2019 Tennessee legislative session

Tennessee General Assembly

General information
Type: |  State legislature
Term limits: |  None
Session start: |  January 8, 2019
Session end: |  May 2, 2019
Website: |  Official Legislature Page
Leadership
Senate President: |  Randy McNally (R)
House Speaker: | Glen Casada (R)
Majority Leader: |  Senate: Jack Johnson (R)
House: William Lamberth (R)
Minority Leader: |  Senate: Jeff Yarbro (D)
House: Karen Camper (D)
Structure
Members: | 33 (Senate), 99 (House)
Length of term: |  4 years (Senate), 2 years (House)
Authority: |  Art III, Tennessee Constitution
Salary: |  $22,667/year \+ per diem
Elections
Last election: | November 6, 2018
Senate
House
Next election: | November 3, 2020
Senate
House
Redistricting: | Tennessee General Assembly has control
Meeting place:

## Contents

* 1 Partisan control in 2019
* 1.1 Tennessee State Senate
* 1.2 Tennessee House of Representatives
* 2 Leadership in 2019
* 2.1 Tennessee State Senate
* 2.2 Tennessee House of Representatives
* 3 Regular session
* 4 Standing legislative committees
* 4.1 Joint committees
* 4.2 Senate committees
* 4.3 House committees
* 5 Legislatively referred constitutional amendments
* 6 Historical partisan control
* 7 Noteworthy events
* 7.1 Leadership transition
* 8 See also
* 9 External links
* 10 Footnotes

Tennessee convened its legislative session on January 8, 2019, and legislators remained in session until May 2, 2019. Republicans had a veto-proof supermajority this legislative session, as they did in 2018. Following the 2018 election, Republicans had a 28-5 majority in the Senate and a 73-26 majority in the House. The party also controlled the governorship, creating a Republican state government trifecta.

At the beginning of the 2019 legislative session:

* Republicans held veto-proof majorities in the state House and Senate.

* Tennessee was one of 22 Republican state government trifectas.

* Tennessee' governor was Republican Bill Lee.

Click the links to read more about the 2020 state Senate and state House elections.
Click the links to read more about the 2018 state Senate and state House elections.

## Partisan control in 2019[edit]

See also: State government trifectas

Tennessee was one of 22 Republican trifectas at the start of 2019 legislative sessions. A state government trifecta occurs when one political party holds the governor's office, a majority in the state Senate, and a majority in the state House. For more information about state government trifectas, click here.

Tennessee was one of 22 state legislatures where one party had a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers. Veto overrides occur when a legislature votes to reverse a veto issued by an executive such as a governor or the president. If one party has a majority in a state legislature that is large enough to override a gubernatorial veto without any votes from members of the minority party, it is called a veto-proof majority or, sometimes, a supermajority. To read more about veto-proof supermajorities in state legislatures, click here.

The following tables show the partisan breakdown of the Tennessee General Assembly in the 2019 legislative session.

### Tennessee State Senate[edit]

Party  | As of January 2019

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| Democratic Party | 5
| Republican Party | 28
Total |  33

Between 1992 and 2018, partisan control of the Tennessee State Senate shifted in favor of the Republican Party. As a result of the 1992 elections, Democrats held a 19-14 majority. Republicans flipped the chamber in 2004 and, by 2018, expanded their majority to 28-5. The table below shows the partisan history of the Tennessee State Senate following every general election from 1992 to 2018. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.

Tennessee State Senate Party Control: 1992-2018

Year  | '92  | '94  | '96  | '98  | '00  | '02  | '04  | '06  | '08  | '10  | '12  | '14  | '16  | '18

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Democrats | 19 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 5
Republicans | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 20 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 28

There was little change in the partisan balance of the state Senate between 1992 and 2002. In the 2004 elections, Republicans gained two seats and took control of the chamber. The largest movement in partisan balance occurred as a result of the 2012 elections, when Republicans picked up six seats. By 2018, the Republican majority had expanded to 28-5.

