Tennessee House of Representatives

Tennessee House of Representatives
Tennessee General Assembly
Type
Type	Lower house
Term limits	None
History
New session started	January 8, 2019
Leadership
Speaker	Cameron Sexton (R) since August 23, 2019
Speaker pro Tempore	Pat Marsh (R) since January 12, 2021
Majority Leader	William Lamberth (R) since January 8, 2019
Minority Leader	Karen Camper (D) since January 8, 2019
Structure
Seats	99
Political groups	Majority   Republican (73) Minority   Democratic (26)
Length of term	2 years
Authority	Article III, Tennessee Constitution
Salary	$19,009/year per diem employee benefits[1] travel reimbursement
Elections
Last election	November 3, 2020 (99 seats)
Next election	November 8, 2022 (99 seats)
Redistricting	Legislative Control
Meeting place
House of Representatives Chamber Tennessee State Capitol Nashville, Tennessee
Website
Tennessee House of Representatives

The Tennessee House of Representatives is the lower house of the Tennessee General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee.

Constitutional requirements[]

According to the state constitution of 1870, this body is to consist of 99 members elected for two-year terms. In every even-numbered year, elections for state representative are conducted simultaneously with the elections for U.S. Representative and other offices; the primary election being held on the first Thursday in August. Seats which become vacant through death or resignation are filled by the county commission (or metropolitan county council) of the home county of the member vacating the seat; if more than a year remains in the term a special election is held for the balance of the term.

Districts[]

Members are elected from single-member districts. The districts are traditionally numbered consecutively from east to west and north to south across the state; however, in recent redistricting this convention has not always been strictly adhered to, despite a constitutional provision requiring districts to be numbered consecutively.

Districts are required to be reapportioned every ten years following the federal census in order to be of substantially equal population. However, from 1902 until 1962, the General Assembly ignored this provision. It was estimated that by that point that some districts in the Memphis area had approximately ten times the population of some in rural areas. In 1962 this issue was taken to court. Despite U.S. courts having traditionally declined to rule on such issues, the US Supreme Court opted to hear this case and ruled that the legislature had to comply with the state constitution, as its failure to do so was in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (see Baker v. Carr). Subsequent litigation has further refined the rules regarding this; in the late 1990s a majority-black district in rural West Tennessee was required to be created.

The 1960s redistricting was credited by some observers with creating the first Republican majority in the Tennessee House since Reconstruction in 1968; this situation lasted only until the next election in 1970. 1970 also marked the first election of a Republican governor in a half century and saw both houses of the legislature begin to assert themselves as a counterbalance to executive authority; prior to this time legislators had not had their own staffs or even their own offices and were largely at the mercy of what the governor's staff chose to tell them and in many ways were often something of a "rubber stamp."

Speaker of the House[]

The Speaker of the House of Representatives is the presiding officer of the House. The Speaker is elected to a two-year term at the beginning of the 1st half of each session of the Tennessee General Assembly. Additionally, the Speaker is second in line for succession to the governorship, after the Speaker of the Senate, in the event of such need. The Speaker appoints members to all committees as well. Even though the Speaker does not have to make committee assignments proportional to the party composition, usually that discretion is used when determining such. Usually, consideration of the abilities, preferences, party representation, and seniority of the members are taken into account. The chairperson, vice chairperson, and secretary of each committee also are chosen by the Speaker and must be given the same considerations in their selection. The Speaker is a voting member of all standing committees of the House, as is the Speaker pro Tempore. The Speaker also serves as co-chairperson of the Joint Legislative Services Committee and must approve, in concurrence with the Speaker of the Senate, the directors of the offices of Legislative Information Services, Legal Services, Legislative Administration, and Legislative Budget Analysis. Additionally, the Speaker is in charge of all facilities, professional and clerical staff, and custodians and security personnel of the House.^[2]

The current speaker is Cameron Sexton, who represents Tennessee's 25th district.^[3]

Composition of the 112th General Assembly[]

Affiliation	Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)		Total
	Republican	Democratic		Vacant
End of previous legislature	72	26	99	0
Beginning of 112th General Assembly	73	26	99	0
Latest voting share	73.7%	26.3%

Officers^[4][]

• Speaker of the House: Cameron Sexton (R)
• Speaker Pro Tempore: Pat Marsh (R)
• Deputy Speaker: Curtis Johnson (R)

