Capitol Notes

LEGISLATIVE COLUMN Capitol Notes | Peggy Sue, the Beagle Hound

The more I get to know some people, the more I like dogs.

2020 Session

The 111th General Assembly has cleared the far turn and is headed for the homestretch of the 2020 session. Most of the subcommittees and committees are closed for the year. The work now turns towards the final crafting of the state’s 2020-2021 appropriations bill. This bill, which sets the framework for the state’s budget, always requires caution because of the uncertainty of economic forecasting. The state’s financial leaders are being more than a bit cautious in this process because of economic uncertainty flowing from recent world economic events. The COVID-19 spread into Tennessee and Saudi Arabia’s surprising engagement in a crude oil price war are rippling through our global, national, and state economies. The SXSW Festival in Austin has been cancelled for 2020. If the 2020 CMA Festival here in Nashville were to be cancelled, the impact on our state and local economies would be significant. Adjournment is expected byApril 17.

The Wizard of the Saddle

For a 56-year-old Tennessean with very little formal education who lived from 1821 until 1877, Nathan Bedford Forrest sure is in the news quite a bit. For someone who enlisted in the Confederate Army as a private soon after Tennessee seceded from the Union in 1861, he rose to the incredible rank of Lieutenant General in the Confederate Army in 1865. For someone born on a farm in Marshall County, he moved to Memphis and became one of the wealthiest men in Tennessee, if not the South by 1860. A significant portion of that wealth is attributed to the trading of slaves and the ownership of cotton plantations. When someone asked the Wizard of the Saddle his approach to military success, he responded, “Get there first with the most men.” For someone Shelby Foote recognized as one of the two geniuses of the Civil War (the other being Abraham Lincoln), his reputation was greatly tarnished when his troops massacred mostly black Union troops at the Battle of Fort Pillow in 1864. For someone who resigned from the Ku Klux Klan, he did serve as their first Grand Wizard. Since 1978, his bronze bust has had a prominent location on the second floor of Tennessee’s State Capitol. Tennessee State Law requires our Governor to recognize Forrest’s birthday with a Proclamation each year. Governor Lee has punted on the opportunity to remove the July 13 observation as a day of special observance. Under House Bill 2266, the Governor will no longer have to issue a proclamation for such, but July 13 will remain in the statute books as a day of special observance. The work to form a more perfect union continues.

March 3 Primary

Congratulations are in order for the winning local candidates: Pat Moskal for Chancery Court, Part 1; Jennifer Smith, Criminal Court, Division 4; Erica Gilmore, Trustee; and Vivian Wilhoite, Assessor of Property. Each will appear on the August 6 general election ballot, but no one is expected to have formal opposition. We also offer a happy wag of the tail to all the candidates for races run well.

Checklist for April and May

1. Registration opens on May 4 for the Law Day lunch on Friday, July 10. This year’s theme is: Your Vote, Your Voice, Our Democracy: The 19th Amendment at 100. We all have a vague awareness of Tennessee’s important role in the ratification of the 19th Amendment, and this event will make that awareness a bit more top of mind. We have a fondness for the 1920 slogan “Men bear arms, but Women bear armies.”

2. Make plans to attend the NBA Spring Memorial Service at the Downtown Presbyterian Church on Thursday, May 21. The service is always powerful as we cry and chuckle together while remembering those attorneys who have passed.

3. Recovery from a natural disaster such as the March 3 early morning tornadoes is a long hunt. Stroke a check to the Community Foundation or strap on a tool belt with our friends from Hands on Nashville and offer assistance for the many who face a difficult recovery and restoration process.

Calendar Notes State and NBA offices will be closed on Friday, April 10, for the Good Friday holiday and Monday, May 25 for the Memorial Day holiday. n

PEGGY SUE is fond of the classic 1957 Buddy Holly song. When hunting legislative news or biscuits, she is hard to contact.

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