Harwell’s House
Tennessee Speaker ‘ready to govern’
NASHVILLE – The year 2011 was only in its 11th day when history was made in Tennessee. With the inauguration of Gov. Bill Haslam, the Republican party regained control of the executive branch, and the new governor was poised to work in partnership with the speaker of the Senate, Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey (R-Blountville). Meanwhile, across the Capitol foyer, in the House of Representatives, a petite figure rose from her desk to accept the ovation of her colleagues. And then Beth Halteman Harwell Dr. Beth Harwell made history on Jan. 11, 2011 walked to the front of the room to accept the when she became the first woman elected Speaker of the House in Tennessee history. speaker’s gavel. It marked the first time since Reconstruction that the Republicans held all three leadership posts, and the first time in history that a woman had risen to speaker of the House in Tennessee. Though she was not aware of any of her colleagues voting for her because she was a woman, Harwell said she was very proud to have the confidence of her fellow members, and to be the first woman to be elected to the post. As the mother of three, the new speaker certainly had maternal wherewithal but, shortly after her dainty hand grasped the large wooden mallet and gave it a ceremonial rap on the dais, Harwell proved she would not be in the mode of Harriet Nelson or Donna Reed – instead, think Barbara Stanwyck. She immediately set in motion changes to the way business was conducted in the chamber where she had served since first being elected to the house in 1988, representing the 56th district, a portion of Davidson County. Harwell streamlined the committee system, eliminating several subcommittees from the House structure, which allowed bills to go straight to committee for study and debate. “It was a very bold step and I’m very pleased with the results. I think we were simply bogged down with too many committees. It is speeding up the process, and has freed our staff up and Continued on Page Two