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| January 11, 2005 |
| 104th General Assembly |
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| The 104th General Assembly convened at 12:00 noon, Tuesday, January 11, 2005 for the first regular session.
Bo Watson along with other House members took the oath of office for State Representative of Tennessee on
Tuesday at the inauguration in the State Capitol. With him on the house floor were his wife, Jill, his son, Grey, and
his father, Foy Watson. Many other family members and friends were in the galleries to help Bo celebrate this grand
occasion. |
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| The meeting was opened by Speaker of the House Jimmy Naifeh (D). He recognized Rep. Kim McMillan who introduced
Reverend George Gracey of First Presbyterian Church in Clarksville. Reverend Gracey opened the meeting with a word
of prayer. Then Rep. McMillan led the members and audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. Following the Pledge, a singing
group called "The Performers" from Gallatin High School sang the National Anthem. |
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| Following the opening ceremonies, Chief Clerk of the House, Burney Durham, read the names of the Representative Members Elect. Then Justice Birch administered the Oath of Office as follows: |
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I, (name), do solemnly swear that as a member of this, the 104th General Assembly in the state of Tennessee, I
will faithfully support the constitution of this state and of the United States and I do solemnly affirm that
as a member of this General Assembly I will in all appointments vote without favor, affection, partiality, or
prejudice and that I will not propose or assent to any bill, vote, or resolution which shall appear to me
injurious to the people, or consent to any act or thing, whatever, that shall have a tendancy to lessen
or abridge their right and priveleges as declared by the constitution of this state so help me God. |
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| The first order of business was a unanimous recommendation by the Adhock Rules Committee to adopt two changes.
The first provides that when calling for question, a member cannot debate the issue, but can only call for question.
The second was for members on active duty military and unable to attend legislative session, the Speaker will be
allowed to appoint someone in their place to sign the sheet that will allow local bills to go on the consent calendar.
Both changes were moved, seconded and passed. |
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| Speaker Pro Tem Lois DeBerry led the next order of business which was the nominations for the Speaker of the House.
Rep. Johnny Shaw motioned to nominate Speaker Jimmy Naifeh (D) and Rep. Kim McMillan seconded. Rep. Jason Mumpower
motioned to nominate Republican Leader Trey Hargett and Rep. Glen Casada seconded. Voting commenced and Speaker Naifeh
was elected by a 60-37 tally. Justice Birch administered the oath of office to Speaker Naifeh. |
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| Speaker Naifeh then called for nominations of Speaker Pro Tem. Rep. Joe Armstrong motioned to nominate Speaker
Pro Tem Lois DeBerry (D) and was seconded by Rep. Mike Turner. Rep. Jimmy A. Eldridge motioned to nominate Republican
Caucus Leader Charles Sargeant and was seconded by Rep. Paul Stanley. Voting commenced and again by a 60-37 tally,
Speaker Pro Tem Lois DeBerry was elected. Justice Birch administered the oath of office to Speaker Pro Tem DeBerry. |
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| Following these elections, various appointments were made of the officers of the House. Then a brief recess was
called upon which personal orders were taken care of including a moment of silence and prayer for the victims
in the shooting at the Region 4 Department of Transportation Office in Jackson. Other business was attended to,
among which resolutions properly filed will be placed on the consent calendar pending the appointment of the
proper standing committee. Following announcements and roll call (97 members present, 2 absent) the first day
of session was concluded. Of the 99 members in the House, 46 are Republicans and 53 are Democrats. |
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