Tennessee House passes consent calendar; lawmakers withdraw and introduce multiple bills ahead of Feb. 6 filing deadline

The Tennessee House of Representatives passed the consent calendar and completed a series of procedural actions Monday, including the introduction of hundreds of bills on first consideration and the withdrawal of multiple bills from committee.

The action matter-of-factly set the chamber's legislative business going forward: the consent calendar passed by voice vote with the clerk announcing “Ayes, 92, no nays,” after an earlier roll call showed 93 members present. House leaders also announced that the bill-filing deadline is Thursday, Feb. 6, at the close of business and that a large set of departmental and statutory reports had been filed with the clerk.

The consent calendar motion was moved by Chair Lady Moody and carried despite a small number of objections noted on specific items. Separately, House members introduced a set of House bills (House bills 359 through 636) for first consideration on a single motion; the clerk announced the bills were introduced and “passed on first consideration.”…