A tinge of stress seeped through his voice as House Speaker Glen Casada spoke on a caucus conference call to his Republican colleagues Wednesday.

As the Franklin lawmaker sought to navigate what may be the most difficult political battle of his nearly two decades in the state legislature, he maintained his composure. He projected optimism. He touted the House’s accomplishments.

"We have had an amazing year for decorum, and respect prevailed on the floor," Casada said to dozens of curious lawmakers who phoned in for the call.

His assessment stands in stark contrast, however, to actions on the ground in the statehouse during a session that brought weekly protests, arrests and renewed scrutiny of the way lawmakers handle sexual harassment.

By implementing sweeping changes to how the House of Representatives was run, Casada created an environment for many legislators of deep paranoia, fear and the threat of retaliation for not demonstrating loyalty, members say.

“There has been a spirit of fear since then,” said Rep. Jeremy Faison, R-Cosby. "It's all about limiting individual freedoms."

Casada on Friday continued to tout the legislature's accomplishments, saying the legislative session "demonstrated what is possible when we all work together for the betterment of Tennesseans."

Under Casada, the Republican-dominated House approved landmark legislation to create a school voucher plan, helping accomplish what had never before been done in the General Assembly despite previous attempts.

The legislature also passed other major initiatives, including changing the state's charter school approval system, increasing vocational training and funding assistance for children with disabilities.

"The House was successful this session because of cooperation, not intimidation," Casada said in a statement.

Cracks form in GOP caucus

But as news broke last week of Casada's participation in a series of sexually explicit and misogynistic text messages — and his promotion of longtime aide Cade Cothren to chief of staff, despite Cothren having used cocaine in the legislative office building — some Republican members began to call for him to step down. Cothren also came under scrutiny for sending racist text messages.

The cracks began to show as lawmakers increasingly spoke out about the scandal, apparently weakening the rigid control Casada has held on the House since January and, in many ways, months before that as he whipped up support in his campaign for speaker.

Faison — who was among the first House Republicans last week to call on Casada to resign — suggested that in the past, the state Capitol has been seen as a place that belongs to all Tennesseans.

“It has not been the people’s house," Faison said. "It’s been Glen’s house."

Comparing the current atmosphere to what took place during former House Speaker Beth Harwell’s tenure, Faison described notable changes.

Faison said Harwell, R-Nashville, never asked him to do something that would benefit her. Instead, she reminded him to first do what was right for the state and his district.

“Everything he did this year was to promote Glen,” Faison said, describing Casada as one of the slickest politicians seen in the state.

Research analysts have been serving as 'hall monitors'

Faison pointed to the hiring of the additional legislative analysts this year, who he said were ultimately “researching what was being said” inside hallways of the legislature.

As a result, Faison said lawmakers, especially those who were not in Casada’s inner circle, were constantly watching over their shoulders.

Research analysts — the number of which increased by 50% upon Casada taking office — are typically tasked with setting calendars for committees, creating bill summaries and assisting committee members with legislation.

But some analysts appear to have different job descriptions altogether: serving as the eyes and ears of the speaker's office.

Notably, at least two research analysts brought on this year have developed reputations among some members as hired busybodies tasked with keeping tabs on House members — particularly Republicans — and reporting information back to Cothren and Casada.

Multiple Republican members said it's unclear the exact job of one particular new analyst.

"No one knows," one GOP lawmaker, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of fear of retaliation, told The Tennessean.

"All I have seen him do — and others have expressed the same opinion — is you just see him walking up and down the halls, looking into offices. He’ll be standing in committee meetings. That's all I've ever seen him do."

Among lawmakers, two particular analysts earned nicknames as "hall monitors," a term that stuck throughout the legislative session.

In some cases, one of these analysts has been dispatched on house calls in an apparent show of intimidation, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the encounters.

"I'll notice somebody engaging in conversation, and (the hall monitors) walk toward them and the conversation stops," another Republican lawmaker said. "It sounds like fifth grade stuff."

He said he believed paranoia among members spread after seeing it modeled in the speaker's office at the start of session with efforts to tamp down on freedom of expression.

"I think the original paranoia starts with leadership," he said. "They're trying to stop any conversation about the reality of what's happening."

A series of changes under Casada have reinforced culture of fear

Other new tactics implemented this session include changes in how the House itself operates.

When the chamber first adopted its rules at the start of the session, Casada and Republican leadership backed a change to limit debate on the House floor by eliminating the opportunity to share personal orders. Those personal orders allow lawmakers to talk openly about issues on the floor.

Throughout the session, Casada repeatedly cut off the microphones of critics who questioned the speaker or expressed dissent. He allowed committee members to ban the public — and fellow lawmakers — from personally livestreaming meetings and extended the prohibition to inside the House chamber.

Several lawmakers told The Tennessean that they had or wanted to have their legislative offices swept for recording devices, believing that someone had been listening in on their conversations.

On the caucus conference call Wednesday, Speaker Pro Tem Bill Dunn, R-Knoxville, noted that the environment in the office had changed under the leadership of Casada, and that he believed some members were rightfully concerned.

"That kind of says what kind of climate we have, when we hear that people might be bugging offices," Dunn said. "It's not like that's a wild notion. It's people saying, 'Well, I better sweep my office, because there seems to be some kind of truth to it.' "

One Republican member said that while former Democratic House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh had a reputation for running a tight ship, it paled in comparison to what Casada has done so far.

"Of course Naifeh ruled with an iron fist, but nothing like this, with all the people walking up and down the halls and spying and all that kind of stuff," the member said.

"I don’t really know how to explain it other than you know you're just on guard. You don’t know if you're being watched or listened to."

White noise systems — which are used to prevent conversations from being overheard or, in some cases, recorded — were installed in hallway ceilings inside and outside Casada's office.

Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, who presides over the Senate, on Thursday expressed dismay over the lengths to which Casada had gone to have secretive conversations.

McNally laughed at the question of whether any such noise-canceling devices were installed in his office, and confirmed there were none on the Senate's seventh floor wing of the Cordell Hull legislative office building.

"If it were in a senator’s office, I would have had to approve it, I think, unless they did it with their own money," McNally said. "And if they did it at their own expense, I’d have it removed. Why does one need one?"

'The most retaliatory administration outside of middle school'

Rep. Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville, said the environment at the statehouse under Casada has proved to be the “most retaliatory administration outside of middle school.”

Johnson, who returned to the House this year after serving one term beginning in 2012, said she was confronted by Casada at one point, who accused her of organizing a rally against Rep. David Byrd, a Waynesboro Republican accused of sexually assaulting three female students in the 1980s.

Johnson, who, along with protesters, attended an education subcommittee meeting Byrd chaired, said Casada asked her not to return to the panel’s meetings.

“I said absolutely not,” she said, noting Casada told her he would have a problem if she did return to future meetings led by Byrd.

Johnson said she had come to think Casada was maintaining a “naughty and nice” list, which she said included several Democrats and Rep. David Hawk, R-Greeneville, who opposed Casada’s bid for speaker.

Hawk, like Rep. Ryan Williams, R-Cookeville, was moved at the start of session from the sixth floor — the center of action for House members' offices and where the speaker's suite is located — to the fourth floor of the Cordell Hull building, a reassignment viewed by many in the statehouse as petty punishment for not pledging loyalty to Casada.

Johnson, who on multiple occasions was not allowed to speak on the House floor during debates, said while she had expected to have disagreements with Republicans throughout the session, Casada’s leadership has been surprising.

“They are so terrified of dissent that they resort to lunacy,” she said.

Reach Natalie Allison at nallison@tennessean.com. Follow her on Twitter at @natalie_allison.

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