Tennessee Senate Speaker Randy McNally to miss first weeks of session

Following doctor’s orders, Tennessee Senate Speaker Randy McNally will miss the first few weeks of the legislative session while he recovers from ankle surgery. Second-in-line Sen. Ferrell Haile will preside over floor sessions.    

McNally has been in a cast for months now, so the ankle surgery wasn’t unexpected. And without him at the start of session, things should run as usual, especially given that the first few weeks of session are pretty light in comparison to the later months.

The speaker’s absence isn’t out of the ordinary. There are times during most sessions when he must be out for various reasons. Last year, McNally had to miss a floor session to have a pacemaker installed due to an irregular heartbeat.

Thanks to modern technology, McNally says he will be monitoring proceedings remotely and will be in constant contact with leadership.