AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 2 and Title 3, relative to the general assembly.
HB1041 would create a new biennial September session for the Tennessee General Assembly in odd-numbered years, beginning on the Tuesday after Labor Day and ending no later than September 30. The bill sets out how that session would be convened, funded, and governed, including requiring the adjournment resolution from the first annual session to schedule the September reconvening, directing each chamber’s rules committee to meet before the session to make any needed rule changes, and limiting the session to existing legislative budget resources.
The bill also defines what legislation may be considered during the September session. In addition to bills and resolutions carried over from the first annual session, each member could file a limited number of new measures for the September session, with certain categories excluded from the 99-bill cap, such as local bills, memorializing or procedural resolutions, supplemental appropriations, bond bills, and index bills. The bill further provides filing deadlines and bars use of the delayed bills committee for measures that must be pre-filed. It also states that the September session would not count as an annual or regular session for purposes of appointments and confirmations.
In addition to changing the legislative calendar, HB1041 revises Tennessee’s campaign finance restrictions during the “general assembly session period.” It expands the definition of that period to include extraordinary and September sessions, and it continues to prohibit legislators, the governor, and their campaign committees from fundraising or soliciting/accepting contributions for caucuses, caucus members, or legislative or gubernatorial candidates during that period. It also applies similar restrictions to political party or caucus-controlled committees that make contributions to candidates or office expenses.
The overall sentiment reflected by the bill text is procedural and institutional rather than partisan: it appears aimed at creating a structured fall session and tightening the timing of fundraising around legislative business. Because there are no committee transcripts or recorded votes provided, there is no direct evidence of support or opposition in the available record. The main points of potential contention are likely the creation of an additional legislative session, the limits on how many bills may be filed and considered, and the campaign finance restrictions tied to the session period, especially for members, caucuses, party committees, and the governor.
HB1041 would amend Tennessee Code Annotated Titles 2 and 3 by establishing a new statutory framework for a biennial September session of the General Assembly and by expanding the state’s legislative-session fundraising restrictions to cover that session. It would affect legislative procedure, bill filing and consideration rules, session scheduling, and campaign finance compliance for legislators, the governor, caucuses, and political committees.
No committee discussion or vote history is provided, so the available record does not show direct support or opposition. Based on the text, the bill appears to be a structural and administrative measure intended to formalize a September session and regulate fundraising during legislative session periods. The likely general sentiment is neutral-to-mixed, with procedural benefits for some lawmakers and potential concerns from those wary of added session time or tighter fundraising limits.
The likely points of contention are the creation of a new September session, the cap and filing rules for bills and resolutions, and the extension of fundraising prohibitions to the broader session period. Legislators may differ over whether the additional session improves legislative flexibility or creates unnecessary workload, and political actors may object to restrictions on fundraising by members, caucuses, party committees, and the governor during the expanded session window.