“Freedom of religion is one of the bedrocks upon which this country is founded. No American should be limited in his chosen profession because he or she holds certain values,” said Lt. Governor Ramsey. “Rules already in place prevent lawyers from engaging in discrimination. The proposed rule was merely an attempt to write political correctness into professional codes of conduct. I congratulate the Bar Association for fighting against this unnecessary rule.”

The proposed rule, written by the Board of Professional Responsibility, would have forbade lawyers from “engag[ing] in conduct, in a professional capacity, manifesting bias or prejudice based on race, sex, religion, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status.”

By holding attorneys to this standard “in their professional capacity” rather than when representing clients, the new rules would have potentially prevented lawyers from a myriad of activities from declining to take a client on moral grounds to taking a public position on an issue like gay marriage while serving in a legislative body.

A lawyer found guilty of misconduct under the rule would have opened himself up to possible censure, fines or even suspension. In striking down the rule, the state Supreme Court preserved current rules that prevent discrimination in the course of representing a client.

This session brought Tennesseans a balanced budget, tax cuts and a healthier rainy day fund. We remain a triple-A bond rated state with one of the lowest debt ratios and tax burdens in the county. George Mason University, in fact, declared Tennessee one of the freest states in the nation.

Tennessee is quite simply the greatest state for any American to live work and raise a family. We know that deep in our bones, of course, but it is great to have study after study, poll after poll and ranking after ranking confirm that fact.

Just yesterday, Bankrate declared Tennessee the best state in the nation for retirees and Site Selection Magazine put Tennessee once again on  their list as one of the most competitive states in the country when it comes to job creation and business recruitment.

These are the fruits that unified Republican government bear.

The accomplishments of the past three years are legion. In our first year, we put conservative principles into action by instituting landmark education reform, tax cuts and smaller government. In our second year, we continued to shrink our budget and cut taxes while instituting tort reform and civil service reform. We even passed a photo ID law to protect the votes of Tennessee citizens.

This session we continued to advance a uniquely Tennessee agenda giving the citizens of Tennessee what they have asked for: more jobs, less spending and smaller government.

Small government is efficient government

The first thing we accomplished this year was once again concluding the legislative session on time. As recently as 15 years ago, the legislature frequently adjourned in early May or late April. Then, during the income tax battles of the last decade, the Democrats in charge of the legislature began to drag the legislative session into June and even July.

Not only did this cost taxpayer dollars (nearly $150,000 per week during session), it cost Tennessee in other ways, too. The longer the legislature is in session the longer legislators can dream up new programs and new laws that cost you money.

The government that governs best governs least. The purpose of a part-time legislature is to ensure that Tennessee has a government that governs minimally and one that stays close to people.

By extending the legislative session, Tennessee was slowly moving away from that. Your Republican majority has righted the ship and arrested the slow drift towards big government. The days of legislative sessions routinely dragging into late May and June are over.

Keeping your money in your pocket

No successful Republican agenda is complete without tax reform. This year we continued to chip away at the tax on food as well take the next step toward the elimination of the death tax.

The tax cut we passed that I’m most excited about is the Hall tax on interest and dividends. The Hall tax is a tax on responsibility, pure and simple. We cannot continue to tell people to be responsible and put money away for retirement only to tax them when they begin to draw on that money in their golden years. I hope to continue to raise the exemption on seniors to a level where few, if any, retirees have to pay the tax.

Altogether your Republican majority cut taxes by over $43 million while continuing to fund the state’s essential services and putting money away for a rainy day. This is fiscally responsible government in action. This is the kind of government that makes Tennessee the envy of the nation.

Unshackling the job creators

The most important thing we can do in the legislature is create an environment where economic growth can take hold and jobs can be created. To this end, Governor Haslam took on the issue of workers compensation reform. Tennessee was one of last two states that still settled workers compensation issues primarily in the court system.  Thanks to this year’s reform we now have a system where workers and job creators stand on an equal playing field.

Another outstanding bill that passed this session is the LEAP Act. This measure allows students at Tennessee technology centers and community colleges to combine occupational training in a high-skill, high tech industry with academic credit and apply that experience towards a degree. This program makes the link between education and job opportunity explicit and allows students to get the experience they need to excel in the job market.

All the education in the world will not help if it does not result in high-quality employment. This program will help bridge the gap between classroom knowledge and real world application that will improve our workforce dramatically.

