The 114th General Assembly gaveled in at the Tennessee state Capitol Tuesday for a legislative session expected to largely focus on education issues as Gov. Bill Lee seeks to push through a private school voucher proposal.

With few election shake-ups last fall, lawmakers returned to a legislature with little change in the status quo. Republicans still hold a strong supermajority, and prexisting leadership will preside over both chambers.

Senate Republicans on Tuesday reelected Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, as Speaker of the Senate. Senate Democrats all abstained from the vote.

“Each General Assembly I’ve gaveled in seems to be better than the last,” McNally said.

In the House, Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, also easily won reelection to lead the chamber. Democrats nominated House Minority Leader Karen Camper, D-Memphis, and unanimously voted for her. 

“The people of District 52 will not vote for an authoritarian!” Rep. Justin Jones, D-Nashville, yelled from his seat before casting his vote for Camper. 

As Republican members called their votes for Sexton, a spectator yelled out “boo!” and “gross!” from the west gallery – prompting a chuckle from the sitting speaker, who stood to one side as the election was held. 

“I greatly appreciate all that voted for me today, and for those of you who didn’t, I do know some of you wanted to, and I understand that,” Sexton said. “Over the last five years, we’ve all learned a lot. My goal is to be more efficient, empower Tennesseans over the government and uphold our constitutional duty of public oversight.” 

Notably, some desks were rearranged on the House floor since last year. Jones and Rep. Justin Pearson, D-Memphis, who had previously been seated near each other and have frequently clashed with their Republican colleagues, were both moved. Pearson is now seated next to Rep. Vincent Dixie, D-Nashville, in a sea of Republican desks across the chamber from the Democratic caucus. Jones has been moved to the front, near the speaker’s dais.

The House Select Committee on Rules convened later Tuesday afternoon to discuss proposed changes to the rules. Ahead of the meeting, proposed rules changes included a limit on the number of bills each member can propose, and a “three-strikes” rule proposing to permanently ban members of the public found to be disruptive from the gallery.

The initial weeks of a legislative session are often slow-moving as committees get settled and bills began to make their way through the legislative process. The Senate is expected to name committee assignments on Thursday. Many eyes will be on the appointment of the Senate Education Committee chair after former Sen. Jon Lundberg’s ouster last year in the GOP primary. The committee will prove pivotal in the voucher issue.

Advocates on both side of the issue mingled in the Capitol halls on Tuesday.

There are rumblings that Lee intends to call a special session in late January on his voucher bill.

The effort failed last year amid legislative gridlock. A special session call would allow lawmakers to narrow their focus on the issue, which could be tied to disaster relief funding for areas of East Tennessee.

This is an opinion column.

Who knew it was an option to simply change the names of things that don’t belong to us?

The possibilities are endless. You don’t have to actually change anything. You just have to call it something else.

For personal reasons, I’d like to rename Tennessee “Dorkland.” No offense to actual dorks. For personal reasons, Tennesseans have called me worse.

I’ve never understood why Alabama, which presumably dares defend its rights of way, allows the Dorkland River to flow freely in and out of its borders. Maybe we should just call it the River Sticks. Because you cross it to get to hillbilly hell.

It’s freeing to rename things that annoy you. There’s a president, I mean precedent, for it. And bodies of water are a good start.

Lake Superior is in the state of Canada, for Pete’s sake. It should rightly be called Lake Inferior. And the Pacific Ocean sounds like some hippy dippy draft dodger with “bad feet.” Let’s call it the Ocean of American Might. That’ll make waves.

Most rivers in Alabama are named for Native American culture, and I like that, except in the case of the one mentioned above. Lakes, on the other hand, are generally named for Alabama Power execs or their mothers, lawyers, engineers or friends. I’d change them in a Reddy Kilowatt, to Atlantic, Ventnor and Marvin Gardens. Park Place and Boardwalk. You know. Monopoly properties.

I guess New Mexico has to change. But I’m sure smart people are already thinking that.

I’m curious, too, why we never bothered to name the moon. It’s there every night and it’s just … moon. It’s like calling your dog “Dog” or your kid “Kid.” We planted a flag in that thing, so give it a fitting name: Yankee Doodle Flashlight. Or is it a gaslight?

But before you can change the heavens you have to change the wrongs closer to home.

There’s an Alabama town called Cuba 11 miles west of Intercourse. Of course we can’t have that. Cuba, I mean. We’ll call it Foreplay instead.

An hour northeast of Needmore, a little less than an hour northwest of Smuteye, is the community of Little Texas. There are only about 1,200 people there, but they need to own it. Forget the Little, and just call them Texas. The state of Texas? We’ll call it West Smuteye.

Marshall County has an Egypt and an Arab (rhymes with Ahab). It’s probably why the county has the third-highest immigrant population rate in the state. Alabama has a Berlin, a Havana and a Rome — where all roads do not lead.

There’s the Abel community in Cleburne County, just across the Talladega National Forest from Waldo, if you know where to find Waldo. As the Bible tells us Abel was a loser, so that has to change. Just call it Cain.

For that matter, why don’t we change the names of names.

Alabama offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan has not earned the right to be Tuscaloosa’s Nick S. (or a paycheck 22 times the median household income in the state, but that’s another story). Let’s just call him Temp.

That singer from Alabama, India Ramey, is tearing up Nashville these days. She’s great. But I’m afraid we’re going to have to call her Indiana. For America’s sake.

Cuba Gooding Jr. must be Cuba Not-so-Gooding. And while I hate it for Tennessee Williams, he will now have to be Dorkland Williams. It’s not even fair.

But hey, I’m just calling ‘em what I see ‘em.

In a world where greed is godly, thought control is liberty and theocracy is religious freedom, a rose is whatever you want to call it.

John Archibald is a two-time Pulitzer winner who, in actuality, has nothing at all against the great state of Tennessee. Or Dorkland.