From Mark's Desk:
March 4 , 2004

Welcome! 

Springtime in Tennessee

It seems like only yesterday that I welcomed visitors to this website anticipating winter and the New Year’s resumption of legislative responsibilities in Nashville.

Suddenly, it is springtime! The flowering trees are in blossom on Legislative Plaza. Outside my office window at War Memorial, fountains play once again, and the chorus of visiting school children resonates around Capitol Hill.

In the Senate, talk turns to working toward adjournment. Jobs, education and healthcare loom large as the issues that I and my fellow Republicans continue to emphasize. Democrats delay. The hour grows late. Democrats run out the clock.

High unemployment (the highest in Tennessee since 1997) requires action. My workers’ compensation reform package has been held in committee for over one year. It is essential if we are to protect small business and attract new jobs. That is why my colleagues and I introduced sweeping proposals for reform, but the Democratic majority, which controls the Senate and House, is dragging its feet. For weeks, they have cancelled committee hearings, blocked votes, and “gamed the system” to slow our reforms.

Last May, my Senate Bill 998 became the law of the land. It required the current administration to admit that TennCare is not viable and to lay out a reasonable plan to replace it. The Governor has now admitted that TennCare is not viable, but his plan to replace it has yet to be defined. Tennesseans are suffering. Access to affordable healthcare has been, and continues to be, a major problem in this state. The lack of reform in TennCare is a major impediment.

As a leading proponent of workers’ compensation reform, a replacement for TennCare that works, and for the creation of new employment opportunities in Tennessee, the advent of springtime is bittersweet. On one hand, Mother Nature’s activity signals hope and rebirth. On the other hand, it is a reminder that time is wasting.

Further delay by the ruling majority can only hurt. Now is the time to take action in Tennessee.