Assembly Tilts Further To The East

Jason Mumpower

By: Mac Mclean | TriCities.com
Published: December 02, 2008

Tennessee House Republicans chose two local legislators Monday to leadership positions in the upcoming legislative session, including Rep. Jason Mumpower, who is all but certain the next speaker.
“It’s an honor for our area,” said Mumpower, R-3, whom House Republicans unanimously elected majority leader.
Rep. Jon Lundberg, R-1, was chosen to be the House Republican Caucus’ floor leader. The person who holds this position, Lundberg said, serves as “a spokesperson for the caucus on the House floor.”
The floor leader also is responsible for making sure legislation initiated by the caucus makes it through the legislative process; in addition, this designee heads up the caucus’ candidate development and recruitment committees, said caucus spokeswoman Kara Watkins.
Lundberg will start his second two-year term representing Bristol and the northern edge of Sullivan County in the 99-member state House of Representatives when the state Legislature reconvenes Jan. 13.
Mumpower has represented Johnson County and the eastern edge of Sullivan County in the state House for the past 12 years. He has led the House Republican Caucus since 2005 and will be his party’s candidate for speaker of the House at a time when it will have its first majority in the house in modern history.
The speaker of the House presides over the House of Representatives when it is in session, according to House Rules. The person holding this office also is responsible for nominating people to serve on the House’s 15 standing committees and is next in line after the state’s lieutenant governor to succeed the governor.
Under Mumpower’s leadership, House Republicans gained four seats in the Nov. 4 election and will control 50 seats in their chamber when the legislative session starts Jan. 13.
This is the first time their party will have a majority in the state House since 1864, when they were known as Whig-Republicans, Mumpower said.
With this new majority in mind, House Republicans last month signed a pact to elect one of their own to be speaker. This means Mumpower can count on 50 votes to be speaker when the full House picks its leaders Jan. 13. The only way he could lose the speakership would be if one of his party members violated the pact.
House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh, D-21, will run again for the speaker’s position. Naifeh, who has been speaker since 1991, could get 49 votes to be speaker and only if every Democrat in the House supports his candidacy.
Both Lundberg and Mumpower said the biggest task this session will be balancing the state’s budget, which is expected to start the coming fiscal year with a $400 million to $600 million deficit.
“The people have chosen us to make some difficult decisions,” Lundberg said.
Mumpower’s candidacy to be speaker of the House comes at a time when Sen. Ron Ramsey, R-2, has said he will seek another term as the state’s lieutenant governor and speaker of the Senate. Ramsey has represented all of Sullivan and Johnson counties in the 33-member state Senate since 1996.
Mumpower said the fact that he and Ramsey are in the running to lead the state House and state Senate “will shed a brighter light on our end of the state.”
gmclean@bristolnews.com | (276) 645-2518

Assembly Tilts Further To The East

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