The crusading state legislators who head to Nashville and believe they’ll pass all or most of the legislation they can dream up will quickly have those dreams dashed.
The most effective Tennessee legislators — at least those who introduce numerous bills and see at least two-thirds of them pass — are the majority leaders in the state Senate and House, who sponsor the bills the governor at that particular time proposes.
An analysis by the Tennessee Lookout using data from LegiScan on the lead sponsors of bills (not co-sponsors) shows that House Majority Leader William Lamberth, R-Portland, and Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, R-Franklin, passed 79.55% and 73.79% of their bills, respectively, during the 2023-2024 legislative session.
The rate ranged down to state Reps. Justin Pearson, D-Memphis, Justin Jones, D-Nashville, and Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville, the so-called “Tennessee Three,” who exhorted protesters from the House floor last year, and state Rep. Vincent Dixie, D-Nashville, who did not pass a single bill over the two-year term.
Whether the Republican majority refused to consider their bills over their actions or their measures were too out of the mainstream to pass, or perhaps both, is unclear.