Speaker Harwell proposes changes to decades-old House rules Effort seeks to promote efficiency and save taxpayer money

Speaker Beth Harwell

NASHVILLE - Speaker Beth Harwell (R-Nashville) today announced she is recommending changes to the Tennessee House of Representatives internal rules that will make the governmental process more efficient and save taxpayer money. The changes follow an effort two years ago to streamline operations.

The changes include:
• Restructuring the committee system to balance the workload of each;
• Adopting the annual ethics resolution into the House Rules which will ensure the body is abiding by an ethics policy from the first day;
• Limiting the number of bills filed to 10 per member annually which will encourage members to prioritize;
• Reaffirming that each member vote for only him or herself;
• And deleting the requirement that every document be printed to reduce the amount of paper used in committee and for floor sessions.

"The new committee system will balance the workloads of each committee, ensuring that they are as efficient as possible. Bill limits will reduce duplication and ensure each member prioritizes their issues. I am seeking to eliminate the requirement that every document we produce as a body be printed in effort for us to adapt to the technology available and reduce the enormous amount of paper used each year. Each of these measures together ensure a more efficient, effective, and accessible government. This will also give us more time for thoughtful, deliberate analysis on each piece of legislation—which is something Tennesseans expect and deserve."

The proposed recommendations will be taken up by the House Rules Committee, which will be appointed by the Speaker in January.

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