NASHVILLE – On Wednesday, Gov. Bill Lee, in his first executive order, instructed all state agencies to examine and improve the way they serve Tennessee’s rural communities. The order emphasizes the need to coordinate efforts to better serve the state’s rural and economically disadvantaged counties.
In response to the executive order, David Callis, executive vice president and general manager of the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association, made the following statement:
“Tennessee’s rural and suburban communities matter. Thirty-seven percent of the state’s population – some 2.4 million people – call rural Tennessee home, and these residents account for nearly 30 percent of personal incomes for the state. The contributions these families make to the overall success of Tennessee are significant. A healthy and vibrant rural economy is critical to the state’s overall growth and prosperity. Electric co-ops have deep roots in these communities, and we support the governor’s focus on issues that impact rural Tennessee.”
According to a release from the governor’s office, the executive order is the first step by the administration to accelerate plans to address 15 distressed counties, which are all rural. The order requires each executive department to submit, no later than May 31, 2019, a statement of rural impact explaining how the department serves rural Tennesseans. Departments must then provide recommendations for improving that service by June 30, 2019.
Tennessee’s electric cooperatives serve 71 percent of the state and more than 2.5 million consumers. The Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association provides leadership, advocacy and support for Tennessee’s 23 electric cooperatives. The association also publishes The Tennessee Magazine, the state’s most widely circulated periodical. Visit tnelectric.org or tnmagazine.org to learn more.
Last week, the 111th General Assembly of the state of Tennessee began its two-year session, and operative word for all Capitol-watchers is “new.” With so many first time members of the Legislature who are still learning about the legislative process and how best to represent their districts, Tennessee’s electric co-ops have work to do.
The upcoming TECA legislative conference, day on the hill, and legislative reception offer co-op Boards and staff a great opportunity to interact with legislators, both new and old, and engage in important public policy discussions. If your cooperative has not yet registered to attend, please do so. We look forward to seeing you there.
With the new session comes change not seen in Tennessee government in recent history, as over 30 new lawmakers were sworn in on the first day. Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) was again elected as Speaker of the Senate, and Glen Casada (R-Franklin) was elected to replace outgoing House Speaker Beth Harwell (R-Nashville). Harwell served as Speaker of the House for eight years.
Governor-elect Bill Lee (R-Franklin) will be sworn in on January 19, 2019. Lee’s first major task of the start of his first year will be to finalize his commissioner appointments and present his budget. Lee is expected to give his first State of the State address and release his budget on March 4, 2019.
Tennessee House Committee Updates
As Lee begins his work he will be working with all new leadership in the House. In addition to the new Speaker, Majority Leader and Caucus Leader, the House has brand new committees and committee chairs. There is sure to be an extended learning curve this session with so many new legislators and committee chairs. The list of committees and committee chairs for the House can be found here.
Tennessee Senate Committee Updates
In the Senate, there were fewer changes. No new committees were created in the Senate, but there are five new chairs of committees. The list of committees and committee chairs for the Senate can be found here.
After the inauguration, the Senate will take an additional week to organize before returning to business on January 28, 2019. The House will return sooner to resume its business on January 23, 2019. The bill filing deadline will be the first week of February. House members will continue to have 15 bills unless they chair a committee. In that instance, a chairman will have an additional five bills that must be related to the subject matter of his or her committee.
111th General Assembly App
General Assembly App
The 111th Tennessee General Assembly app features a continually updated, searchable database of contact, staff and committee information as well as district maps, photos, leadership roles and social media profiles for members of the Tennessee House and Senate. The app also contains information on the governor and his cabinet and the Tennessee congressional delegation. The app was developed through a partnership between the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association and Bass, Berry & Sims PLC.