Majority Party (R)	Leadership Position	Minority Party (D)
William Lamberth	Leader	Karen Camper
Ron Gant	Assistant Leader	Harold M. Love Jr.
Jeremy Faison	Caucus Chairperson	Vincent Dixie
Brandon Ogles	Caucus Vice Chairperson	Bob Freeman
Johnny Garrett	Whip	Jason Powell
Paul Sherrell	Floor Leader	Bill Beck
Michele Carringer	Caucus Secretary	London Lamar
Mark Cochran	Caucus Treasurer	Jesse Chism

Members[]

District	Name	Party	First Elected	Residence	Counties Represented
1	John Crawford	Republican	2016	Kingsport	Part of Sullivan
2	Bud Hulsey	Republican	2014	Kingsport	Part of Sullivan
3	Scotty Campbell	Republican	2020	Blountville	Johnson, and parts of Carter and Sullivan County
4	John Holsclaw Jr.	Republican	2014	Johnson City	Unicoi and part of Carter County
5	David B. Hawk	Republican	2002	Greeneville	Part of Greene County
6	Tim Hicks	Republican	2020	Jonesborough	Part of Washington County
7	Rebecca Alexander	Republican	2020	Jonesborough	Part of Washington County
8	Jerome Moon	Republican	2017	Maryville	Part of Blount County
9	Gary Hicks	Republican	2016	Rogersville	Hancock and Hawkins Counties
10	Rick Eldridge	Republican	2018	Morristown	Hamblen County
11	Jeremy Faison	Republican	2010	Cosby	Cocke and parts of Jefferson and Greene Counties
12	Dale Carr	Republican	2012	Sevierville	Part of Sevier County
13	Gloria Johnson	Democratic	2018	Knoxville	Part of Knox County
14	Jason Zachary	Republican	2015	Knoxville	Part of Knox County
15	Sam McKenzie	Democratic	2020	Knoxville	Part of Knox County
16	Michele Carringer	Republican	2020	Knoxville	Part of Knox County
17	Andrew Farmer	Republican	2012	Sevierville	Part of Jefferson and Sevier Counties
18	Eddie Mannis	Republican	2020	Knoxville	Part of Knox County
19	Dave Wright	Republican	2018	Corryton	Part of Knox County
20	Bob Ramsey	Republican	2008	Maryville	Part of Blount County
21	Lowell Russell	Republican	2018	Vonore	Parts of Loudon and Monroe Counties
22	Dan Howell	Republican	2014	Cleveland	Meigs, Polk and part of Bradley Counties
23	Mark Cochran	Republican	2018	Englewood	McMinn and part of Monroe County
24	Mark Hall	Republican	2018	Cleveland	Part of Bradley County
25	Cameron Sexton	Republican	2010	Crossville	Cumberland, Van Buren, and part of Putnam County
26	Robin Smith	Republican	2018	Hixson	Part of Hamilton County
27	Patsy Hazlewood	Republican	2014	Signal Mountain	Part of Hamilton County
28	Yusuf Hakeem	Democratic	2018	Chattanooga	Part of Hamilton County
29	Greg Vital	Republican	2021		Part of Hamilton County
30	Esther Helton	Republican	2018	East Ridge	Part of Hamilton County
31	Ron Travis	Republican	2012	Dayton	Bledsoe, Sequatchie, Rhea and part of Roane County
32	Kent Calfee	Republican	2012	Kingston	Part of Roane and Loudon Counties
33	John Ragan	Republican	2010	Oak Ridge	Part of Anderson County
34	Tim Rudd	Republican	2016	Murfreesboro	Part of Rutherford County
35	Jerry Sexton	Republican	2014	Bean Station	Claiborne, Grainger and part of Union County
36	Dennis Powers	Republican	2010	Jacksboro	Campbell and parts of Union and Anderson Counties
37	Charlie Baum	Republican	2018	Murfreesboro	Part of Rutherford County
38	Kelly Keisling	Republican	2010	Byrdstown	Macon, Clay, Pickett, Scott, and part of Fentress County
39	Iris Rudder	Republican	2018	Winchester	Moore and parts of Franklin and Marion Counties
40	Terri Lynn Weaver	Republican	2008	Lancaster	Smith, Trousdale and parts of DeKalb and Sumner Counties
41	John Windle	Democratic	1990	Livingston	Morgan, Jackson and Overton and part of Fentress County
42	Ryan Williams	Republican	2010	Cookeville	Part of Putnam County
43	Paul Sherrell	Republican	2016	Sparta	White, Grundy and part of Warren Counties
44	William Lamberth	Republican	2012	Portland	Part of Sumner County
45	Johnny Garrett	Republican	2018	Goodlettsville	Part of Sumner County