One of the biggest issues of last year’s legislative session was also a focus of this year’s session. Our unemployment reforms of 2012 were successful but the system still needed improvement. We tightened up our misconduct definition but most importantly we refused to pick up the tab for expansion of benefits originally funded by the Obama stimulus. By refusing to submit to Obama’s expansion, we saved the unemployment trust fund nearly 64 million dollars.

These three items — workers compensation reform, unemployment reform and the LEAP Act — serve as the crux of our jobs agenda this year. My focus in public life has been to make Tennessee the best state in which to own and operate a business. When we create a secure and predictable environment for business, employers will let their capital flow, creating new businesses and opportunities.

That is how you “create” jobs. You take action to allow the magic of the marketplace to work. That’s what we are doing in Tennessee.

Taxpayer Protection

Nothing upsets me as a taxpayer more than abuse of our welfare system. I’m a small government conservative but I still believe in a safety net. Government is designed to help those who have fallen on hard times get their feet back under them. But welfare recipients using their benefits in liquor stores, strip clubs and casinos doesn’t help anyone. It encourages dependency. It abuses the taxpayer taking hard earned money and using it not to help people but to subsidize bad behavior. Thanks to a bill by Senator Jim Tracy, those on government assistance won’t be able to squander taxpayer dollars on things that will perpetuate dependency.

This year also marks the passage of reform of the state employee retirement system. Tennessee currently has the best run and most financially stable system among state governments. But unlike other state governments, we are forward thinking. We don’t ever want to be in the situation where we are borrowing money to meet our obligations. Our goal in state government is not only to balance our books today but make sure they stay balanced twenty to thirty years down the road. The reform brought to the legislature by Treasurer David Lillard – the first Republican Treasurer in our state’s history – not only ensures sustainability it also gives state employees more control over their retirement savings. Moody’s Investor Service, one of the nation’s premiere credit ratings agencies, is already calling the reform a “credit positive” move.

Standing up for law-abiding gun owners

As the original sponsor of the bill that brought handgun permits to Tennessee, I have always looked for ways to protect the Second Amendment and expand gun rights in Tennessee. This year we finally struck the right balance between gun rights and property rights and passed a bill affirming the right of a handgun permit holder to keep a gun in their car while at work.

We also, in the wake of the tragedy in Connecticut, took steps to stem the tide of gun violence. Not by focusing on inanimate objects and their cosmetic features but instead on the mentally unbalanced people behind these mass shootings. This session we passed a bill strengthening the reporting requirement for mental health professionals so that when credible threats present themselves law enforcement can act to prevent these individuals from handling firearms. To ensure that gun rights are protected for the law abiding we must ensure that illegal gun violence is dealt with swiftly and harshly.

Tax cuts, fiscal responsibility, job creation and 2nd Amendment protection. This is the conservative government Tennesseans have asked for and this is the conservative government Tennesseans will continue to have as long as I remain Lt. Governor.

We have accomplished much in these last three years but there is still much left to do. I look forward to hearing from you during this time of separation from the hustle and bustle of Nashville. I serve at the pleasure of all of you and I appreciate the honor you do me everyday allowing me to remain your Lieutenant Governor.

“I’m extremely proud of the work accomplished by the General Assembly this session,” said Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey (R-Blountville). “In contrast to the irresponsible spendthrifts who reside inside Washington’s beltway, Tennessee’s Republican Majority came together with members of the opposition to pass a balance budget that reduces taxes and returns much-needed dollars to the state’s rainy day fund.”

“Not only have we instituted job creating workers compensation and unemployment reforms, we also stood firm against a federal takeover of our health-care system,” Ramsey continued. “I’m proud to stand with Governor Haslam and Speaker Harwell at the helm of a state that consistently leads the nation in small government and low tax fiscal responsibility.”

“I’m especially pleased that we have restored the traditional pace of our legislative sessions. The longer a legislature is in session the longer the average taxpayer has to watch his wallet,” Ramsey concluded. “I have always maintained that an efficient and focused General Assembly can finish the people’s business on time and save taxpayer dollars in the process. This year we have firmly established that the days of legislative sessions creeping into late May and June are over.”

The 2013-2014 budget passed by the General Assembly includes $43 million in tax cuts comprised of reductions in the Hall, death and food taxes. In addition, the General Assembly placed $100 million additional dollars in the state rainy day fund for a total of 456 million.

Among the many highlights of the legislative session was the administration’s workers compensation reform which takes claims out of the court system creating fairness and predictability for job creators.

