User:Michael Galluzzi/sandbox

According to the Tennessee Constitution, each representative must be twenty-one years old, a citizen of the United States, have been a resident of the state for three years and also a resident of the county they represent a year prior to the election. The state constitution also states that each senator must be thirty years of age, a citizen of the United States, resided three years in Tennessee and resided in the district one year prior to the election.[1]

Each house sets its own rules and elects its own speaker; the Speaker of the Senate carries the additional title and office of Lieutenant Governor of Tennessee. For over three decades, both speakers were from West Tennessee; this caused considerable resentment in the eastern two-thirds of the state. From 1971 until January 2007, Tennessee had the same Lieutenant Governor, John S. Wilder, a Democrat. Wilder was re-elected to the position even after Tennessee Republicans re-took the State Senate in the 2004 election. However, in January 2007, after Republicans gained additional seats in the 2006 General Assembly elections, the Senate elected Republican Ron Ramsey (from East Tennessee) to the office of Lieutenant Governor. The current Lt. Governor is Republican Randy McNally, who was elected in January of 2017. The 111th General Assembly of Tennessee has 32 new legislators, with 28 of those legislators in the House. The 111th General Assembly also had a new Speaker of the House and Majority Leader in the Senate, respectively, and new lawmakers in leadership positions. The current speaker of the House is Glen Casada who was elected in 2019.

Tennessee legislators objective are to enact, amend, and repeal Tennessee Laws. Powers Specific to Tennessee legislators include: appropriation of money; the levy and collection of taxes; and the right to authorize counties and towns to tax. [5] The General Assembly is recognized by the state constitution as the supreme legislative authority of the state. It is the General Assembly's responsibility to pass a budget for the functioning of the state government. Each year, the Governor, in his State of the State address, outlines his budget priorities. The Assembly, in a joint session, is present for the speech. Bills may originate in either House or Senate, can be either a general or local bill. A general bill affects the State, while a local bill affects a town or county. Local bills must be passed in the state legislature and ratified by the local area it effects.[6] The Tennessee Constitution states that after a bill has been rejected by the General Assembly, no bill with the same substance can be passed into law during the same session. The Tennessee Constitution states that each bill must be passed on three separate days in both houses. In order for a new bill to pass it requires a constitutional majority.