Maybe legislators have introduced fewer half-baked proposals this session than in their previous few gatherings. I say this with some regret since half-baked government proposals have kept me in the writing business for years.
Granted, as mentioned in last week’s column, anytime you pull off a giant $450 million con like school vouchers you’ve scored a major half-baked victory. But when it comes to tomfoolery, the General Assembly motto has long been “Too much is not enough.”
Just when you think some legislator has established an unapproachable new low, another one steps up with a “Hold my beer…”
Bear also in mind that my observation is entirely unscientific and 100% subjective. Each session I comb through the bills and resolutions and take special note of any that lead me to (a) roll my eyes, (b) break out in laughter or (c) curse loudly. These are the ones I figure I might have something to say about.
Every now and then I see something and think, “That makes sense.” Those measures tend to quietly die, but sometimes they noisily die.
Using the legislative website, I follow these ludicrous, outrageous or otherwise interesting bills as they progress – or fail to – through the system.
This year I’ve come across fewer than usual that meet those criteria. One that met all three was a bill that would rename the airport for King Donald.
A column quickly followed.
And we still have the brainless “Restoring State Sovereignty Through Nullification Act,” the latest effort to resolve an issue that was settled almost 200 years ago. (No, states can’t “nullify” federal edicts they don’t like.)
Rep. Gino Bulso still wants to prohibit schools from displaying Pride flags, an effort that fell short in the Senate last year. Bulso also wants to set aside three entire months – June, July and August – for successive celebrations of “Life,” “Liberty” and “the Pursuit of Happiness.” I guess he figures he has the Declaration of Independence as sort of a co-sponsor.
A House resolution would also proclaim July as a month of prayer and fasting, “depriving ourselves in order to awaken our hunger for and need of God.” I’m wondering how that will play with the Liberty celebrations.
Some other measures that have sent my eyes to the top of their range are one that proclaims life begins at fertilization and another barring public education for the children of illegal immigrants. (See, federal edicts, nullification, above.)
There are also a few in the “That makes sense” category that I’d like to see survive, including one that would allow the people to propose laws by initiative and another that would prohibit double-dipping by barring anyone from holding elected office at the local and state level. I’m also OK with party registration as a requirement for voting in primaries.
Since I’ve mentioned a couple of other columns, I will note a bill authorizing the Tennessee Historical Commission to purchase the Columbia home of President James K. Polk, another recent subject. If it gets any sort of hearing, I’ll listen to why somebody thinks it’s a good idea.
Of course, I would not let you down by lack of vigilance on the official state emblems front. Only one official state song has been proposed, “Tennessee,” by Arrested Development. It would be No. 12 or so. I’ve lost count.
On a musically related note, another bill would designate the Southern Stars Symphonic Brass as the state’s official brass band.
No. I’ve never heard of it, either.
On the “What took them so long?” front, there’s a bill to recognize Nashville hot chicken as an official state food, and another to codify Nashville as the hot chicken capital of the state. Hard to argue with either of those.
But, sad to say, there has once again been zero effort by any legislator to champion the banjo as the official state musical instrument. I don’t know why. This is a fully baked proposal.
Joe Rogers is a former writer for The Tennessean and editor for The New York Times. He is retired and living in Nashville.