For more information or to R.S.VP. please send email to mail@votekelsey.com

The Senate reviewed a bill by Sen. Brian Kelsey, R-Germantown, Monday night to limit the taxpayers’ tab for lawmakers’ airfare to the mileage reimbursement they would get driving. Kelsey said it’s the least the legislature can do, two weeks after the state sent layoff notices to 853 state employees.

“I don’t know how this bill could have come about,” Ford told fellow senators. “But it is absolutely insulting to me and it would also in the future make it very difficult for certain people to seek a public office like this — in particular blacks, women and underprivileged people.”

Sen. Beverly Marrero, D-Memphis, offered an amendment, which passed, allowing the speakers of the House and Senate discretion to pay full coach fare for lawmakers with physical disabilities or medical conditions that make it difficult or impossible to drive.

The Senate approved the bill 29-2, with Ford and Sen. Reginald Tate, D-Memphis, voting against it. It must win House approval to become law. A committee there deferred the bill Tuesday for a week.

Ford, who’s suffered with undisclosed medical problems since soon after her arrival in the legislature four years ago, spoke in opposition in the Senate.

After noting that she was unable to spend Easter with her family because her medical condition prevented her from driving home, she spoke of the need to increase legislative compensation. Legislators make $19,009 plus $185 per day for lodging and food reimbursements. They also receive a $1,000 monthly home-office allowance and lifetime subsidized health insurance.

“I was pretty well off though before I became a senator,” Ford said. “I never had an Escalade note. I never had to buy gas. I never had to pay to get my truck washed or car insurance. And I had a big fat check every Friday.

“And what we make now is not comparable to what we do. This is no part-time job. If we ought to be doing anything … we ought to stand up and be men and women enough to increase our salaries and per diem to cover the things that we should have covered, instead of losing money because we decided to be a public servant.”

She also addressed Kelsey and suggested he might live to regret it.

“Coming from Memphis is no jump, skip and a hop. For three or four days and then traveling back. And I know you do it, Mr. Sponsor. But you’re not the only one to consider. … I urge you to look at what might happen to you in the future. Because things can change overnight sometimes. Even our Lord said, ‘Look, tomorrow is always a new day. We never know what that new day might bring.”

Sen. Ophelia Ford of Memphis expressed outrage at the proposal that was approved 29-2 by the Senate.

The other dissenting vote was cast by Sen. Reginald Tate, D-Memphis.

The measure would limit legislators’ air travel reimbursement to the amount they would have received if they had driven.

Ford, who expressed her frustration to the Senate for about 10 minutes, said the legislation is unfair because “per diems don’t cover our expenses already.”

Lawmakers currently get $185 per day.

“This bill … is absolutely insulting to me,” she said. “I don’t know how this bill could have come about.”

Ford said the measure is unfair to individuals who may be unable to drive because of a medical condition or illness. Ford has missed numerous legislative days since she’s been in office because of an illness.

“I wasn’t going to make a poor decision to get behind the wheel … to put my life and other people’s lives in danger,” she said, adding that she and other lawmakers are also struggling financially.

“Since I’ve been a senator, I’ve been affected financially,” she said. “And I know I’m not the only one. Everybody in here is not wealthy.”

Ford was pacified some by an amendment that would allow the Senate speaker to decide if a lawmaker who can’t drive because of a medical condition should be fully reimbursed for their flight.

Sen. Brian Kelsey, a Germantown Republican and the bill’s sponsor, said lawmakers need to be fiscally responsible considering the major cutbacks in the state budget.

“It’s important for us in the General Assembly to show that we’re going to be leaders in the area of cutting spending,” he said.

“Just two weeks ago, we laid off 853 state employees. I think in tough economic times like this we have to set the standard that cutting spending is important and it’s something we’re willing to do,” he said.

The companion bill is awaiting a vote in the House State and Local Government Committee.

The proposed constitutional amendment sponsored by Republican Sen. Brian Kelsey of Germantown was approved 25-7 Monday evening. The earliest it could go before voters is 2014.

Even though the state constitution already says an income tax is not allowed in Tennessee, Kelsey has said the proposal is necessary because the difficult economic times may prompt lawmakers to try to pass an income tax.
However, opponents say the measure is not necessary and that the motive for it is strictly political.

The Senate approved 25-7 Monday night a proposed amendment to Tennessee’s constitution that would prohibit a state income tax.

The measure ( SJR763, with an adopted amendment) now goes to the House. If approved there during the current legislative session, it will need approval again by the 107th General Assembly, which meets in 2011 and 2012, and then, finally, approval by voters in a statewide referendum in 2014.

The resolution was sponsored by Sen. Brian Kelsey, R-Germantown, who said he believes an income tax is already unconstitutional in Tennessee, but a constitutional amendment is needed to “clarify” that is the case because some dispute the proposition.

“If you want less of something tax it. If you want more of something, don’t tax it,” said Kelsey in his floor speech, adding that he was paraphrasing President Reagan. “We all want more income in Tennessee, so let’s make sure we never tax it.”

Sen. Douglas Henry, D-Nashville, and Jim Kyle, D-Memphis, spoke against the resolution. Henry said he was concerned that it also prohibits cities and counties from levying a payroll tax, which is in effect a tax on businesses rather than individuals.
Henry, who said he has always opposed an income tax, also contended it is not appropriate to prohibit anything far into the future.
Two senators spoke against the measure –

“I can’t read the in the tea leaves what’s going to happen 20 or 30 or 40 years from now. I don’t know what kind of box we’re going to be in,” Henry said. “I don’t believe I can look far enough into the future to say this unpleasant necessity might be forced upon us to continue to operate the state.”

Kyle said he believes the entire resolution is “defective” because it requires formal notice of the resolution be given to the public by posting it on the Internet. The state constitution says proposed amendments must be “published” and many believe that does not cover the Internet, which did not exist when the 1870 constitution was adopted.

Kyle noted that about half of Tennessee households do not have Internet access and predicted the courts will reject the whole resolution, meaning it will never come to a statewide vote even if it clears the legislative process.

The no votes came from Sens. Ophelia Ford, D-Memphis; Thelma Harper, D-Nashville; Joe Haynes, D-Nashville; Henry; Kyle; Beverly Marrero, D-Memphis; and Reginal Tate, D-Memphis.