Legislative Recording Program Overview of the Legislative Recording Program Tennessee was one of the first states in the country to make audio recordings of the proceedings of its General Assembly for permanent preservation. During the 1970s and 1980s the program gradually expanded and by 1987 all standing committees of the General Assembly were recorded. Many study committees have also been recorded.
Legislative history is researched primarily for discerning legislative intent.
Students of history and government also find these valuable primary materials useful. The Legislative Recording staff is a unit of the Tennessee State Library and Archives Technical Services Section. Their responsibilities include setting up recording equipment, recording meetings, and creating a log sheet guide for each recorded tape. Log sheets list speakers' names, bill numbers and general subject references. The recording staff also collects any materials given out to a committee during a meeting.