### Tennessee House of Representatives[edit]

Party  | As of January 2019

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| Democratic Party | 26
| Republican Party | 73
Total |  99

Between 1992 and 2018, partisan control of the Tennessee House of Representatives shifted in favor of the Republican Party. As a result of the 1992 elections, Democrats held a 63-36 majority. Republicans flipped the chamber in 2008 and, by 2018, expanded their majority to 73-26. The table below shows the partisan history of the Tennessee House of Representatives following every general election from 1992 to 2018. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.

Tennessee House of Representatives Party Control: 1992-2018

Year  | '92  | '94  | '96  | '98  | '00  | '02  | '04  | '06  | '08  | '10  | '12  | '14  | '16  | '18

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Democrats | 63 | 59 | 61 | 59 | 57 | 54 | 53 | 53 | 49 | 34 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 26
Republicans | 36 | 40 | 38 | 40 | 42 | 45 | 46 | 46 | 50 | 64 | 71 | 73 | 74 | 73

Republicans made small gains in most elections between 1996 and 2006. In the 2008 elections, Republicans gained four seats and took control of the chamber. The following election, in 2010, was the most significant shift in partisan control between 1992 and 2018. Republicans gained 14 seats in 2010 and followed up those gains with another seven seats picked up in the 2012 elections.

## Leadership in 2019[edit]

### Tennessee State Senate[edit]

* Senate speaker: Lt. Gov. Randy McNally (R)
* Speaker pro tem: Ferrell Haile (R)
* Majority leader: Jack Johnson (R)
* Minority leader: Jeff Yarbro (D)

### Tennessee House of Representatives[edit]

* Speaker of the House: Glen Casada (R)
* Speaker pro tem: Bill Dunn (R)
* Majority leader: William Lamberth (R)
* Majority whip: Rick Tilis (R)
* Minority leader: Karen Camper (D)
* Minority whip: Jason Powell (D)

## Regular session[edit]

The following widget shows up to 25 pieces of legislation in the 2019 legislative session that most recently passed both chambers of the legislature, were signed by the governor, or were approved by the legislature in a veto override. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation met these criteria yet in 2019. This information is provided by BillTrack50.

## Standing legislative committees[edit]

See also: Standing committee and List of committees in Tennessee state government

A standing committee of a state legislature is a committee that exists on a more-or-less permanent basis, from legislative session to session, that considers and refines legislative bills that fall under the committee's subject matter.

At the beginning of the 2019 legislative session, there were 38 standing committees in Tennessee' state government, including 15 joint committees, 9 state Senate committees, and 14 state House committees.

### Joint committees[edit]

* Fiscal Review Committee
* Government Operations Committee
* Pensions and Insurance Committee

### Senate committees[edit]

* Commerce and Labor Committee
* Energy, Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee
* Finance, Ways and Means Committee
* Health and Welfare Committee
* Senate Education Committee
* Senate Government Operations Committee
* Senate Judiciary Committee
* State & Local Government Committee
* Transportation and Safety Committee

### House committees[edit]

* Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee
* Calendar and Rules Committee
* Civil Justice Committee
* Commerce Committee
* Criminal Justice Committee
* Education Administration Committee
* Education Instruction Committee
* Finance, Ways, and Means Committee
* Health Committee
* House Government Operations Committee
* Insurance Committee
* Local Government Committee
* Naming and Designating Committee
* Naming, Designating and Private Acts Committee
* State Government Committee
* Transportation Committee

## Legislatively referred constitutional amendments[edit]

In every state but Delaware, voter approval is required to enact a constitutional amendment. In each state, the legislature has a process for referring constitutional amendments before voters. In 18 states, initiated constitutional amendments can be put on the ballot through a signature petition drive. There are also many other types of statewide measures.

The methods in which the Tennessee Constitution can be amended:

See also: Section 3 of Article XI of the Tennessee Constitution and Laws governing ballot measures in Tennessee
| Tennessee Constitution

Preamble
Articles
I • II • III • IV • V • VI • VII • VIII • IX • X • XI • Schedule

The Tennessee Constitution can be amended in two ways:

* As established in Section 3, Article XI, the Tennessee State Legislature can propose amendments to the constitution through legislatively referred constitutional amendments.

