Brian Kelsey
Brian Kelsey | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Tennessee Senate from the 31st district | |
| Assumed office December 1, 2009 | |
| Preceded by | Paul Stanley |
| Member of the Tennessee House of Representatives from the 83rd district | |
| In office January 2004 – December 1, 2009 | |
| Preceded by | Joe Kent |
| Succeeded by | Mark White |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 22, 1977 Memphis, Tennessee |
| Political party | Republican |
| Residence(s) | Memphis, Tennessee |
| Alma mater | University of North Carolina Georgetown University |
Brian Kelsey (born December 22, 1977) is an American politician and a member of the Tennessee State Senate. Kelsey is the only legislator in Tennessee history to sponsor two successful amendments to the state constitution: one forever prohibited a state income tax, and the other followed a Founding Fathers model for selecting appellate judges. He was elected to represent District 31, which encompasses the following parts of Shelby County: Cordova, East Memphis, and Germantown.
Education
Kelsey graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He earned his J.D. from Georgetown University. He attended prekindergarten - high school on scholarship at private schools.
Career
Political experience and law practice
Kelsey works as a constitutional lawyer for the Liberty Justice Center, representing clients throughout the country for free whose constitutional rights have been violated.
Liberty Justice Center[1], Oct. 2018–present
The Kelsey Firm, PLLC,[2] Aug. 2009 - Oct. 2018
Federalist Society, Memphis Lawyers Chapter Board Member and former Law School Chapter President
University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, Fall 2017 Adjunct Law Professor on Lobbying
University of Memphis, Fall 2010 & Fall 2011 as an Undergraduate Adjunct Professor of Constitutional Law
Eighty-Third House District
Brian Kelsey was first elected as a state representative to the 104th Tennessee General Assembly (2004–2006). He served on the House Children and Family Affairs Committee; the House Commerce Committee; the House Domestic Relations Subcommittee; and the House Utilities, Banking and Small Business Subcommittee.[3] Kelsey was the former chairman of the House Civil Practice Subcommittee.
Thirty-First Senate District
Kelsey ran for the District 31 seat vacated after the resignation of former Senator Paul Stanley. In 2010, Kelsey won re-election for a full term as the Senator from the Thirty-First District.
In the 106th General Assembly, Kelsey served on the Senate Government Operations Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee.
In the 107th General Assembly, Kelsey was assigned to the Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee; the Senate Judiciary Committee; and he was named Secretary of the Senate Education Committee. Kelsey was also admitted to the Joint Committee on Fiscal Review, which consists of members from both chambers who oversee the Fiscal Review Office.
During the 110th General Assembly, Kelsey serves as the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.[4]
He supported Rick Perry for Republican primary of the presidential election of 2012.[5]
Kelsey is a member in the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), having attended meetings of the organization.[6]
Kelsey ran unopposed in 2014 for the District 31 seat.
Political positions
Kelsey is the only legislator in Tennessee history to sponsor two successful amendments to the state constitution: forever prohibited a state income tax,[7] and the other followed a Founding Fathers model for selecting appellate judges.[8] He also sponsored the governor's comprehensive tort reform act in 2011,[9] and passed a law to prohibit ObamaCare Medicaid expansion[10] in Tennessee in 2014. In 2019, his conference committee report instituting an Education Savings Account program was signed into law[11] by Governor Bill Lee.
References
- ^ "Brian Kelsey". Liberty Justice Center. Retrieved 2020-02-28.
- ^ "Sen. Brian Kelsey". www.alec.org. Retrieved 2020-02-28.
- ^ "Tennessee House Member". Archived from the original on April 27, 2007. Retrieved September 14, 2007.
- ^ "Senators - TN General Assembly". www.capitol.tn.gov. Retrieved 2017-04-24.
- ^ J.R. Lind, 'More Volunteers for Perry', on NashvillePost.com, November 7, 2011 [1]
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-07-04. Retrieved 2012-06-16.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Senator files amendment to ban TN income tax permanently". www.wmcactionnews5.com. Retrieved 2020-02-18.
- ^ "Tennessee Judicial Selection, Amendment 2 (2014)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2020-02-18.
- ^ "Haslam Signs Tennessee Civil Justice Act to Improve Business Climate". www.tn.gov. Retrieved 2020-02-18.
- ^ "Sen. Brian Kelsey". www.alec.org. Retrieved 2020-02-18.
- ^ "STATEMENT FROM SENATOR BRIAN KELSEY REGARDING THE PASSAGE OF THE TENNESSEE EDUCATION SAVINGS ACCOUNT PILOT PROGRAM ACT". Tennessee Senate Republican Caucus. 2019-05-01. Retrieved 2020-02-18.
External links
- Campaign website with extensive biography and press clippings archive: VoteKelsey.com
- Find Law directory page for the subject: Brian K. Kelsey - a Memphis, Tennessee (TN) Civil Litigation Lawyer
- Tennessee General Assembly Senator's member page :Senators - TN General Assembly
- Outline of votes by Kelsey and others in the TN General Assembly related to 'Insure Tennessee' legislation: [2]