Business Saw ‘Good Year’ In Legislature, Lawmakers Report

KINGSPORT, Tenn. – Three Northeast Tennessee legislators said Tuesday they worked diligently during the past session to ensure that local businesses have what they need to succeed.

“It was a very good year for business in the state legislature,” Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, R-Blountville, said during the Kingsport Chamber of Commerce’s annual legislative barbecue.

During most of the six-month session, Ramsey said he worked with several lawmakers to change how state government picks appellate court judges. The end product allows the speaker of the House and the lieutenant governor to make their own picks for the 17-member judge selection committee rather than choosing from a list of candidates submitted by various associations.

“I’m going to make sure that we appoint a series of lawyers who know how a business works,” said Ramsey, who represents Sullivan and Johnson counties in the state Senate.

House Majority Leader Jason Mumpower, R-Bristol, said his top issue this year was balancing the state’s budget, which started with a $1.3 billion deficit.  Though he worried about using federal stimulus money on recurring expenses, Mumpower said he was proud of the $30 billion budget because it did not raise taxes. It also cut $35 million in spending from the governor’s original proposal and trimmed his bond requests from $900 million to $380 million, Mumpower said.

State Rep. Jon Lundberg, R-Bristol, echoed Mumpower’s praise for the budget’s final outcome. But he said the victory will be short-lived because next year’s spending plan will dominate that session.

“That’s what it’s going to be all about,” Lundberg said.

If the economy doesn’t immediately improve, Lundberg said next year’s budget will present an even tougher challenge because there would be less money to work with.

The region’s legislators all pledged to work to get Ramsey elected governor in November 2010.

Having raised more than $1 million for his campaign, Ramsey said he hopes to have a formal campaign kick-off in the near future. But he’s already received strong endorsements from his local colleagues in the legislature.

“I will do anything and everything that he needs,” Lundberg said. “Not because he’s got 16 years experience, but because he has the vision and character to take that position on.”

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