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Tennessee House of Representatives
General Information
Type:	Lower house
Term limits:	None
2012 session start:	January 10, 2012
Website:	Official House Page
Leadership
House Speaker:	Beth Harwell, (R)
Majority Leader:	Gerald McCormick, (R)
Minority leader:	Craig Fitzhugh, (D)
Structure
Members:	99
	Democratic Party (34) Republican Party (64) Independent (1)
Length of term:	2 years
Authority:	Art III, Tennessee Constitution
Salary:	$19,009/year + per diem
Elections
Last Election:	November 2, 2010 (99 seats)
Next election:	November 6, 2012 (99 seats)
Redistricting:	Tennessee Legislature has control
Meeting place:

The Tennessee House of Representatives is the lower house of the Tennessee General Assembly, the state legislature of Tennessee. 99 members make up the lower chamber of the Tennessee General Assembly and meet at the State Capitol in Nashville. Representatives have two-year terms and all 99 are up for election in the same 2-year cycle. Each member represents an average of 64,102 residents, as of the 2010 Census.^[1] After the 2000 Census, each member represented approximately 57,468 residents.^[2]

Sessions

The Tennessee General Assembly, which the House is a part of, convenes on the second Tuesday in January on the years following elections as outlined by Article II, Section 8 of the Tennessee Constitution. The legislature is limited to 90 paid legislative days within a two year term.

2012

See also: Dates of 2012 state legislative sessions

In 2012, the House was in session from January 10 through May 1.

Major issues

Republican legislators began the session by passing new congressional and state legislative maps, but redistricting may remain a major issue as Democrats have threatened a lawsuit over the new districts. Republican leaders say the session will focus on job creation and eliminating policies and regulations that restrict businesses, including the inheritance tax, and reforming unemployment insurance.^[3]

2011

See also: Dates of 2011 state legislative sessions

In 2011, the House will be in session from January 11 through mid May. ^[4]

2010

See also: Dates of 2010 state legislative sessions

In 2010, the House was in regular session from January 12th to June 10th. Additionally, the General Assembly met in special session from January 12th to January 25th to deal with educational issues related to Race to the Top funds.^[5]

Elections

2012

See also: Tennessee House of Representatives elections, 2012

Elections for the office of Tennessee House of Representatives will be held in Tennessee on November 6, 2012. All 99 seats will be up for election.

The signature filing deadline was April 5, 2012.

2010

See also: Tennessee House of Representatives elections, 2010

Elections for the office of Tennessee House of Representatives were held in Tennessee on November 2, 2010. The signature-filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections was April 1, 2010 and the primary election day was on August 5, 2010.

In 2010, the candidates for state house raised a total of $9,478,590 in campaign contributions. The top 10 donors were: ^[6]

Donor	Amount
Tennessee Legislative Campaign Cmte	$449,568
Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association	$184,650
Tennessee Bankers Association	$153,250
House Democratic Caucus	$145,953
Tennessee Education Association	$138,376
Tennessee Medical Association	$132,550
CAS-PAC	$122,950
Tennessee Democratic Party	$122,126
Federal Express	$120,050
Tennessee Association of Realtors	$119,750

Qualifications

To be eligible to serve in the Tennessee House of Representatives, a candidate must be:^[7]

• A U.S. citizen
• 21 years old before the general election
• A three-year resident of Tennessee before the general election
• A county resident for 1 year prior to the general election
• A qualified voter

• The following situations would eliminate a candidate from qualifying for office:
  • Those who have been convicted of offering or giving a bribe, or of larceny, or any other offense declared infamous by law, unless restored to citizenship in the mode pointed out by law;
  • Those against whom there is a judgment unpaid for any moneys received by them, in any official capacity, due to the United States, to this state, or any county thereof;
  • Those who are defaulters to the treasury at the time of the election, and the election of any such person shall be void;
  • Soldiers, seamen, marines, or airmen in the regular army or navy or air force of the United States; and
  • Members of congress, and persons holding any office of profit or trust under any foreign power, other state of the union, or under the United States.