46	Clark Boyd	Republican	2018	Lebanon	Cannon, and parts of Wilson and DeKalb Counties
47	Rush Bricken	Republican	2018	Tullahoma	Coffee and part of Warren County
48	Bryan Terry	Republican	2018	Murfreesboro	Part of Rutherford County
49	Mike Sparks	Republican	2010	Smyrna	Part of Rutherford County
50	Bo Mitchell	Democratic	2012	Nashville	Part of Davidson County
51	Bill Beck	Democratic	2014	Madison	Part of Davidson County
52	Mike Stewart	Democratic	2008	Nashville	Part of Davidson County
53	Jason Powell	Democratic	2012	Nashville	Part of Davidson County
54	Vincent Dixie	Democratic	2018	Nashville	Part of Davidson County
55	John Ray Clemmons	Democratic	2014	Nashville	Part of Davidson County
56	Bob Freeman	Democratic	2018	Nashville	Part of Davidson County
57	Susan Lynn	Republican	2013	Mt. Juliet	Part of Wilson County
58	Harold M. Love Jr.	Democratic	2012	Nashville	Part of Davidson County
59	Jason Potts	Democratic	2018	Nashville	Part of Davidson County
60	Darren Jernigan	Democratic	2012	Old Hickory	Part of Davidson County
61	Brandon Ogles	Republican	2018	Franklin	Part of Williamson County
62	Pat Marsh	Republican	2009	Shelbyville	Bedford and part of Lincoln County
63	Glen Casada	Republican	2001	Franklin	Part of Williamson County
64	Scott Cepicky	Republican	2018	Culleoka	Part of Maury County
65	Sam Whitson	Republican	2016	Franklin	Part of Williamson County
66	Sabi "Doc" Kumar	Republican	2014	Springfield	Robertson County
67	Jason Hodges	Democratic	2018	Clarksville	Part of Montgomery County
68	Curtis Johnson	Republican	2004	Clarksville	Part of Montgomery County
69	Michael Curcio	Republican	2016	Dickson	Hickman and parts of Maury and Dickson Counties
70	Clay Doggett	Republican	2018	Pulaski	Giles and part of Lawrence County
71	David Byrd	Republican	2014	Waynesboro	Hardin, Lewis, Wayne and part of Lawrence Counties
72	Kirk Haston	Republican	2018	Lobelville	Henderson, Chester, Decatur and Perry Counties
73	Chris Todd	Republican	2018	Humboldt	Part of Madison County
74	Jay Reedy	Republican	2014	Erin	Houston, Humphreys and part of Montgomery County
75	Bruce Griffey	Republican	2018	Paris	Henry, Benton and Stewart Counties
76	Tandy Darby	Republican	2020	Dresden	Weakley, and parts of Obion and Carroll Counties
77	Rusty Grills	Republican	2020	Newbern	Dyer, Lake and part of Obion County
78	Mary Littleton	Republican	2012	Dickson	Cheatham and part of Dickson Counties
79	Curtis Halford	Republican	2008	Dyer	Gibson and part of Carroll County
80	Johnny Shaw	Democratic	2000	Bolivar	Parts of Hardeman and Madison Counties
81	Debra Moody	Republican	2012	Covington	Tipton County
82	Chris Hurt	Republican	2018	Halls	Lauderdale, Crockett and Haywood Counties
83	Mark White	Republican	2010	Memphis	Part of Shelby County
84	Joe Towns	Democratic	1994	Memphis	Part of Shelby County
85	Jesse Chism	Democratic	2018	Memphis	Part of Shelby County
86	Barbara Cooper	Democratic	1996	Memphis	Part of Shelby County
87	Karen Camper	Democratic	2008	Memphis	Part of Shelby County
88	Larry Miller	Democratic	1992	Memphis	Part of Shelby County
89	Justin Lafferty	Republican	2018	Knoxville	Part of Knox County
90	Torrey Harris	Democratic	2020	Memphis	Part of Shelby County
91	London Lamar	Democratic	2018	Memphis	Part of Shelby County
92	Todd Warner	Republican	2020	Lewisburg	Marshall and parts of Franklin, Lincoln, and Marion Counties
93	G. A. Hardaway	Democratic	2006	Memphis	Part of Shelby County
94	Ron Gant	Republican	2016	Rossville	Fayette, McNairy and part of Hardeman Counties
95	Kevin Vaughan	Republican	2017	Collierville	Part of Shelby County
96	Dwayne Thompson	Democratic	2016	Cordova	Part of Shelby County
97	John Gillespie	Republican	2020	Memphis	Part of Shelby County
98	Antonio Parkinson	Democratic	2011	Memphis	Part of Shelby County
99	Tom Leatherwood	Republican	2018	Arlington	Part of Shelby County