Also crucial to the General Assembly’s job creation agenda was the continuing reform of Tennessee’s unemployment system. This year, in addition to strengthening the definition of workplace misconduct, the General Assembly refused to fund Obama’s stimulus expansion of the system creating a saving of over $62 million for the unemployment trust fund.

Tennessee is currently ranked among the lowest states in the nation in per capita in debt and per capital tax burden. The General Assembly’s continued pro-jobs, fiscally responsible, small government agenda has resulted in a triple-A rated bond rating for the state.

“In 2011, I went on a Red Tape Road Trip to take the pulse of our state’s business owners. The message I received was loud and clear: our unemployment system must be reformed,” said Lt. Governor Ramsey. “This bill is a continuation of our reforms last year under the Unemployment Accountability Act of 2012. This legislation creates further protections for job creators while saving job creators from having to pick the tab for Obama’s stimulus expansion. I commend the sponsor for shepherding this much-needed piece of legislation.”

Senate Bill 783 updates the unemployment misconduct definition to include conduct constituting a criminal offense for which the claimant has been convicted or charged. The legislation further provides for reconsideration of benefits up to one year if a claimant is subsequently convicted of a misdemeanor or felony related to their termination. Additionally, the bill mandates departmental training of unemployment hearing officers as well as increasing weekly audits from 1,000 to 1,500.

As amended, the bill also protects Tennessee taxpayers from continuing to pay for an expansion of unemployment benefits originally funded under the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009. This amendment will save the state and taxpayers an estimated $62.5 million annually.

“And he departed from our sight that we might return to our heart, and there find Him. For He departed, and behold, He is here.

~ St. Augustine

As many Sundays as I am able, I am honored to serve as a Sunday school teacher for the children in my congregation. I often learn as much from them as they learn from me.

This past Sunday we discussed the story of Christ’s death and His Resurrection. Sharing this story with the next generation, a story which is at the very root of our faith as Christians, is a tremendously powerful experience.

Easter is the story of God sacrificing his only son to give all of us the hope of everlasting life. But it is a gift we can only receive through faith.

I value my faith greatly. It gives me the optimism and strength I need to achieve both the earthly and spiritual goals I set for myself. Having the example of Christ, who gave up everything, makes the obstacles in our own lives seem small in comparison.

I hope you cherish this Eastertide and seize the opportunity to reflect on the sacrifice that was made on your behalf and renew your faith in Christ.

He has risen.

“I applaud Governor Haslam’s decision to reject Obama’s medicaid expansion. Without bold reform of the Medicaid program tailored to Tennessee’s unique situation, there can be no compromise on this issue.”

“Four out of every ten dollars the federal government spends comes out of the back pockets of future generations. Tennessee must receive assurances that have not been forthcoming. Governor Haslam has laid out a plan for what true health care reform looks like. I commend him for his continued thoughtful and measured approach to this complex issue.”

“Mass violence of any sort is a tragic occurrence. But the worst tragedy results when the state overreacts to a mass shooting by restricting the Second Amendment rights of the law-abiding,” said Lt. Governor Ramsey. “This bill focuses not on inanimate objects but on the very real issue of mental health.”

“I have always believed that a well-armed society is polite society,” Ramsey continued. “By focusing on the mentally ill, we will focus on those who should not have weapons while leaving the law-abiding gun owner free to exercise his God-given constitutional right.”

Senate Bill 789 requires increased frequency of reporting by mental health professionals to authorities when a person has been involuntarily committed, ruled mentally defective or threatened serious bodily harm to others. Information reported is kept confidential and used only for the purpose of processing a background check for the purchase of firearms

Joining Lt. Governor Ramsey were judicial redistricting bill sponsors Senator Mark Norris (R-Collierville) and Representative Jon Lundberg (R-Bristol) along with Supreme Court Chief Justice Gary Wade, Tennessee Trial Judges Association President Chancellor Daryl Fansler, Tennessee Judicial Conference President Robert Holloway and Tennessee Bar Association President Jackie Dixon.

“When the issue of judicial redistricting was first presented to me it was clear action needed to be taken,” said Lt. Governor Ramsey. “Tennessee is a vibrant and growing state. After thirty years, the changes experienced in our state needs to be reflected in the districts of Tennessee’s judges, district attorneys and public defenders.”

“While the 1984 map made great strides by consolidating public defenders, district attorneys and judges into unified districts, it clear that the particular politics of the time influenced the map resulting in untenable inefficiencies,” Ramsey explained. “This map corrects those mistakes and brings our judicial districts into the 21st century.”

