The Latest on the first day of the Tennessee legislative session (all times local):
12:45 p.m. CT
Tennessee lawmakers have officially voted in their top legislative leaders to oversee the House and Senate for the next two years.
On Tuesday, House Republicans and a small handful of Democrats elected Rep. Glen Casada as the chamber's next speaker. He replaces outgoing Speaker Beth Harwell.
Casada says it's his goal to make the House more involved in the state's budget-setting process.
Over in the Senate, Randy McNally was elected as speaker. The Oak Ridge lawmaker first became speaker in 2017. By statute, the Speaker of the Senate holds the title of Lieutenant Governor.
Former Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris — who is now a federal judge in Memphis — swore in McNally as speaker and the members who were voted in last election.
"I do not take lightly the confidence you have placed in me," Lt. Governor McNally said. "To serve you as Speaker of the Senate has been a truly humbling experience. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the opportunity to continue in this role. It is my great privilege to represent Tennessee as Lieutenant Governor. I pray I will continue to be equal to the task."
"In the past eight years, the promises made during the Republican road to the majority became promises kept while in office," McNally continued. "More Tennesseans have a job than ever before. We achieved AAA credit ratings from all three rating agencies. We became the most improved state in the nation in education. And we cut taxes $800 million dollars."
"This success is not a matter of luck. It is the result of dedicated public servants making tough decisions with an eye toward the future," McNally concluded. "We are all here to make Tennessee a better place. Let's continue to believe in Tennessee together. Let's get to work."
Tuesday marked the first day of the 111th General Assembly, where lawmakers were sworn in and other top legislative leaders were elected.
5:15 a.m. CT
Tennessee lawmakers are preparing to kick off the 111th General Assembly, ushering with it a new governor and a booming freshman class poised to tackle the state's most high-profile issues while also setting the budget.
The Tennessee House and Senate will meet Tuesday afternoon at the statehouse in Nashville to start a session that's scheduled to last several months.
The first day's item of business for the Republican-dominated General Assembly is to formally elect speakers for the House and Senate. The GOP caucuses for both bodies had previously decided their leaders before Tuesday, but still need to cast a formal vote inside the Capitol.
Republican Gov.-elect Bill Lee is scheduled to be inaugurated on Jan. 19. He replaces term-limited Republican Gov. Bill Haslam.