The free app is available for iPhone, iPad and Android devices and can be found by searching for “Tennessee General Assembly” in the Apple App Store or Google PLAY Marketplace.
https://www.tnelectric.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Tennessee_State_Capitol_Nighttime.jpg5631000Trent Scotthttps://www.tnelectric.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/TECA-logo-full-light.pngTrent Scott2019-01-15 16:23:552019-01-15 16:25:09New Year, New General Assembly, New Legislators
The Board of Directors of Duck River Electric Membership Corporation (DREMC) today has accepted the retirement request of Michael Watson, President and CEO. Watson will relinquish his duties as CEO and President on Jan. 11; he will serve in an advisory capacity for the cooperative until June 30, 2019.
Watson also served as president of the board of directors for the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association.
“We are grateful for the 27 years of service that Michael has dedicated to Duck River Electric,” said Barry Cooper, Chairman of the Board. “He has led DREMC through an important period of change in the cooperative business, including implementing an advanced meter infrastructure and installing a fiber backbone that is preparing the cooperative for broadband options.”
He has also demonstrated valuable leadership within the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association and the Tennessee Valley Public Power Association, Cooper said, as well as with the TVA Rates and Contracts process.
Cooper said that the board has taken action to employ Charles McDonald as an interim CEO. McDonald retired from DREMC in 2011 as Director of Member Services after 37 years of service with the cooperative. McDonald will begin his interim service effective Jan. 11, 2019.
The board will begin a thorough search for a CEO as soon as is feasible.
[NASHVILLE] – Tennessee lawmakers will return to Nashville on Jan. 8 for the 111th Tennessee General Assembly. During the four to five-month session, they will consider legislation that can have an impact on Tennessee families and businesses. That makes it important to stay informed and, at times, reach out to your elected officials. Tennesseans interested in government and politics now have a powerful tool for connecting with lawmakers.
The 111th Tennessee General Assembly app features a continually updated, searchable database of contact, staff and committee information as well as district maps, photos, leadership roles and social media profiles for members of the Tennessee House and Senate. The app also contains information on the governor and his cabinet and the Tennessee congressional delegation.
The app was developed through a partnership between the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association and Bass, Berry & Sims PLC. TECA has published an annual directory of the General Assembly for more than 50 years. “Each year, we collect lots of information on legislators, and we want that to be available to as many people as possible,” says David Callis, executive vice president and general manager of the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association. “The app makes it easier than ever to connect with your elected representatives.”
The free app is available for iPhone, iPad and Android devices and can be found by searching for “Tennessee General Assembly” in the Apple App Store or Google PLAY Marketplace.
Michael Watson serves as president and CEO of Duck River Electric Membership Corporation in Shelbyville, Tenn., and as the board chairman of the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association.
Amazon recently announced that it will build a new operations center
in Nashville. This is big news for the entire state as the project will
bring more than 5,000 jobs and millions of dollars in investment to the
region. Chattanooga, Knoxville and Memphis have recently made headlines
for industry announcements as well.
This attention on the state’s urban centers makes it easy to think
that you can only find opportunity in a big city. We shouldn’t think
that, though, because opportunity is all around us.
Last year, nearly half of all new jobs in Tennessee — more than 9,700
— were created in the state’s rural and suburban counties. These
communities may not be growing as fast as Nashville or Knoxville, but
you don’t have to look too hard to see good things happening right here.
Tennessee’s electric cooperatives provide energy to rural Tennessee,
but our interest in the communities we serve goes far beyond power. We
are working to be sure that our part of the state is strong and well
prepared to compete in the modern economy.
In November, I attended the Tennessee Electric Cooperative
Association’s annual meeting in Nashville. The theme for the event was
“Power and Opportunity,” and it was a good reminder of the impact our
cooperatives have on the communities we serve.
We provide more than power. We provide power and opportunity.
Our economic development efforts help bring new jobs to our service area.
The things that happen in rural areas may not get as much attention
as those in Nashville, but what goes on in our service areas matters.