“We came into this process with open minds and a desire to work with interested parties,” Ramsey continued. “I am pleased that, in the end, all concerned could come together and agree on a consensus plan. I am extremely satisfied with the result.”

The proposed map causes minimal disruption to the current system affecting only 22 counties in 8 districts. To maximize efficiency, the number of judicial districts has been reduced from 31 to 29. Factors such as regional integrity, geographic boundaries and ease of inter-county travel were also heavily considered.

“I would like to commend all involved for working hard to reach common ground,” said Senator Norris. “Change is never easy but we have come together to create a map that ensures Tennesseans get the best possible service from their public defenders, district attorneys and judges.”

“This is a common sense plan for judicial redistricting that corrects the mistakes of the past and updates districts to reflect population changes in the state,” said Rep. Lundberg. “I’m proud to be a part of this process.”

An open call for judicial redistricting proposals went out in February. Fourteen maps were submitted as well as informal input from members of the public and stakeholder groups. The current plan will be presented as Senate Bill 780/House Bill 636 and can be found online at http://www.capitol.tn.gov/senate/judredist/judredist.html.

“The response we have gotten to our public call for judicial district maps is extremely encouraging,” said Lt. Governor Ramsey. “I would especially like to commend the Public Defenders Association as well as the Tennessee Bar Association for coming to the table and sharing their ideas.”

Fourteen statewide judicial redistricting proposals were submitted in accordance with the guidelines posted online. Those who asked for extensions past the original March 1 deadline were given until March 8 to submit their map.

“While I’m disappointed that the leadership of the Trial Judges Association and the District Attorney’s General Association refused to consider any changes to the 1984 map, I’m very pleased that many individual members of those groups contacted us to offer their ideas and help,” said Lt. Governor Ramsey.  “Their individual input was helpful and appreciated.”

Tennessee currently has thirty-one judicial districts which determine the areas judges, district attorneys and public defenders serve. The last judicial redistricting occurred in 1984 — nearly thirty years ago.

“We came into this process with open minds and a desire to work with interested parties. The submitted maps have given us a lot of good ideas,” said Lt. Governor Ramsey. “I look forward to working with members of the House and Senate to create a map that takes into account both regional integrity and population growth to ensure Tennesseans receive the best possible service from their judges, district attorneys and public defenders.”

To be considered, submitted plans were required to use 2010 federal census data and redistrict the entire state. Regional integrity, geographic boundaries and ease of inter-county travel also had to be considered.

All maps submitted in accordance with the guideline and instructions on how to submit a judicial district plan are now available online at http://www.capitol.tn.gov/senate/judredist/judredist.html.

“Just over a year ago, our Republican majority conducted the most open and transparent legislative redistricting process in state history,” said Lt. Governor Ramsey.  “We aim to do likewise with judicial redistricting. The last time our judicial districts were updated Waylon Jennings and Michael Jackson were at the top of the charts. Tennessee is a far different place that it was in 1984. Formerly rural counties have become thoroughly suburban and our suburban counties now confront problems similar to urban areas.”

“We desperately need to take a fresh look at this judicial map to ensure Tennesseans receive the best possible service from their judges, district attorneys and public defenders,” continued Lt. Governor Ramsey.

Senate Majority Leader Norris concurred with the Lieutenant Governor’s remarks.

“Tennessee had only five counties with 100,000 people or more after the 1980 census. It now has twelve. We need to take a look at this map with modern eyes in order to ensure resources are allocated in the most efficient way possible,” said Leader Norris. “I’d like to encourage all Tennesseans with an interest to join this process and make sure their voices are heard and their perspectives considered.”

“It is very important to seize the opportunity to update our judicial map while we have the chance,” said Rep. Lundberg. “We cannot in good conscience let a map that allows inefficiency to remain in place for another decade. I’d like to echo Lt. Governor Ramsey and Leader Norris and urge anyone with ideas on how best to update our judicial map to get involved and submit their ideas.”

Tennessee currently has thirty-one judicial districts which determine the areas judges, district attorneys and public defenders serve. The last judicial redistricting occurred in 1984 — nearly thirty years ago.

To be considered, submitted plans must use 2010 federal census data and redistrict the entire state. Plans must contain a total of thirty-one districts or fewer and districts must be comprised of whole counties. Regional integrity, geographic boundaries and ease of inter-county travel must also be considered.

Full guidelines and instructions on how to submit a judicial district plan are available online at http://www.capitol.tn.gov/senate/judredist/judredist.html.