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Tennessee House of Representatives

Coordinates: 36°09′56″N 86°47′03″W / 36.1656°N 86.7841°W / 36.1656; -86.7841
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Tennessee House of Representatives
Tennessee General Assembly
Coat of arms or logo
Type
Type
Term limits
None
History
New session started
January 10, 2017
Leadership
Speaker of the House
Beth Harwell, (R)
since January 11, 2011
Speaker pro Tempore
Curtis Johnson, (R)
since January 8, 2013
Majority Leader
Glen Casada (R)
since January 10, 2017
Minority Leader
Craig Fitzhugh (D)
since January 11, 2011
Structure
Seats99
Political groups
Majority party
  •   Republican (74)

Minority party

Length of term
2 years
AuthorityArticle III, Tennessee Constitution
Salary$19,009/year
per diem
employee benefits[1]
travel reimbursement
Elections
Last election
November 1, 2016
(99 seats)
Next election
November 6, 2018
(99 seats)
RedistrictingLegislative 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 Beth Harwell of Nashville.

Composition of the 109th General Assembly 2015–2016

Affiliation Party
(Shading indicates majority caucus)
Total
style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color" | style="background-color:Template:Independent Party (United States)/meta/color" | style="background-color:Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color" |
Republican Ind Democratic Vacant
End of previous legislature 71 1 27 99 0
As of Oct 7, 2015 73 0 26 99 0
As of Oct 8, 2015 72 0 26 98 1
As of Dec 31, 2015 71 0 26 97 2
End of previous legislature 72 0 25 97 2
Beginning of current legislature 74 0 25 99 0
Latest voting share 74.7% 25.3%

Officers

  • Speaker of the House of Representatives: Rep. Beth Harwell (R)

Members

District Name Party Residence
1 John Crawford Republican Kingsport
2 Bud Hulsey Republican Kingsport
3 Timothy Hill Republican Blountville
4 John Holsclaw, Jr. Republican Johnson City
5 David B. Hawk Republican Greeneville
6 James Micah Van Huss Republican Jonesborough
7 Matthew Hill Republican Jonesborough
8 Vacant Vacant Maryville
9 Gary Hicks Republican Rogersville
10 Tilman Goins Republican Morristown
11 Jeremy Faison Republican Cosby
12 Dale Carr Republican Sevierville
13 Eddie Smith Republican Knoxville
14 Ryan Haynes Republican Knoxville
15 Roderick Staples Democratic Knoxville
16 Bill Dunn Republican Knoxville
17 Andrew Farmer Republican Sevierville
18 Martin Daniel Republican Knoxville
19 Harry Brooks Republican Knoxville
20 Bob Ramsey Republican Maryville
21 Jimmy Matlock Republican Lenoir City
22 Dan Howell Republican Georgetown
23 John Forgety Republican Athens
24 Kevin Brooks Republican Cleveland
25 Cameron Sexton Republican Crossville
26 Gerald McCormick Republican Chattanooga
27 Patsy Hazlewood Republican Signal Mountain
28 JoAnne Favors Democratic Chattanooga
29 Mike Carter Republican Ooltewah
30 Marc Gravitt Republican East Ridge
31 Ron Travis Republican Dayton
32 Kent Calfee Republican Kingston
33 John Ragan Republican Oak Ridge
34 Rick Womick Republican Rockvale
35 Jerry Sexton Republican Bean Station
36 Dennis Powers Republican Jacksboro
37 Dawn White Republican Murfreesboro
38 Kelly Keisling Republican Byrdstown
39 David Alexander Republican Winchester
40 Terri Lynn Weaver Republican Lancaster
41 John Windle Democratic Livingston
42 Ryan Williams Republican Cookeville
43 Kevin Dunlap Democratic Rock Island
44 William G. Lamberth Republican Cottontown
45 Courtney Rogers Republican Goodlettsville
46 Vacant Vacant Vacant
47 Judd Matheny Republican Tullahoma
48 Bryan Terry Republican Murfreesboro
49 Mike Sparks Republican Smyrna
50 Bo Mitchell Democratic Nashville
51 Bill Beck Democratic Nashville
52 Mike Stewart Democratic Nashville
53 Jason Powell Democratic Nashville
54 Brenda Gilmore Democratic Nashville
55 John Ray Clemmons Democratic Nashville
56 Beth Harwell, Speaker Republican Nashville
57 Susan Lynn Republican Mt. Juliet
58 Harold M. Love, Jr. Democratic Nashville
59 Sherry Jones Democratic Nashville
60 Darren Jernigan Democratic Old Hickory
61 Charles Sargent Republican Franklin
62 Pat Marsh Republican Shelbyville
63 Glen Casada Republican Thompson Station
64 Sheila Butt Republican Columbia
65 Sam Whitson Republican Franklin
66 Sabi "Doc" Kumar Republican Springfield
67 Joe Pitts Democratic Clarksville
68 Curtis Johnson Republican Clarksville
69 David Shepard Democratic Dickson
70 Barry Doss Republican Leoma
71 David Byrd Republican Waynesboro
72 Steve McDaniel Republican Parkers Crossroads
73 Jimmy Eldridge Republican Jackson
74 Jay Reedy Republican Erin
75 Tim Wirgau Republican Buchanan
76 Andy H. Holt Republican Dresden
77 Bill Sanderson Republican Kenton
78 Mary Littleton Republican Dickson
79 Curtis Halford Republican Dyer
80 Johnny Shaw Democratic Bolivar
81 Debra Moody Republican Covington
82 Craig Fitzhugh Democratic Ripley
83 Mark White Republican Memphis
84 Joe Towns Democratic Memphis
85 Johnnie Turner Democratic Memphis
86 Barbara Ward Cooper Democratic Memphis
87 Karen Camper Democratic Memphis
88 Larry Miller Democratic Memphis
89 Roger Kane Republican Knoxville
90 John DeBerry Democratic Memphis
91 Raumesh Akbari Democratic Memphis
92 Rick Tillis Republican Lewisburg
93 G. A. Hardaway Democratic Memphis
94 Ron M. Gant Republican Rossville
95 Curry Todd Republican Collierville
96 Dwayne Thompson Democratic Cordova
97 Jim Coley Republican Bartlett
98 Antonio Parkinson Democratic Memphis

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, less than 15% of all members hold no degree beyond high school, 33% hold a Master's or other post baccalaureate degree, and 25% have a law degree.[3]

Past composition of the House of Representatives

See also

References

  1. ^ https://www.tn.gov/hr/topic/benefits "Benefits". Tennesseen Department of Human Resources."
  2. ^ "Speaker of the House of Representatives - Tennessee General Assembly". www.capitol.tn.gov. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
  3. ^ http://www.capitol.tn.gov/house/members/

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