D.D. 12/05/05

• U.S. Senate 2006 -- Here's an interesting statistic: Bob Corker, leads all non-incumbents in the nation vying for a Senate seat in 2006 in fundraising.
• Sen. Jerry Cooper -- The Senate Ethics Committee has asked the Attorney General to formally help an investigation into whether or not State Senator Jerry Cooper used to office to influence any decision-makers in Economic and Community Development to build a rail spur to a lumber mill he owned.
• Ethics Reform -- According to the Associated Press, proposed changes to state ethics laws may require local governments to establish their own new ethics rules. "It's better for them to write the rules since they know it better than we do," said state Sen. Jim Kyle (D-Memphis) a member of the joint legislative committee that made the ethics bill recommendation. "But we're telling them if they don't write the rules, then we'll write them for them."
• Police Agenda -- Police officers have two main proposals on their Legislative agenda for the coming session according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press. The first bill would stiffen penalties for assaulting a police officers and the second would require all pawn shop customers to be fingerprinted. Rep. Chris Clem (R-Lookout Mountain) said both Democrats and Republicans have problems requiring an entire industry to thumbprint its customers. He said the idea is "kind of Big Brother" in nature.