The Conclusion of the 107th Tennessee General Assembly

The 1st Session of the 107th Tennessee General Assembly adjourned on May 21, 2011. Faced with a $1.5 billion budget deficit, the members of the General Assembly undertook the arduous task of crafting a balanced budget. Legislators essentially passed the budget as it had been presented to them by Governor Bill Haslam, who in his first term succeeded in finding consensus for his first budget legislation as Governor. Consequently, numerous cuts, utilization of remnants of federal recovery funds and a repeat of the ingenious, self-imposed hospital assessment fee to garner matching federal funds helped avoid severe cuts to TennCare and enabled legislators to complete their business. Unfortunately, citing the need to cut programs not providing direct services to patients, Governor Haslam's budget eliminated the TNAAP EPSDT grant. The loss of this grant will have a huge impact to TNAAP's Bottom line.

During the 2011 legislative session, TNAAP utilized the expertise of a formal legislative committee and formulated a legislative agenda, including the introduction of legislation on concussion management that is a continued subject of discussion within the legislature. TNAAP partnered with the Tennessee Disability Coalition, Children's Hospital Alliance of Tennessee, and the Tennessee Hearing Society in a victorious effort providing needed insurance coverage for children requiring hearing aids. TNAAP also served as an active partner with the successful Campaign for Tort Reform in Tennessee which sets limits on punitive and noneconomic damages awards. Additionally, TNAAP monitored nearly 250 bills and fought back challenges to laws garnered by past TNAAP efforts.

View Bills of Interest for more information on additional Bills.

Our activities also included two successful TNAAP "Pediatrician Days on the Hill".

TNAAP Day on the Hill ~ April 27, 2011: (left to right) Nola Jean Ernest, MD (Pediatric Resident-Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital); Jon Boroughts, MD (Pediatrician, Hixson); Shelly Fiscus, MD (TNAAP Fellow At-Large and FAL representative to the Executive Committee, Franklin); Lloydetta Stovall, MD (TNAAP Fellow At-Large, Memphis); Ruth E. Allen (TNAAP Executive Director); Quentin Humberd, MD (Chair-TN Pediatric Society Foundation, Clarksville); Allen Coffman, MD, (VP TNAAP, Hixson); Grant Schulert, MD (Pediatric Resident-Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital); Theo Morrison (Morrison Capitol Strategies); Cristy Ott, MD (Pediatric Resident-Children’s Hospital at Erlanger)	TNAAP Day on the Hill ~ April 27, 2011: Allen Coffman, MD (TNAAP Vice President, Hixson) shaking hands with Lt. Governor Ramsey	TNAAP Day on the Hill - April 6, 2011: (left to right) Theo Morrison (Morrison Capitol Strategies), Ruth Allen (TNAAP Executive Director), Lt. Governor Ramsey, Charlotte Brown (Pediatric Resident - Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital) and John R. Hill, MD (TNAAP Legislative Committee Chair, Memphis)

Legislative: 2011 Overview of the General Assembly

The Tennessee General Assembly meets in Nashville each year beginning at noon on the second Tuesday of January. Each General Assembly meets ninety (90) session days over a two-year period. Generally, legislative sessions last from mid-January through May of each year.
The bicameral Tennessee General Assembly consists of a thirty-three (33) member Senate and a ninety-nine (99) member House of Representatives. The political makeup of the 2011 Senate comprised 20 Republicans and 13 Democrats each elected to four-year terms. While Senate terms are for four years, approximately half of the senators run for office every two years delineated by odd and even-numbered districts. This is generally referred to as "staggered terms." The makeup of the 2011 House of Representatives consists of sixty-four (64) Republicans, thirty-four (34) Democrats and one (1) Independent Carter County Republican. All seats in the House of Representatives are elected during even-numbered years for two-year terms.

State Advocacy

For over fifty years, the Tennessee Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics has maintained relationships with legislators of the Tennessee General Assembly and policymakers within the executive branch. TNAAP's lobbying presence on "the Hill" assures that the interests of children and pediatricians are protected in vital areas such as exposure to tobacco, disease prevention, injury prevention, TennCare/Medicaid reform and school-related issues. We encourage you to reach out to your elected officials and be an advocate for change!

Do you want to know your state senator? Your state representative? Want to learn more about the Tennessee General Assembly and the types of bills being considered this year that impact children and pediatricians? Click here www.capitol.tn.gov to visit the revamped website of the Tennessee General Assembly.

Annual Day on the Hill

Be sure to revisit this website regularly for legislative updates and for your opportunity to participate in annual “Pediatricians Day on the Hill” visits. The Day on the Hill program fosters a greater understanding of the legislative process and how policy is created that affects your daily life and your workplace. Your presence on Capitol Hill will also help TNAAP by developing and furthering existing relationships with lawmakers in Tennessee.