The Speaker of the Senate carries the additional title and office of Lieutenant Governor of Tennessee.

[3] If the legislature remains in session longer than ninety legislative days, lawmakers cease to draw their expense money.

Traditionally, it has been easier, politically speaking, to raise the per diem and office allowance than the salary.

Under a law enacted in 2004, legislators will receive a raise equal to that given to state employees the previous year, if any.

It also prepares estimates of revenues from the Tennessee Education Lottery and oversees the financial operations of state departments and agencies.

[4] It was set up as a special continuing committee of the General Assembly in 1967 and is composed of six senators and nine representatives, each elected by their respective chambers.

Tuesdays and Wednesdays in the Tennessee Capitol also take on an eclectic flavor most weeks, as varied and diverse constituent groups set up display booths to inform lawmakers about their respective causes.

Sessions begin each year in January and usually end by May; during recent fiscal crises meetings have spilled over into July.

The time limit on reimbursed working days and the fact that the Tennessee state government fiscal year is on a July 1 – June 30 basis puts considerable time pressure on the General Assembly, especially with regard to the adoption of a budget.

Lobbyists are not allowed to share meals with legislators on an individual basis, but they are not forbidden from inviting the entire legislature or selected groups to events honoring them, which has become a primary means of lobbying.

For over three decades, both speakers were from West Tennessee; this caused considerable resentment in the eastern two-thirds of the state.

The 111th General Assembly also had a new Speaker of the House and majority leader in the Senate, respectively, and new lawmakers in leadership positions.

The General Assembly districts of both houses are supposed to be reapportioned based on population as determined by the U.S. federal census on a decennial basis.

This was not done between 1902 and 1962, resulting in the United States Supreme Court decision in Baker v. Carr (369 U.S. 186), which required this action to be taken.

Afterwards, there were other lawsuits, including one which resulted in an order for the body to create a black-majority district in West Tennessee for the House in the late 1990s.

A contested gubernatorial election is supposed to be decided by a joint session of the General Assembly, according to statutory law.

The amendment to be passed must receive over half of the total votes cast in the gubernatorial election in order to be ratified and come into effect.

However, on February 23, 2006, Davidson County Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle ruled that the proposed amendment would be on the ballot in 2006.