Legislative Round Table on Governor Bill Lee’s State of the State Address

Backroads and Backstories with Paul Bailey

Guests

• Senator Frank Niceley of District 8
• Senator Rusty Crowe of District 3
• Senator Shane Reeves of District 14

Show Notes

Some of the highlights of the show include:

• “I enjoy politics, I enjoy helping people, and we’ve got a great state. And I’d like to think that in some small way, I was part of that.” - Senator Frank Nicely
• Farming today is harder than ever before because of regulations on farmers.
• We are way ahead on revenue collections based on what our projections were last year.
• Rural counties face different issues.
• “If you want to know how to vote on things, look around, find senators in the room that you respect, and follow their lead.” -Senator Reeves
• The Governor is putting money into fiber optics which is a big deal for rural areas.
• An important issue for the state is trying to figure out how to save our farms.
• Although the governor proposes a 4 percent pay increase for teachers, some of those school districts are not able to fully pass that increase to teachers.
• Senator Nicely says you can cut taxes and still have more money and the proof is in the state of Tennessee.

Transcript

Announcer: From the politics of Nashville, to the history of the Upper Cumberland, this is the Backroads and Backstories podcast, with Senator Paul Bailey.

Senator Bailey: Welcome to the podcast. I’m your host, Senator Paul Bailey. In today’s episode, we have invited state Senator Frank Niceley of District 8, and Senator Rusty Crowe of District 3, and my good friend, Senator Shane Reeves of District 14. The focus of our discussion today will be on our reactions to Governor Bill Lee’s recent State of the State Address, and other legislative priorities this session. Before we get started, I would like to invite each guest to us a little about themselves and give us their backstory. Senator Niceley?

Senator Niceley: Yes sir.

Senator Bailey: Tell us just a little bit about yourself and the good folks up in your district.

Senator Niceley: Well, I was born and raised in East Tennessee in 1988, I’d been farming for a long time and I needed to get off the farm and do something different, so I ran for office. And I served four years, and I wasn’t very popular with the Democrats back then, and I got beat and was out 12 years. Came back in ‘04 and I’ve spent 12 years in the state House, and eight years now in the state Senate, and I’m about as East Tennessee as you can get. I’ve got eight great-granddaddies that’s fought in the American Revolution, buried in East Tennessee, most of them in my district. My wife says that this proves that my family hasn’t gone very far.

[laughing]

But I enjoy politics, I enjoy helping people, and we’ve got a great state. And I’d like to think that in some small way, I was part of that.

Senator Bailey: I think you have been. So, tell us just a little bit about the difference between the House and the Senate.

Senator Niceley: Well, I said one time that when you go to the House, it’s like going back to high school. But when you get in the Senate, it’s like going to an old folks’ home.

[laughing]

I have to wake them up and tell them a joke [inaudible 00:02:11]. The House was a lot more fun, but I’m getting a little bit more done in the Senate. You call a Commissioner; they call you back a little quicker.

Senator Bailey: So, you think you have more respect being a Senator?

Senator Niceley: A little.

Senator Bailey: A little more respect?

Senator Niceley: A little more respect.

Senator Bailey: We also call you the Senate historian.

Senator Niceley: I am. I call myself the unofficial historian. McNally calls me the official historian, but I have not seen that on paper anywhere.

Senator Bailey: Maybe we need to do a resolution calling for you to be named the official Senate historian.

Senator Bailey: Well I ran into Sergeant At Arms the other morning, he said, “Senator Niceley, can I just say good morning and shake your hand without getting a history lesson?”

[laughing]

So, I thought maybe I’d better ease on the history a little bit. I do enjoy history though.

Senator Bailey: So, Senator Niceley, you basically farm for a living, is that correct?

Senator Niceley: Right. I do. Farming is kind of rough right now. They always said farmers go into a depression first and come out last, so I don’t know what’s—farming right now—is farm dead, farm suicides, commodity prices down. It’s hard right now. And that’s why I try to help the farmers down here, and I try to take off regulations, I try to open doors, let them do more things. Just like this year, one of my main bills this year will be letting the state take back over state meat inspection, take it away from the Feds. We gave it to the Feds back in the seventies. I don’t know why we gave it to the Feds, but Commissioner Hatcher agrees with me, it’s time to take it back. Every state to the south of us, they inspect their own produce and their own meat. So, that’s going to be one of my major pushes this year.

Senator Bailey: Prior to me coming to the legislature—and of course I remember reading articles about Frank Niceley from many years ago—you’ve always been fighting for the farmer and basically fighting to roll back regulations on farmers. And so, before I ever had the opportunity to meet you, I already had formed an opinion about you. And it was a good one, so—

Senator Niceley: And it changed, didn’t it?

[laughing]

Well a good example of what you just talked about was billboards. You can put billboards on land that’s zoned commercial or industrial, but you can’t put it on lands zoned agricultural. Why is that? I think if someone took that to the Supreme Court, I’d say that’s discrimination. You got one businessman who happens to be working on land that’s zoned commercial or industrial, that’s fine, but you got another businessman, he happens to be working on land that’s zoned agriculture, why can’t he put a billboard on his side? These billboards are big business. They can pay off the mortgage, keep a kid in school, helps in retirement. Billboards are big business, but farmers can’t—and they own all the land along the interstate. But you can’t put a billboard on lands zoned agriculture. So, that’s another push. I’ve got a lot of pushes.

Senator Bailey: You do push, and especially always looking out for the farmers, so we appreciate—

Senator Niceley: I’m looking out for people that don’t donate to me, and don’t know who I am, and can’t help me in any way.

Senator Bailey: Well, that’s the way we all should be. Senator Crowe—

Senator Crowe: Yeah.

Senator Bailey: Welcome.

Senator Crowe: Thank you. Proud to be here with one of the world champion equestrian people.

Senator Bailey: Well, thank you. I appreciate that.

Senator Crowe: My daughter is a brand-new veterinarian in Knoxville, and a horse lady...