House Committees[]

Committees, subcommittees, and their leadership for the 112th General Assembly are as follows:^[5]

Standing Committees

Committees	Chair	Vice Chair	Subcommittees
Agriculture and Natural Resources	Rep. Curtis Halford (R)	Rep. Rusty Grills (R)	Agriculture and Natural Resources, Chair: Rep. Chris Todd (R)
Calendar and Rules	Rep. Jason Zachary (R)	Rep. Lowell Russell (R)
Civil Justice	Vacant	Rep. Darren Jernigan (D)	Civil Justice, Chair: Rep. Andrew Farmer (R) Children and Family Affairs, Chair: Rep. Mary Littleton (R)
Commerce	Rep. Kevin Vaughn (R)	Rep. Rush Bricken (R)	Banking and Consumer Affairs, Chair: Rep. Dennis Powers (R) Business and Utilities, Chair: Rep. Clark Boyd (R)
Criminal Justice	Rep. Michael Curcio (R)	Rep. Jerry Sexton (R)	Criminal Justice, Chair: Rep. Clay Doggett (R)
Education Administration	Rep. Mark White (R)	Rep. Chris Hurt (R)	K-12, Chair: Rep. Kirk Haston (R) Higher Education, Chair: Rep. Justin Lafferty (R)
Education Instruction	Rep. Debra Moody (R)	Rep. Terri Lynn Weaver (R)	Education Instruction, Chair: Rep. Scott Cepicky (R)
Finance, Ways, and Means	Rep. Patsy Hazelwood (R)	Rep. Charlie Baum (R)	Finance, Ways, and Means, Chair: Rep. Gary. Hicks (R) Appropriations , Chair: Rep. Ryan Williams (R)
Government Operations	Rep. John Ragan (R)	Rep. Jay Reedy (R)
Health	Rep. Bryan Terry (R)	Rep. Tom Leatherwood (R)	Health, Chair: Rep. Bob Ramsey (R)
Insurance	Rep. Sabi Kumar (R)	Rep. Iris Rudder (R)	Insurance, Chair: Rep. David Hawk (R)
Local	Rep. John Crawford (R)	Rep. Dave Wright (R)	Cities, Chair: Rep. Jerome Moon (R) Elections and Campaign Finance, Chair: Rep. Tim Rudd (R) Property and Planning, Chair: Rep. Dale Carr (R)
Naming and Designating	Rep. John Mark Windle (D)	Rep. David Byrd (R)
State	Rep. Kelly Keisling (R)	Rep. Rick Eldridge (R)	Corrections, Chair: Rep. Bud Hulsey (R) Departments and Agencies, Chair: Rep. John Holsclaw (R) Public Service, Chair: Rep. Esther Helton (R)
Transportation	Rep. Dan Howell (R)	Rep. Mark Hall (R)	Transportation, Chair: Rep. Sam Whitson (R)

Select Committees

Committees	Chair	Subcommittees
Rules	Rep. Pat Marsh (R)
Ethics	Rep. Curtis Johnson (R)	Ethics, Chair: Rep. Pat Marsh (R)

Education level among members[]

Among Republicans, around 30% of all members hold no degree beyond high school completion, less than 20% hold a Master's or other post baccalaureate degree, and less than 10% have a law degree. Among Democrats, of whom there are a substantially lower number, 15% hold no degree beyond high school, around 30% hold a Master's or other post baccalaureate degree, and 25% have a law degree.^[6]

Diversity among Representatives[]

November 2020 saw the election of first openly LGBT+ people ever to hold seats in Tennessee's state house of representatives,^[7] Democrat Torrey Harris and Republican Eddie Mannis.^[8] Before November 3, 2020, Tennessee was one of just five states in the nation (others being Alaska, Delaware, Louisiana and Mississippi) to have never elected an out LGBT+ person to its state legislature.^[9]

Of its 99 members,^[10] twenty-one were women^[11] in 2020. Representatives Harold Love^[12] and Raumesh Akbari hold leadership roles in the National Black Caucus of State Legislators,^[13] in which eight Tennessee state lawmakers are members. Akbari is also a State Director with Women in Government, as is Brenda Gilmore.^[14]

Past composition of the House of Representatives[]

See also[]

• Tennessee Senate

References[]

External links[]

• Official website

Coordinates: 36°09′56″N 86°47′03″W / 36.1656°N 86.7841°W / 36.1656; -86.7841