Vacancies

See also: How vacancies are filled in state legislatures

How Vacancies are filled in State Legislatures

In Tennessee, there are two ways a vacancy can be filled in the House. When twelve months or more remain in a unfilled term, a special election must be held within the allowable time frame set by law. If less than twelve months remain in a term, members of the State House must vote on a replacement^[8].

Representatives

Partisan composition

See also: Partisan composition of state houses

Party		As of May 2012
	Democratic Party	34
	Republican Party	64
	Carter County Republican	1
Total		99

Salaries

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries

As of 2011, members of the Tennessee Legislature are paid $19,009/year. Legislators receive $171/day per diem tied to the federal rate.^[9]

The $19,009/year that Tennessee legislators are paid as of 2011 is the same as they were paid during legislative sessions in 2010 and increase over $18,123/year they were paid during legislative sessions in 2007. Per diem has increased from $153/day in 2007 to $185/day in 2010 and decreased to $171/day in 2011.^[10][11]

When sworn in

See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election

Tennessee legislators assume office the 15th of January following the election.

Leadership

The Speaker of the House is the presiding officer of the body. Duties of the Speaker include preserving order and decorum and appointing all committee and subcommittee members and officers. In the event that the Speaker is absent, the Speaker Pro Tempore assumes the duties of the office.^[12][13]

Current leadership

Position	Representative	Party
State Speaker of the House	Beth Harwell	Republican
State House Speaker Pro Tempore	Judd Matheny	Democratic
Deputy Speaker of the House	Steve McDaniel	Republican
State House Majority Leader	Gerald McCormick	Republican
State House Majority Caucus Leader	Debra Maggart	Republican
State House Assistant Majority Leader	Kevin Brooks	Republican
State House Assistant Majority Caucus Leader	Ryan Haynes	Republican
State House Majority Whip	Barrett Rich	Republican
State House Majority Floor Leader	Vince Dean	Republican
State House Assistant Majority Floor Leader	Mark White	Republican
State House Majority Caucus Secretary	Tony Shipley	Republican
State House Minority Leader	Craig Fitzhugh	Democratic
State House Deputy Minority Leader	Lois DeBerry	Democratic
State House Assistant Minority Leader	Joe Towns, Jr.	Democratic
State House Minority Caucus Leader	Michael Turner	Democratic
State House Minority Caucus Vice Chair	Joe Pitts	Democratic
State House Minority Floor Leader	Lois DeBerry	Democratic
State House Minority Whip	Sherry Jones	Democratic

2010 Leadership

Position	Representative	Party
State Speaker of the House	Kent Williams	Republican
State House Speaker Pro Tempore	Lois DeBerry	Democratic
State House Majority Leader	Jason Mumpower	Republican
State House Majority Caucus Leader	Glen Casada	Republican
State House Assistant Majority Leader	Gerald McCormick	Republican
State House Assistant Majority Caucus Leader	Kevin Brooks	Republican
State House Majority Whip	Debra Maggart	Republican
State House Majority Floor Leader	Jon Lundberg	Republican
State House Assistant Majority Floor Leader	Barrett Rich	Republican
State House Minority Leader	Gary Odom	Democratic
State House Deputy Minority Leader	Lois DeBerry	Democratic
State House Assistant Minority Leader	John Litz	Democratic
State House Minority Caucus Leader	Michael Turner	Democratic
State House Minority Caucus Vice Chair	Henry Fincher	Democratic
State House Minority Floor Leader	Dennis Ferguson	Democratic
State House Minority Whip	Mark Maddox	Democratic

