was the one who managed to offend nearly every woman in the state by suggesting all babies be tested for paternity. I like lower taxes on food...but Hardaway is sponsoring it?

I certainly hope that this group of legislators realizes that the number of bills has gotten completely out of hand---4,280 last session. Filing a bill doesn't make you a good legislator. Remember quality trumps quantity. You'll have enough to do just balancing the budget mess Gov. Bredesen and Speaker Naifeh gave us.

*HB0001 by *Cobb J, *McCormick, *Dean. (SB0001 by *Watson.)

Highways, Roads and Bridges - As introduced, enlarges optional projects as pilot programs permissible under Tennessee Tollway Act to include: (1) presently permissible single highway project and single major bridge project, (2) two highway projects or (3) two major bridge projects. - Amends TCA Section 54-3-113.

*HB0002 by *Hardaway.

Child Custody and Support - As introduced, enacts the "Equal and Fair Parenting Act" to create a rebuttable presumption that equally shared parenting time is the custody arrangement in the best interest of a child. - Amends TCA Title 36, Chapter 6, Part 1.

HB0003 by *Cobb J. (SB0002 by *Yager.)

Rhea County - Subject to local approval, repeals the ban on partisan elections for county executive and county legislative body of Rhea County. - repeal Chapter 322 of the Private Acts of 1978.

*HB0004 by *Bass, *Turner M.

Handgun Permits - As introduced, provides that person exempt from classroom and firing range training requirement by reason of prior military experience is also exempt from payment of $115 application and processing fee. - Amends TCA Title 39, Chapter 17, Part 13.

*HB0005 by *Hardaway.

Child Custody and Support - As introduced, requires that a court in making a decree or order for child support set a presumptive date for the termination of the current child support obligation. - Amends TCA Section 36-5-101.

*HB0006 by *Hardaway.

Lottery, Scholarships and Programs - As introduced, creates the Tennessee Education Lottery financial assistance grant for certain students who are financially needy. - Amends TCA Title 49, Chapter 4, Part 9.

*HB0007 by *Hardaway.

Taxes, Sales - As introduced, reduces sales and use tax on food and food ingredients from 5.5 percent to 4.5 percent. - Amends amend TCA Title 67, Chapter 6.

*HB0008 by *Hardaway.

Banks and Financial Institutions - As introduced, limits fee that high-cost home loan lenders may charge for third or subsequent pay-off statement provided to borrow in 12-month period to $10.00. - Amends TCA Title 45 and Title 62, Chapter 13.

*HB0009 by *Weaver. (SB0003 by *Beavers.)

Election Laws - As introduced, requires a voter to present qualified photographic identification before voting; voters without proper identification shall be allowed to cast provisional ballots. - Amends TCA Title 2, Chapter 7.

Joint Resolutions:

*HJR0003 by *Kelsey, *McDaniel, *Casada, *Lynn, *Maggart, *Matheny, *Johnson P, *Shipley, *Halford, *Rich, *Swafford, *McCormick, *Niceley, *Harrison, *Brooks K, *Cobb J, *McManus, *Bell, *Hill, *Lundberg, *Haynes, *Lollar, *Evans, *Dennis, *Brooks H, *Hensley, *Weaver, *Sargent, *Ford , *Dean, *Williams, *Coley, *Watson, *Floyd, *Montgomery, *Carr, *Eldridge, *Johnson C, *Harwell, *Faulkner.

Constitutional Amendments - Proposes an amendment to clarify the constitutional language that currently prohibits the levying of a tax on any class of income, other than income derived from stocks and bonds, and to prohibit any tax levied on or measured by employer payrolls. -

Balls vs. bytes

Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing the whole lottery effort crash and burn. Government, which is supposed to protect citizens, shouldn't be in the business of taking advantage of their foolishness. But if we're going to have a lottery it has to have the confidence of the players. It has to be as honest as a fool's game can be. Computers mess up lives on a regular basis. Everyone has a story about how a computer mistake has negatively impacted their life. So using one for the lottery already starts with that prejudice in people's minds.

Lottery President Rebecca Pauls Hargrove objects to going back to using the balls, which created no controversy and is still being used by the Power Ball people. She says using computer generated drawings will free up some $5 million in drawing production costs. Money, she says, that could be spent on students instead.

The fact is the lottery has a surplus of funds just sitting around. So much so there was legislation last year to make the lottery a lending institution for school systems wanting to make capital improvements. The legislature ensures there is a surplus by keeping those scholarships on the low end so that other pet projects (pre-K for one) can be funded.