Our youth programs help young people develop important leadership
skills. In 2018, Tennessee cooperatives sent more than 130 young people
to Washington, D.C., to learn about government and public policy. Each
co-op also sent two high school students to Nashville for the Tennessee
Electric Co-op Youth Leadership Summit to strengthen their leadership
and networking skills.
The things that happen in rural areas may not get as much attention
as those in Nashville, but what goes on in our service areas matters. It
matters to the people who live there, and it matters to our co-ops.
Tennessee’s electric cooperatives want to see the communities we
serve succeed. We want them to be places where businesses thrive,
families prosper and opportunities are abundant.
Last month, our nation did what we’ve only done a
handful of times — said a final goodbye to a president. In ceremonies
public and private, coupled with a national day of mourning, we
celebrated the life of President George H.W. Bush.
Reflecting on someone’s life provides a perspective that levels
things out. It’s not that we forget their shortcomings; it’s more that
we forgive them as we consider the whole of their time with us.
President Bush lived quite a life. Any one of his positions would
serve as the crowning achievement for most of us. That he attained the
presidency, however, wasn’t his most cherished goal. He served in many
other roles: naval aviator, congressman, CIA director and vice
president. How he wanted to be remembered was more important than the
position — whether as father, grandfather or even president of the
United States. It was to be a decent and honorable man in every
situation or vocation.
The Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association invited presidential
historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jon Meacham to speak at our
annual meeting in November. You can view the highlights of that event
below.
Meacham is a close friend of the Bush family, and he was one of four
people asked to deliver eulogies at President Bush’s funeral. In
eulogizing him, Meacham said that Bush’s “life code,” as the former
president described, was, “Tell the truth. Don’t blame people. Be
strong. Do your best. Try hard. Forgive. Stay the course.”
If you don’t think that’s how a leader should act, you’re doing it wrong.
As we enter a new year, we still face the same challenges with which
we ended 2018. Politically, we have new leaders who will have to deal
with economic, budgetary and social issues that impact us all — and each
other. There is no indication that dealing with any of these issues is
going to be easy or dealt with quickly. The problems might not be as
challenging as how we approach them.
Let’s hope our current leaders have the wisdom to follow Bush’s example: the nation over politics, people over party.
Once again, quoting Meacham, “Abraham Lincoln’s ‘better angels of our
nature’ and George H.W. Bush’s ‘thousand points of light’ are companion
verses in America’s national hymn. For Lincoln and Bush both called on
us to choose the right over the convenient, to hope rather than to fear
and to heed not our worst impulses but our best instincts.”
You don’t have to be president to have an impact. In everything you
do, you can have an impact on someone else. In fact, if you do as Bush
did and “tell the truth, be strong, do your best and forgive,” I
guarantee it will have an impact on everyone with whom you come in
touch.
I’ve said it before — we can disagree without being disagreeable.
Let’s at least begin 2019 with that attitude. Go with your best
instinct, and let that instinct be one of kindness.
Scenes from the 2018 TECA Annual Meeting
The 2018 annual meeting of the Tennessee Electric Cooperative
Association was held Sunday, Nov. 18, through Tuesday, Nov. 20, in
Nashville. The event brings community and co-op leaders together to
discuss energy, broadband, community development, technology and other
issues important to Tennessee’s electric cooperatives. This event is
designed to help local co-op leaders better serve their co-ops and their
communities, and we applaud their investment in education and training.
Presidential historian Jon Meacham talks about the strength of our nation and the dangers of partisanship.
A panel of community leaders help co-ops understand how to better support the areas they serve.
TECA CEO David Callis, left, and Board President Michael Watson discuss opportunities during the business meeting.A panel of co-op directors describe their decisions to invest in broadband.
Dr. Peter Muhoro with the Cooperative Finance Corporation highlights new technologies that will impact electric co-ops.
TECA Board President Michael Watson challenges co-op leaders to engage with their communities.
Co-op directors and staff network and share ideas during the annual meeting.
Washington Youth Tour delegate Maria Howard talks about the impact the trip had on her life.
