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Tennessee State Senate
| Tennessee State Senate | |
 | |
| General Information | |
| Type: | Upper house |
| Term limits: | None |
| 2013 session start: | January 8, 2013 |
| Website: | Official Senate Page |
| Leadership | |
| Senate President: | Ron Ramsey, (R) |
| Majority Leader: | Mark Norris, (R) |
| Minority leader: | Jim Kyle, (D) |
| Structure | |
| Members: | 33 |
| Democratic Party (7) Republican Party (25) | |
| Length of term: | 4 years |
| Authority: | Art II, Sec 2, Tennessee Constitution |
| Salary: | $19,009/year + per diem |
| Elections | |
| Last Election: | November 6, 2012 (16 seats) |
| Next election: | November 4, 2014 |
| Redistricting: | Tennessee legislature has control |
Meeting place: | |
Contents |
As of May 2013, Tennessee is one of 24 Republican state government trifectas.
Sessions
The Tennessee General Assembly, which the Senate 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.
2013
- See also: Dates of 2013 state legislative sessions
In 2013, the Legislature will be in session from January 8 through May 20 (estimated).
Major issues
Republicans have a supermajority for the first time since the Civil War era. Major issues include guns, school vouchers, and tax cuts to wine in grocery stores.[5]
2012
- See also: Dates of 2012 state legislative sessions
In 2012, the Senate 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 said the session will focus on job creation and eliminating policies and regulations that restrict businesses, including the inheritance tax, and reforming unemployment insurance.[6]
2011
- See also: Dates of 2011 state legislative sessions
In 2011, the Senate will be in session from January 11 through mid May. [7]
2010
- See also: Dates of 2010 state legislative sessions
In 2010, the Senate 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.[8]
Elections
2012
- See also: Tennessee State Senate elections, 2012
Elections for the office of Tennessee State Senate will be held in Tennessee on November 6, 2012. A total of 16 seats were up for election.
The signature filing deadline was April 5, 2012.
The following table details the 8 districts with the smallest margin of victory in the November 6 general election.
| 2012 Margin of Victory, Tennessee State Senate | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Winner | Margin of Victory | Total Votes | Top Opponent |
| District 22 |  Mark Green |
6.2% | 60,220 | Tim Barnes |
| District 20 | Steven Dickerson |
8.2% | 85,534 | Phillip North |
| District 10 | Todd Gardenhire |
8.6% | 67,302 | Andrae McGary |
| District 28 | Joey Hensley |
10.3% | 67,736 | Tyler Cobb |
| District 24 | John Stevens |
12.9% | 68,474 | Brad Thompson |
| District 26 | Dolores Gresham |
20.9% | 71,121 | Meryl Rice |
| District 16 | Janice Bowling |
25.9% | 63,775 | Jim Lewis |
| District 6 | Becky Duncan Massey |
37.3% | 72,435 | Evelyn Gill |
2010
- See also: Tennessee State Senate elections, 2010
Elections for the office of Tennessee state Senate 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 senate raised a total of $4,275,730 in campaign contributions. The top 10 donors were: [9]
| 2010 Donors, Tennessee State Senate | |
|---|---|
| Donor | Amount |
| Henry, Douglas | $314,500 |
| Tennessee Democratic Party | $120,434 |
| Herron, Governor Roy | $116,058 |
| Tennessee Medical Association | $98,600 |
| McDonald, George | $83,100 |
| Federal Express | $82,300 |
| Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association | $61,250 |
| Tennessee Bankers Association | $52,500 |
| Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of Tennessee | $46,000 |
| Farris Mathews Branan Bobango & Hellen | $44,050 |
Qualifications
To be eligible to serve in the Tennessee State Senate, a candidate must be:[10]
- A U.S. citizen
- 30 years old before the general election
- A three-year resident of Tennessee before the general election
- A district 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
In Tennessee, there are two ways a vacancy can be filled in the Senate. 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 the term, the current members of the Senate must vote on a replacement[11].
Redistricting
- See also: Redistricting in Tennessee
The state's redistricting process is handled by the General Assembly, with the Governor wielding veto power.