If she really wants to free up money for students, she should consider starting with the administrator's salary. Don't let those billboards (now there's an expense that could be eliminated) touting the amount of money that has gone to students fool you. It's only 1/3rd of the revenues. See 2/3rds For the Students

In talks of renewing the contract, the media markets in Nashville and Memphis would not enter into a contract extension under the current terms, Hargrove said, and wanted more. She said they were no longer willing to pay for production costs, and Memphis television stations wanted $12,000 a week to air the drawings. Striking a new television contract for the ball drawing would cost an estimated $4.8 million annually, about a $4.5 million increase, lotto figures show. City Paper

And so now, having pandered to the gambling industry to bring the lottery to Tennessee through all their positive lottery puff pieces before the vote to enact it, television stations are now looking for their cut of this very lucrative business. It's payback time.

2/3rd for the students

And while we're on the subject of the lottery. Thursday's (1/23/07) Tennessean tells us that the Tennessee Lottery sold "$1 billion in tickets in its third full year of existence...$2.8 billion since it was launched." I'm supposed to be happy that $778 million was provided for education. I'm not. It should have been more like $1.96 billion.

$778 million divided by $2.8 billion = 28%. Less than a third of all that money people are spending for lottery tickets actually begins to benefit any student. 2/3rds of this money benefits the bureaucracy that runs it. This enterprise is so bloated with administrative costs that Charity Navigator would score it this way:

We believe that those spending less than a third of their budget on program expenses are simply not living up to their missions. Charities demonstrating such gross inefficiency receive zero points for their overall organizational efficiency score.

So if the effort is 'not living up to their mission' and the poor among us are getting shafted--what's the upside? Oh, yeah---lots of adults are making a very good living from this enterprise and...

“What it says is that poor people are sending wealthy kids to school, children that will be going to college anyway,” [State Senator Thelma] Harper said.

That's a broad statement that's not entirely true but you get the drift. If we're going to keep the lottery--we've got to see that percentage of money going to student rise dramatically. The numbers ought to be flipped 1/3rd for the bureaucracy and 2/3rds for the students.

105 GA legislation 1

It's that time of year again. Legislators are filing bills and I'm going through the list for things that need to be tracked. I'm usually looking for education legislation but I'll post others here as they concern me. I've started with the House bills. Here's the link to the main index if you want to take a look for yourself.

Lottery money: Some legislators are constantly looking for ways to manipulate the scholarships for college students so that they can bring some of this money back to their home districts. This year is no different:

*HB0009 by *Hawk, *Brooks H.

Lottery, Scholarships and Programs - Creates K-12 lottery capital outlay special account; establishes grant program for capital outlay projects for K-12 educational facilities administered by comptroller of the treasury. - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 51, Part 1; Title 8, Chapter 4; Title 9, Chapter 4 and Title 49.

So they limit the amount of money college students can receive in order to create excess funds, move the money to this fund which can only be used for capital outlay (not early learning or after school programs) and voila--bring the bacon home. And no, unexpended funds don't revert back to the scholarship fund the state will invest the money for future capital projects. The comptroller gets to decide who is grant-worthy.

HB0020 by *Shepard. (*SB0025 by *Jackson.)

Lottery, Scholarships and Programs - Changes income eligibility requirement for receipt of need-based ASPIRE award, HOPE access grant, and HOPE scholarship for nontraditional students from incomes not exceeding $36,000 to incomes not exceeding $45,000. - Amends TCA Title 49, Chapter 4, Part 9.

Election laws: This is just a bad idea. Early voting is excruciatingly long as it is--we don't need to extend it. do we really want 7 more days of television and radio ads, mailings, debate and polling expenses?

HB0016 by *Shepard. (*SB0018 by *Jackson.)

Election Laws - Extends early voting period for state elections by seven days. - Amends TCA Title 2, Chapter 6, Part 1.

And if we're going to allow anyone to vote absentee--what's the need for early voting at all?

HB0017 by *Shepard. (*SB0012 by *Jackson.)

Election Laws - Permits any registered Tennessee voter to vote absentee. - Amends TCA Title 2.

And let's pull in every vote possible:

HB0021 by *Shepard. (*SB0015 by *Jackson.)

Election Laws - Allows persons who will be 18 years of age by the general election to vote in the primary election. - Amends TCA Title 2, Chapter 2, Part 1.

And you knew it was coming:

HB0023 by *Shepard. (*SB0036 by *Jackson.)

Tax Assessors and Collectors - Enacts the "Tennessee Minimum Wage Act." - Amends TCA Title 50, Chapter 2.

Apparently, they've decided that $6.15 an hour is a livable wage ($3.13 if you earn tips).

More as I have time.