Rules changes passed in January 1999 shifted much of that power to the president pro tem, or top-ranking senator. Colleagues say Hammett has made committees more effective. He doesn't let the Legislature get out of control. You don't really see this speaker assigning a bill that maybe he doesn't like to a committee just to kill it. Venable, who chairs the House Rule Committee, which sets the daily work agenda, said Hammett has also ended the practice of being secretive about what bills will come up on a given day.
People know ahead of time what's going to be debated.
Traditionally, the lieutenant governor assigned bills to committees in the Senate. But under the new rules, Lt. Gov. Steve Windom, the first GOP lieutenant governor since Reconstruction, shares that power with Sen. Lowell Barron, D-Fyffe. Barron probably has more clout, since he assigns bills that have already passed the House. Besides, Democrats hold a 24-11 majority in the Senate. Their dominance holds back many popular Republican measures, such as a bill to require voters to show identification at the polls.