HIGH SCHOOL CIVICS
Part Nine: Constitutional Officers and the TRA

You've learned quite a bit at this point, and you should pat yourself on the back. Before we move onto the third branch of government (the judicial branch), we're going to talk about a few other important state government entities.
The legislature elects Constitutional Officers on January 15, 2009
Tennessee has three "Constitutional Officers," or state government jobs that are spelled out in the Tennessee Constitution. In many states, these jobs are elected by the public at large. But in Tennessee they are elected by the General Assembly. And in January 2009, the General Assembly elected three new Constitutional Officers.

Here are Tennessee's three Constitutional Officers:

* The Comptroller -- The comptroller is sort of the watchdog of government. The comptroller, elected by the legislature, audits state government departments and local governments and advises the legislature on matters related to the budget. In Tennessee the comptroller is Justin Wilson. Before the legislature decides to spend a lot of money on anything, they generally turn to Justin Wilson for advice.
Tre Harget
* The Secretary of State -- Tre Hargett, a former state senator from Shelby County, is the Tennessee Secretary of State. Darnell's office has a myriad of responsibilities, such as keeping official records of state government, running the Tennessee State Library and Archives, and overseeing Tennessee's elections process. The Tennessee Blue Book, which we have referred to many times during this section, is produced by the Secretary of State's office.
Treasurer David Lillard
* The Treasurer -- Appointed by the legislature, the treasurer keeps tabs on how much money the state of Tennessee has in the bank and how it is invested. Tennessee's treasurer is David Lillard.

Now, don't get this job confused with the Commissioner of Finance, which is a member of the governor's cabinet. The Commissioner of Finance keeps up with how much money the state is currently raising in taxes, and how much money the state is spending in its current year. It is the job of the Commissioner of Finance, for instance, to announce how tax revenues come out every month. The treasurer's job has more to do with Tennessee's long-term financial situation. For example, a big part of the treasurer's job is keeping tabs on the state employees' retirement fund.
The Tennessee Regulatory Authority

The Tennessee Regulatory Authority
Finally, we're going to mention yet another important arm of state government that affects your life, and this is known as the Tennessee Regulatory Authority.

You know what a utility is? Utilities provide a type of service to the public that, because of the nature of service and the infrastructure required, can't be readily provided by competing organizations. For example: if we wanted to start a business, we would be wise not to try to start a company that delivers electricity to the general public. Someone and something is already providing electricity through power plants and power lines, and it costs a lot of money to compete with them.

Some utilities are publicly owned, and run by a board whose members are appointed by a government. Among the larger public utilities in Tennessee are Memphis Light Gas and Water, the Knoxville Utilities Board, and the Nashville Electric Service. Since these public utilities have open board meetings and are owned by the government, they are not regulated by a higher authority.

Other utilities, however, are privately owned, which means that they are owned by investors instead of by the government. Among the larger private utilities in Tennessee are the Nashville Gas Co., AT&T, and Tennessee American Water.

The Tennessee Regulatory Authority is a four-member body that regulates privately owned utilities. When a private utility wants to raise the amount of money it charges its customers, the TRA has to approve it. So when the TRA has hearings, there is a lot of wrestling going on between its four directors, the general public, and lawyers who represent privately owned utilities.

By the way, the TRA does not regulate cellular phone companies; the nature of the service cellular phone companies provide has caused them to not be classified as "private utilities." So if you are unhappy with your cell phone company, there's no point calling the TRA.

Click here to learn about the judicial branch of state government.