Tennessee Senate advances large batches of bills, adopts consent calendar and suspends rule to allow governor’s budget filing

At a Tennessee Senate floor session, lawmakers moved dozens of bills through initial steps, adopted a consent calendar of memorializing resolutions and suspended a chamber rule to allow the governor to file budget bills by Friday, Feb. 14, before recessing to hear the governor’s state of the state address.

Leader Larry Johnson moved that, pursuant to Senate Rule 32 and Article II, Section 18 of the Constitution of the State of Tennessee, multiple Senate bills be passed on first consideration. The clerk announced the bills were passed on first consideration without objection. Later, Leader Johnson moved that other groups of Senate bills pass second consideration and be referred to the appropriate standing committees; the clerk announced those measures passed on second consideration without objection and were sent to committee or held on the clerk’s desk.

Senator Powers moved adoption of a consent calendar of memorializing and congratulating resolutions; the Senate adopted the consent calendar by voice vote. The clerk recorded the vote as 33 ayes and no nays; Senators Hale and Kyle were named on the floor as having voted aye during the roll call sequence.

Committee chairs used the floor to announce upcoming public budget and pre-budget meetings. Senator Briggs (State and Local Government Committee) said the committee will hold a budget pre-meeting to review Department of Corrections materials; Chairman Nacey (Transportation and Safety) announced TDOT’s annual legislative breakfast; Chairman White (Education) announced weekly budget pre-meetings for the education budget; and Chairman Watson (Finance, Ways and Means) reminded members that the commissioner of Finance and Administration will present the governor’s budget to the committee the next morning.

Leader Larry Johnson moved to suspend Senate Rule 25 to permit the governor to timely file his budget and budget-implementation bills by close of business Friday, Feb. 14. The motion was adopted without objection; the presiding officer noted the ayes carried. Immediately afterward, Leader Johnson moved that the Senate recess to the House chamber to hear the governor’s state of the state address and that, following the joint convention, the Senate stand adjourned until 8:30 a.m. Wednesday. The motion carried and the Senate recessed for the joint convention.

The session included other routine floor business: introduction and first-consideration passage of a number of joint and senate resolutions (which were held on the clerk’s desk), and a roll call on the consent calendar. No substantive floor debate on the underlying contents of the bulk bill groups was recorded during the motion-and-pass steps; the clerk and presiding officers handled the procedural dispositions by unanimous or voice consent as noted on the record.

Votes at a glance

- Bulk first-consideration passage of multiple Senate bill ranges (moved under Senate Rule 32 and Article II, Section 18): Passed on first consideration; motion moved by Leader Larry Johnson; outcome: approved (without objection). Specific bill numbers referenced on the floor were given as ranges; individual bill details were not read on the floor record provided.

- Bulk second-consideration passage and referral (moved under Senate Rule 33 and Article II, Section 18): Passed on second consideration and referred to standing committees; motion moved by Leader Larry Johnson; outcome: approved (without objection).

- Consent calendar (memorializing and congratulatory resolutions): Motion to adopt moved by Senator Powers; recorded vote: 33 ayes, 0 nays; named aye votes on the floor included Senator Hale and Senator Kyle; outcome: adopted.

- Suspension of Senate Rule 25 to allow filing of governor’s budget bills by close of business Friday, Feb. 14: Motion moved by Leader Larry Johnson; outcome: approved (without objection; ayes carried).

- Motion to recess for the governor’s state of the state address and to adjourn thereafter until 8:30 a.m. Wednesday: Motion moved by Leader Larry Johnson; outcome: approved (Senate recessed for joint convention).

What the floor minutes show and what they do not

The record reflects procedural advancement of many measures via bulk motions and voice consent; it does not include individual roll-call votes or substantive debate on the content of the many bills referenced during the bulk first- and second-consideration motions. When bills are taken up for committee consideration or for third reading, separate records or committee minutes would show substantive debate and recorded votes, if any.

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