Tennessee Senate approves bill to block Amp bus project

The Tennessee Senate staked a hard line against The Amp on Thursday, passing a bill that would block the bus rapid transit project and any other like it in Nashville.

Lawmakers overwhelmingly approved a broad ban on mass transit projects in Nashville, moving ahead of their House counterparts, who have been working on a bill with fewer restrictions. The 27-4 vote followed a push by opponents of the project, including the libertarian group Americans for Prosperity, to bring about a Senate vote and keep proponents on their heels.

Democratic state Sen. Thelma Harper was the only Nashville senator to vote against the measure, an amended version of Senate Bill 2243. State Sen. Douglas Henry, a Democrat, and state Sen. Steve Dickerson, a Republican, voted for the measure, as did state Sen. Ferrell Haile, a Gallatin Republican who represents a portion of eastern Davidson County.

Proposed by Nashville Mayor Karl Dean, The Amp would be a 7.1-mile, $174 million, high-speed bus line connecting the Five Points area of East Nashville to Saint Thomas West Hospital near Belle Meade. The project has the support of business groups, but it has drawn widespread opposition in West Nashville, where critics say it will cause congestion along the busy West End Avenue corridor.

The Senate bill would block bus rapid transit not only there but in any other portion of the city. It would ban mass transit projects that load and unload customers in the center lane, a core element of The Amp's design.

State Sen. Jim Tracy, the legislation's sponsor, said he worries not only about congestion but also about the safety of people boarding buses in the center of the road. He also raised concerns about the possibility that parking spaces or private land could be taken to make room for bus lanes.

The House version, which is scheduled to be discussed Tuesday in the House Finance Committee, does not include restrictions on the project's design. Speaker Beth Harwell said after the Senate vote that she opposes The Amp's current route but does not want to "tie the hands" of the Dean administration.

"We'll see what happens now," said the Nashville Republican.

David Fox, a spokesman for The Amp Coalition, said the safety argument made by Tracy and other Amp opponents "is not true." Amp riders would only cross half of the street, while riders of regular buses must cross the entire street if they're not already on the side where they'll board, he said.

"That's an argument we're going to be making to House members in the coming days," Fox said. "There's a whole lot of thought going into that issue."

Although differences between the two versions still have to be worked out, Tracy said he asked for a vote on the bill Thursday because he sensed the votes were there for it to pass.

One factor appears to have been the involvement of Americans for Prosperity. Soon after the vote, opponents of the Amp issued a statement that thanked the group for its work in support of the bill — efforts that included direct lobbying and urging foes to contact lawmakers.

"Some try to frame this issue as a local issue only, but it's state and federal dollars," said Andrew Ogles, the organization's state director. "It's $175 million."

Other legislative business

The House voted 94-0 to approve Senate Bill 2421. The measure calls on the state to develop a curriculum that teaches children how to tell others about sexual abuse by a family member or acquaintance.

The Senate sent a bill to Gov. Bill Haslam that requires him to get their permission before expanding TennCare after voting 22-5 to remove a provision that was meant to prevent them from being paid if Haslam called a special session to take up the issue.

Reach Chas Sisk at 615-259-8283 and on Twitter @chassisk.