* Amendments can be proposed in either chamber of the Tennessee General Assembly.
* If a majority of the members of both houses approve of a proposed amendment, that amendment must then be referred to the next session of the legislature that meets after the next election of members of the legislature.
* Proposed amendments have be published six months previous to the election that intervenes between the first session and the second session of the legislature that considers the amendment.
* When the second session of the legislature considers the amendment, "two-thirds of all the members elected to each house" must approve of it to put it before voters.
* If that happens, the proposed amendment is placed on the statewide ballot at "the next general election in which a governor is to be chosen."
* The proposed amendment is enacted if it gains more "yes" votes than "no" votes and if the "yes" votes equal "a majority of all the citizens of the state voting for governor."

* As established in Section 3 of Article XI, amendments can be proposed by a constitutional convention.

* The legislature can submit to the people at any general election "the question of calling a convention to alter, reform, or abolish" the constitution or any parts of it.
* If a majority of all the voters voting upon the convention question approve the proposal, a convention is then called.
* The state cannot hold a convention "oftener than once in six years."

2021 measures:

See also: 2021 ballot measures

Certified:

The following measures were certified for the ballot.

No measures to list

2020 measures:

Below is a list of measures that were referred to the 2020 ballot by the legislature.

See also: 2020 ballot measures

Certified:

The following measures were certified for the ballot.

No measures to list

## Historical partisan control[edit]

Tennessee Party Control: 1992-2022
Five years of Democratic trifectas • Twelve years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year  | 92  | 93  | 94  | 95  | 96  | 97  | 98  | 99  | 00  | 01  | 02  | 03  | 04  | 05  | 06  | 07  | 08  | 09  | 10  | 11  | 12  | 13  | 14  | 15  | 16  | 17  | 18  | 19  | 20  | 21  | 22

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Governor | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R
Senate | D | D | D | D | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | S | S | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R
House | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R

## Noteworthy events[edit]

### Leadership transition[edit]

Speaker of the House Glen Casada (R) resigned as speaker effective August 2, 2019, following revelations of misconduct by his chief of staff. He did not resign his seat in the House.[1][2] Gov. Bill Lee (R) called a special session to elect a new speaker for August 23, 2019.[3] In a caucus meeting on July 24, 2019, House Republicans selected Cameron Sexton (R) as Casada's successor.[4] State Rep. Bill Dunn (R) served as interim speaker between Casada's resignation and the August 23 vote to select a new speaker.[5] Sexton was voted in as speaker on August 23, 2019.[6]

## See also[edit]

Elections | Tennessee State Government | State Legislatures | State Politics

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* Tennessee State Senate elections, 2018
* Tennessee House of Representatives elections, 2018

* Tennessee General Assembly
* Tennessee House of Representatives
* Tennessee State Senate
* Governor of Tennessee
* Tennessee Supreme Court

* State legislative elections, 2019
* State legislative special elections, 2019
* State legislative elections, 2018
* State legislative elections, 2016

* State government trifectas
* State government triplexes
* Veto overrides in state legislatures
* State executives
* State courts
* Ballot measures

## External links[edit]

* Search Google News for this topic
* Tennessee General Assembly homepage

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ WJHL, "Tennessee House Speaker to resign on Aug. 2, wants special session to choose successor," June 4, 2019
2. ↑ Nashville Tennessean, "Glen Casada to resign as speaker in coming weeks," May 21, 2019
3. ↑ The Tennessean, "Gov. Bill Lee calls Aug. 23 special session to elect new House speaker to replace Glen Casada," June 27, 2019
4. ↑ Nashville Public Radio, "Rep. Cameron Sexton Distances Himself From Glen Casada As New House Speaker Nominee," July 24, 2019
5. ↑ The Tennessean, "After 3 months of scandal, Glen Casada is no longer speaker of the Tennessee House," August 2, 2019
6. ↑ News Channel 5 Nashville, "TN special session: Lawmakers elect Rep. Cameron Sexton as new House speaker," August 23, 2019

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