NASHVILLE (AP) - Tennessee lawmakers return Tuesday for the second session of the 109th General Assembly with an eye toward quickly disposing of their business and heading home for election season.
All 99 House seats are up in November, along with 16 of 33 Senate seats. Given the overwhelming Republican advantages in both chambers, the April 7 candidate filing deadline will be key to incumbents looking to avoid primary challenges.
Politically difficult bills have traditionally been pushed until after the deadline to give lawmakers without serious opposition the freedom to cast tough votes. But given the recent trend of wrapping up the session in mid-April, there won't likely be much time left to put off controversial issues such as Gov. Bill Haslam's push to increase road funding revenues, most likely through a gas tax hike.