Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Legislature / Woods Democrats Quash Charter Schools Bill
Posted by Jeff Woods on Wed, May 20, 2009 at 1:14 PM
The House Education Committee has just adjourned for the year without voting on the controversial bill to expand charter schools in Tennessee. The flip-flopping Democrat Mark Maddox, who voted for the bill last week in a subcommittee, moved to adjourn today, and lawmakers obliged with a voice vote. Maddox apparently had been forced to change his mind on the bill by his fellow House Democrats, who caucused in secret this morning and voted to oppose it, even though several Democrats are co-sponsors with Rep. Beth Harwell, R-Nashville.
After the committee adjourned, House Speaker Kent Williams appeared in the room to denounce Democrats. It was a rare rebuke from the new speaker, who's basically kept his mouth shut this session. Here's his little speech:
"I think our committee system works fine. I think it works great. It upsets me though when either party takes a caucus position. As everyone in this room knows, I have spoken out on several issues that my caucus has taken a position on before. When you don't allow an individual to vote their conscience because of a caucus position, I just want to go on record as saying that's terribly wrong, and that's what's wrong with our system."Harwell says she's not giving up yet. She enjoys the support of the governor and Nashville Mayor Karl Dean, among others. She says she'll offer to change the bill to ease the concerns of opponents, then ask the committee's chair to reopen the committee to vote before the session ends. The committee can meet again this year only at the call of the chair, Knoxville Republican Harry Brooks who's for the bill.
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