Current members

District	Representative	Party	Residence
1	Jon Lundberg	Republican	Bristol
2	Tony Shipley	Republican	Kingsport
3	Scotty Campbell	Republican	Bristol
4	Kent Williams	Carter County Republican	Butler
5	David Hawk	Republican	Greenville
6	Dale Ford	Republican	Jonesborough
7	Matthew Hill	Republican	Jonesborough
8	Art Swann	Republican	Maryville
9	Mike Harrison	Republican	Rogersville
10	Don Miller	Republican	Morristown
11	Jeremy Faison	Republican	Greenville
12	Richard Montgomery	Republican	Seymour
13	Harry Tindell	Democratic	Knoxville
14	Ryan Haynes	Republican
15	Joe Armstrong	Democratic	Knoxville
16	Bill Dunn	Republican	Knoxville
17	Frank Niceley	Republican	Strawberry Plains
18	Steve Hall	Republican	Knoxville
19	Harry Brooks	Republican	Knoxville
20	Robert Ramsey	Republican
21	Jimmy Matlock	Republican	Lenain City
22	Eric Watson	Republican
23	John W. Forgety	Republican	Riceville
24	Kevin Brooks	Republican	Cleveland
25	Cameron Sexton	Republican	Pikeville
26	Gerald McCormick	Republican	Chattanooga
27	Richard Floyd	Republican	Chattanooga
28	Tommie Brown	Democratic	Chattanooga
29	JoAnne Favors	Democratic	Chattanooga
30	Vince Dean	Republican	East Ridge
31	Jim Cobb	Republican	Spring City
32	Julia Cheyanne Hurley	Republican	Kingston
33	John Ragan	Republican	Clinton
34	Richard B. Womick	Republican	Murfreesboro
35	Dennis Roach	Republican	Rutledge
36	Dennis Powers	Republican
37	Bill Harmon	Democratic	Dunlap
38	Kelly Keisling	Republican	Huntsville
39	David Alexander	Republican	Winchester
40	Terri Lynn Weaver	Republican	Lancaster
41	John Windle	Democratic	Livingston
42	Ryan Williams	Republican
43	Charles Curtiss	Democratic	Sparta
44	Michael McDonald	Democratic	Portland
45	Debra Maggart	Republican
46	Mark Pody	Republican	Lebanon
47	Judd Matheny	Republican
48	Joe Carr	Republican
49	Mike Sparks	Republican
50	Gary Moore, Sr.	Democratic
51	Michael Turner	Democratic	Hermitage
52	Mike Stewart	Democratic
53	Janis Baird Sontany	Democratic
54	Brenda Gilmore	Democratic
55	Gary Odom	Democratic	Nashville
56	Beth Harwell	Republican	Nashville
57	Linda Elam	Republican
58	Mary Pruitt	Democratic	Nashville
59	Sherry Jones	Democratic	Nashville
60	Jim Gotto	Republican	Hermitage
61	Charles Sargent, Jr.	Republican	Franklin
62	Pat Marsh	Republican
63	Glen Casada	Republican	College Grove
64	Sheila Butt	Republican	Columbia
65	Eddie Bass	Democratic
66	Joshua Evans	Republican	Greenbrier
67	Joe Pitts	Democratic
68	Curtis Johnson	Republican
69	David Shepard	Democratic	Dickson
70	Joey Hensley	Republican
71	Vance Dennis	Republican
72	Steve McDaniel	Republican	Parkers Crossroads
73	Jimmy Eldridge	Republican	Jackson
74	John Tidwell	Democratic	New Johnsonville
75	Tim Wirgau	Republican
76	Andrew H. Holt	Republican	Dresden
77	Bill Sanderson	Republican
78	Phillip Johnson	Republican	Pegram
79	Curtis Halford	Republican
80	Johnny Shaw	Democratic
81	James Naifeh	Democratic	Covington
82	Craig Fitzhugh	Democratic	Ripley
83	Mark White	Republican	Memphis
84	Joe Towns, Jr.	Democratic	Memphis
85	Johnnie Turner	Democratic	Memphis
86	Barbara Cooper	Democratic	Memphis
87	Karen Camper	Democratic
88	Larry Miller	Democratic	Memphis
89	Jeanne Richardson	Democratic
90	John Deberry, Jr.	Democratic	Nashville
91	Lois DeBerry	Democratic	Memphis
92	G.A. Hardaway	Democratic
93	Mike Kernell	Democratic	Memphis
94	Barrett Rich	Republican
95	Curry Todd	Republican
96	Stephen McManus	Republican
97	Jim Coley	Republican
98	Antonio Parkinson	Democratic	Memphis
99	Ron Lollar	Republican

Standing committees

Tennessee House of Representatives
House Committees
Agriculture • Calendar and Rules Children & Family Affairs • Commerce Conservation & Environment Consumer & Employee Affairs Education • Ethics Finance, Ways, and Means Government Operations Health & Human Resources Judiciary • Rules State & Local Government Transportation
Joint Committees
Senate Committees

