January 20, 2012

Legislature’s short schedule forces cancellation of Day on the Hill 

Andy Telli, Tennessee Register

A compressed schedule for the Tennessee General Assembly this year has forced the Tennessee Catholic Public Policy Commission to cancel its annual Catholic Day on the Hill for adults.

However, the student Catholic Day on the Hill will proceed as scheduled on Tuesday, March 20.

The adult Catholic Day on the Hill, when Catholics from throughout the three dioceses of the state are invited to Capitol Hill in Nashville to meet with their legislators and advocate for positions on bills, was scheduled for April 24. But the Legislature hopes to adjourn for the year by the end of April.

“It’s been a long, long time, since they ever, ever finished this early,” said Jennifer Murphy, executive director of the CPPC, which represents the three Catholic dioceses before state officials. “It’s clear they’re not kidding. They’re doing everything they can to get done by the end of April.”

If the Legislature is trying to wind down during the final days of April, it would be too chaotic for legislators to have much time to meet with constituents, Murphy said.

Normally, the facilities needed for the event and the three bishops’ schedules have to be coordinated about nine months in advance, Murphy said. However, the CPPC did look into moving Catholic Day on the Hill to another date but were unsuccessful, she said.

“We’ll do something next year,” Murphy said.

The student Catholic Day on the Hill attracts students from Catholic elementary and high schools from across the state. They meet in the War Memorial Building for a session in which they debate and vote on issues currently before the Legislature. They also attend Mass together and visit with their legislators.

That event will be held as planned, Murphy said.

While the adult Catholic Day on the Hill has been cancelled, Murphy and her staff will be busy representing the interests of the Catholic Public Policy Commission before legislators as they push to finish early.

Because of the compressed schedule, most observers believe it will be harder to get a bill passed this year, Murphy said. Many legislators are expected to put off introducing bills until next year when the General Assembly will have more time to consider them, she said.

The first week after the Legislature opened on Jan. 10 was dominated by discussions of the bill that drew new lines for state House and Senate members, Murphy said.

With redistricting, many legislators will be representing new areas. That is one reason they are anxious to adjourn early this year and start meeting people in the new areas of their district, Murphy said.

Gov. Bill Haslam is scheduled to give his state of the state address on Jan. 30, which is earlier than normal to help the Legislature meet its deadline, Murphy said.

After the state of the state, the Legislature will take up consideration of the state budget, Murphy said. “They can’t go home until they pass the budget.”

The budget is not expected to include any “great windfalls” of new revenue, Murphy said, “but it’s still looking slightly better.”

She is hoping the CPPC will be able to help convince legislators to continue some programs in human services and TennCare now slated to be cut, Murphy said.

This year, the CPPC will again be active lobbying for the Equal Opportunity Scholarship Bill, which unexpectedly passed in the Senate last year, Murphy said.

The bill would create a school voucher program and would allow some state funds to follow students who attend private, parochial or charter schools.

The House of Representatives delayed a vote on the bill last year for further study. Gov. Haslam recently called for the issue to be studied further still. The governor is reluctant to take up the school voucher issue until some of the changes in education policy that were passed last year have time to be implemented and evaluated, Murphy explained.

The sponsors of the bill, Rep. Bill Dunn, a Catholic from Knoxville, and Sen. Brian Kelsey, who represents part of Shelby County, are still discussing how to proceed with the bill, Murphy said.

If they don’t work for passage in the House this year, or it fails, they will have to start over in the next session of the General Assembly, Murphy said. But they may be reluctant to push forward without the governor’s support and the shorter session, she said.

The deadline for filing bills is Jan. 28, Murphy said. Until all the bills are filed, she’s unsure which issues will attract the attention of the CPPC.