 It is then put on the ballot as a referendum in the next gubernatorial election, where it must be approved by an absolute majority of those voting in the election.The amendment was first proposed in the Tennessee House of Representatives on March 17, 2004, as House Joint Resolution 990 (HJR 990), sponsored by TNGA Rep. Bill Dunn (R, Knoxville) The House of Representatives approved HJR 990 on May 6, 2004, by a vote of eighty-five to five.The measure received Senate approval on May 19, 2004, by a vote of twenty-eight to one.