The Tennessee House has 14 standing committees:

• Agriculture Committee, Tennessee House
• Calendar and Rules Committee, Tennessee House
• Children & Family Affairs Committee, Tennessee House
• Commerce Committee, Tennessee House
• Conservation & Environment Committee, Tennessee House
• Consumer & Employee Affairs Committee, Tennessee House
• Education Committee, Tennessee House
• Ethics Committee, Tennessee House
• Finance, Ways, and Means Committee, Tennessee House
• Government Operations Committee, Tennessee House
• Health & Human Resources Committee, Tennessee House
• Judiciary Committee, Tennessee House
• State & Local Government Committee, Tennessee House
• Transportation Committee, Tennessee House

External links

• Official website of the Tennessee House of Representatives
• Official list of the current members of the Tennessee House of Representatives
• Project Vote Smart on the Tennessee House of Representatives
• Tennessee District Map

References

v • d • e Current members of the Tennessee House of Representatives House Speaker: Beth Harwell (R) • House Majority Leader: Gerald McCormick (R) • House Minority Leader: Craig Fitzhugh (D)     Jon Lundberg (R) Tony Shipley (R) Scotty Campbell (R) Kent Williams (CCR) David Hawk (R) Dale Ford (R) Matthew Hill (R) Art Swann (R) Mike Harrison (R) Don Miller (R) Jeremy Faison (R) Richard Montgomery (R) Harry Tindell (D) Ryan Haynes (R) Joe Armstrong (D) Bill Dunn (R) Frank Niceley (R) Steve Hall (R) Harry Brooks (R) Robert Ramsey (R) Jimmy Matlock (R) Eric Watson (R) John W. Forgety (R) Kevin Brooks (R) Cameron Sexton (R) Gerald McCormick (R) Richard Floyd (R) Tommie Brown (D) JoAnne Favors (D) Vince Dean (R) Jim Cobb (R) Julia Cheyanne Hurley (R) John Ragan (R) Richard B. Womick (R) Dennis Roach (R) Dennis Powers (R) Bill Harmon (D) Kelly Keisling (R) David Alexander (R) Terri Lynn Weaver (R) John Windle (D) Ryan Williams (R) Charles Curtiss (D) Michael McDonald (D) Debra Maggart (R) Mark Pody (R) Judd Matheny (R) Joe Carr (R) Mike Sparks (R) Gary Moore, Sr. (D) Michael Turner (D) Mike Stewart (D) Janis Baird Sontany (D) Brenda Gilmore (D) Gary Odom (D) Beth Harwell (R) Linda Elam (R) Mary Pruitt (D) Sherry Jones (D) Jim Gotto (R) Charles Sargent, Jr. (R) Pat Marsh (R) Glen Casada (R) Sheila Butt (R) Eddie Bass (D) Joshua Evans (R) Joe Pitts (D) Curtis Johnson (R) David Shepard (D) Joey Hensley (R) Vance Dennis (R) Steve McDaniel (R) Jimmy Eldridge (R) John Tidwell (D) Tim Wirgau (R) Andrew H. Holt (R) Bill Sanderson (R) Phillip Johnson (R) Curtis Halford (R) Johnny Shaw (D) James Naifeh (D) Craig Fitzhugh (D) Mark White (R) Joe Towns, Jr. (D) Johnnie Turner (D) Barbara Cooper (D) Karen Camper (D) Larry Miller (D) Jeanne Richardson (D) John Deberry, Jr. (D) Lois DeBerry (D) G.A. Hardaway (D) Mike Kernell (D) Barrett Rich (R) Curry Todd (R) Stephen McManus (R) Jim Coley (R) Antonio Parkinson (D) Ron Lollar (R) Republican (64) • Democratic (34) • Carter County Republican (1) • Tennessee House of Representatives • Tennessee State Senate

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	v • d • e State of Tennessee Nashville (capital)
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Transparency Topics	Open Records Act | Transparency Checklist | Government corruption reports | Transparency Legislation | Open Records procedures | Transparency Advocates | Transparency blogs | State budget | Taxpayer-funded lobbying associations |
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