79th Legislature Swears In, Elects Leaders, Recesses

Earl Ray Tomblin will continue his streak as the longest-serving Senate president in state history, and House Speaker Rick Thompson was also re-elected as the Legislature convened and voted on its top leaders Wednesday.

The House and Senate also jointly certified November's balloting returns before recessing until Feb. 11, when their 60-day session begins.

As The Associated Press reports, lawmakers are "already preparing for tight financial times," mindful of the national recession and the budget woes facing most other states.

Wednesday's smooth proceedings -- Tomblin was re-elected by acclamation, while Thompson enjoyed the backing of all House Democrats present -- contrasts what befell the Tennessee House (in a dispatch written by a former denizen of AP's Charleston statehouse bureau).