2010 census
Tennessee received its local census data on March 16, 2011.[12] The state's population rose 11.5 percent to 6,346,105.[13]
The redistricting process began in January 2012; it was the first time in the state's history where the process was controlled entirely by Republicans. The two chambers passed maps, both of which Governor Bill Haslam signed. While Senate Democrats threatened a lawsuit, House Democrats went through with filing one in March, arguing that the House map unnecessarily split too many counties.
Senators
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
As of 2013, members of the Tennessee Legislature are paid $19,009/year. Legislators receive $173/day per diem tied to the federal rate.[14]
When sworn in
Tennessee legislators assume office the 15th of January following the election.
Partisan composition
- See also: Partisan composition of state senates
| Party | As of May 2013 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 13 | |
| Republican Party | 20 | |
| Total | 33 | |
The chart below shows the partisan composition of the Tennessee State Senate from 1992-2013.
Leadership
The membership of the Senate elects a presiding officer, known as the Speaker of the Senate. The Speaker also serves as Lieutenant Governor. The Speaker appoints the officers of the Senate as well as the officers and membership of the standing committees.[15][16]
Current leadership
| Current Leadership, Tennessee State Senate | ||
|---|---|---|
| Office | Representative | Party |
| Speaker of the Senate | Ron Ramsey |  Republican
|
| State Senate Speaker Pro Tempore | Bo Watson | Republican
|
| Deputy Speaker of the Senate | Steve Southerland | Republican
|
| State Senate Majority Leader | Mark Norris | Republican
|
| State Senate Majority Caucus Leader | Bill Ketron | Republican
|
| State Senate Minority Leader | Jim Kyle |  Democratic
|
| State Senate Minority Caucus Leader | Lowe Finney | Democratic
|
List of current members
Senate Committees
Standing committees
Tennessee Senate has 9 standing committees:
- Commerce and Labor
- Education
- Energy, Agriculture and Natural Resources
- Finance, Ways And Means
- Government Operations
- Health and Welfare
- Judiciary
- State and Local Government
- Transportation and Safety
Select committees
History
Partisan balance 1992-2013
From 1992-2013, the Democratic Party was the majority in the Tennessee State Senate for 12 years while the Republicans were the majority for eight years. Tennessee was under Republican trifectas for the final three years of the study.
Across the country, there were 544 Democratic and 517 Republican State Senates from 1992-2013.
Over the course of the 22-year study, state governments became increasingly more partisan. At the outset of the study period (1992), 18 of the 49 states with partisan legislatures had single-party trifectas and 31 states had divided governments. In 2013, only 13 states have divided governments, while single-party trifectas held sway in 36 states, the most in the 22 years studied.
The chart below shows the partisan composition of the Office of the Governor of Tennessee, the Tennessee State Senate and the Tennessee House of Representatives from 1992-2013.
.PNG)
External links
References
- ↑ Tennessee Senate
- ↑ List of state legislative term limits
- ↑ Population in 2010 of the American states
- ↑ Population in 2000 of the American states
- ↑ Commercial Appeal, "Guns, wine, vouchers again in Tennessee legislature," January 5, 2013
- ↑ The Tennessean, "TN lawmakers gear up for fast session, re-election," January 8, 2012
- ↑ 2011 Legislative Sessions Calendar, NCSL
- ↑ 2010 session dates for Tennessee legislature
- ↑ Follow the Money: "Tennessee Senate 2010 Campaign Contributions
- ↑ Qualifications for running for Tennessee Senate
- ↑ Tennessee Legislature "Tennessee Constitution"(Referenced Section Article II, Section 15)
- ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, "U.S. Census Bureau Delivers Tennessee's 2010 Census Population Totals, Including First Look at Race and Hispanic Origin Data for Legislative Redistricting," March 16, 2011. Retrieved July 11, 2012.
- ↑ USA Today, Census 2010 - Tennessee, retrieved July 11, 2012.
- ↑ NCSL.org, "2012 State Legislator Compensation and Per Diem Table," accessed March 18, 2013
- ↑ About the Tennessee Legislature
- ↑ Leadership of the Tennessee Senate
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