Tennessee House passes consent calendar, introduces large batch of bills and withdraws multiple measures from committee

Nashville — The Tennessee House of Representatives on Feb. 4, 2025 passed the consent calendar, introduced House Bills 359 through 636 on first consideration and advanced House Bills 186 through 358 on second consideration, the chamber’s clerk reported.

The consent calendar motion was made by Representative Shirley Moody. The House recorded “Ayes, 92, no nays,” after which the presiding officer declared the consent calendar passed. Leader Lambert registered objections to item 1; objections to item 11 and Senate Joint Resolution 24 (SJR 24) were noted on the floor by the clerk as having been filed by other members or chairmen.

Why it matters: passage of a consent calendar moves multiple measures without separate debate to expedite floor business; the introductions and second-reading advances set dozens to proceed through the legislative process and to committee referral where applicable.

Most important facts

- Introduction and first consideration: The clerk announced that House Bills 359–636 were introduced and passed on first consideration and placed on the calendar. - Second consideration: The clerk announced that House Bills 186–358 were passed on second consideration and were referred to the appropriate standing committee (the clerk called it “the purpose standing committee”). - Consent calendar: Representative Shirley Moody moved passage of the consent calendar on third and final consideration (in keeping with Rule 50). The clerk reported objections to specific items; the overall vote was recorded as 92 ayes and no nays when the chair called the vote. - Withdrawals from committee: Multiple members moved to withdraw individual bills from committee and from the house; the motions were granted (the transcript records “without objection” or “with objections, so ordered” as the procedural rulings). Those motions and movers are recorded in the actions section below. - Scheduling and deadlines: The clerk announced the bill-filing deadline as Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, at close of business. Representative Cochran moved and the House agreed to stand in recess until 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. - Reports filed: The clerk read a substantial list of agency reports and statutorily required reports filed with the clerk’s office, including reports from the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Department of Human Services (public chapter reports), Department of Revenue federal grants report (FY 2024), Tennessee State Fire Marshal reports, TDOT rail and public transportation annual report (2024), and multiple other reports and studies; those were filed with the clerk’s office and made available for review.

Details and context

The House’s procedural actions on Feb. 4 were largely organizational and calendar-setting rather than substantive floor debate on particular policy measures. The consent calendar process allows multiple bills to be approved together when no member seeks separate consideration; the clerk recorded specific objections to a few items that will require separate action.

A sequence of motions during the unfinished-business portion recorded numerous withdrawals of bills from committee. Members who announced withdrawals included Representative Zachary, Representative Hulsey, Representative Sparks, Representative Hurt, Representative Picky, Representative Jones (multiple members named Jones appear in the record), Representative Hardaway and others; each announced the specific bill number they sought to withdraw (see actions). Where the transcript recorded “without objection” the presiding officer ordered the withdrawal; where the transcript recorded “with objections, so ordered,” the presiding officer similarly recorded the procedural outcome.

The clerk also read an extended set of reports filed with the clerk’s office, including but not limited to: the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services public chapter 192 report; Department of Human Services public chapter 192 report for FY 2025; Tennessee State Fire Marshal report on fire standards compliance; TDOT’s 2024 report on passenger and freight rail and public transportation; Department of Revenue federal grants report FY 2024; Medical Cannabis Commission report 2025; the Second Look Commission 2024 annual report; and multiple public chapter and quarterly reports from the Department of Human Services. The clerk said these reports are available for any member who wishes to review them.

The House recessed at the time ordered: Representative Cochran moved that the chamber stand in recess until 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025; the motion was adopted without objection.

Ending

The floor actions on Feb. 4 focused on managing the chamber’s calendar and moving a large number of measures through initial procedural steps. No floor debate on the substance of the introduced bills is recorded in the transcript during the period covered.