Tennessee House And Senate Committees Undergo Major Shakeups

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – On the third day of the 111th Tennessee General Assembly, leadership announced committee assignments in the House and Senate, upsetting the status quo before recessing from their organizational sessions until January 18.

During the House Republican caucus elections in November, Glen Casada (R-Franklin) made a commitment that, as Speaker, he would restructure the subcommittee system to expand up on it as well as use the composition to capitalize on subject matter experts.

After his election as Speaker earlier this week, Casada, who garnered votes from Democrat Representatives John DeBerry (Memphis), Johnny Shaw (Bolivar) and John Mark Windle (Livingston), promised partnership rather than partisanship.

In the final moments of the two-hour floor session of the 3rd organizational day of the House during which the House Permanent Rules of Order for the 111th General Assembly were debated and voted on and mandatory Ethics and Workplace Discrimination & Harassment training were conducted, Speaker Casada announced the House committees, committee members and subcommittee chairs.

Keeping to his previous promises, Speaker Casada increased the House standing committees and subcommittees to a total of 43, from the previous 28. All but two committees had one subcommittee previously, but with Speaker Casada’s restructuring, some committees such as Education and the newly named Judiciary Committees have as many as four subcommittees.

In the spirit of partnership, Democrat John Mark Windle who voted against the gas-tax increasing IMPROVE Act and voted for Casada as Speaker, will serve as the Chair of the newly-formed Naming, Designating & Private Acts Committee. Democrat Darren Jernigan (Nashville) will serve as the Chair of the newly-formed Property & Casualty Subcommittee of the Insurance Committee.

The committee and subcommittee structure is somewhat reflective of what had been in place in the House as recently as the 106th General Assembly.

The subcommittee restructuring allowed conservatives who had not played leadership roles in the past to chair all-important subcommittees. Bills are first heard in subcommittee where they are killed, amended or advanced to the respective full committee.

With former committee chairs advancing to leadership positions, former committee vice chairs or subcommittee chairs were also afforded new opportunities which might otherwise not be available.

Additionally, new members will also have prominent roles, with almost every vice chairmanship of the full committees being held by a freshman representative.

Former Speaker pro tem Curtis Johnson (R-Clarksville) and David Hawk (R-Greeneville), both of whom opposed Casada in the House Republican caucus election for Speaker, will have lesser roles going forward. Johnson will serve as chair of the Business Subcommittee of the Commerce Committee and Hawk, who was considered a favorite to succeed the much-admired Charles Sargent (R-Franklin) as the Finance Committee chair, will serve as vice chair of the Naming, Designating & Private Acts Committee and is no longer a member of the Finance Committee.

In the Senate’s 3rd and final organizational day, Lt. Governor and Senate Speaker announced that Ferrell Haile (R-Gallatin) would again serve as Speaker pro tem of the Senate and that Janice Bowling (R-Tullahoma) was appointed Deputy Speaker.

In the last moments of the floor session, the Clerk distributed Lt. Governor McNally’s Senate Committee assignments. Of the Senate’s nine standing committees, five saw changes to at least the chair, if not the 1st vice chair and 2nd vice chair.

Commerce & Labor, formerly chaired by Jack Johnson newly-elected Senate Majority (Republican) Leader, will now be chaired by Paul Bailey (R-Cookeville).
Judiciary, formerly chaired by Brian Kelsey (R-Germantown), will now be chaired by Mike Bell (R-Riceville). With that change, Bell will no longer chair Government Operations and will be replaced by Kerry Roberts (R-Springfield).

Steve Dickerson (R-Nashville) will replace Ken Yager (R-Kingston) as chair of State & Local Government, as Yager was elected as the Republican Caucus Chair at the early December meeting of the Senate Republican Caucus.

Transportation & Safety will be chaired by Becky Massey (R-Knoxville), replacing immediate past chair Bailey.

The updated Senate Committees can be viewed on the Tennessee General Assembly website here.

The list of House committees, subcommittees and member assignments as distributed by the Speaker’s office can be read below pending the extensive revisions to the website.

Agriculture & Natural Resources
Chair – Halford
Vice Chair – Todd
Chism
Clemmons
Holt
Hulsey
Keisling
Marsh
Moody
Reedy
Stewart

Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee
Chair – Reedy
Chism
Clemmons
Halford
Holt
Hulsey
Todd

Commerce
Chair – T. Hill
Vice Chair – Doggett
Boyd
Calfee
Camper
Chism
Hakeem
Haston
Hazlewood
Holsclaw
Hurt
C. Johnson
Marsh
Moon
Powell
Powers
Staples
Wright

Business Subcommittee
Chair – C. Johnson
Chism
Doggett
T. Hill
Hurt
Wright

Utilities Subcommittee
Chair – Marsh
Boyd
Calfee
Camper
T. Hill
Moon
Powell

Banking & Investments Subcommittee
Chair – Powers
Hakeem
Haston
Hazlewood
T. Hill
Holsclaw
Staples

Consumer & Human Resources
Chair – Boyd
Vice Chair – Bricken
Cochran
Coley
Cooper
Freeman
Hawk
Holsclaw
Russell
Sparks
Thompson
Towns

Consumer Subcommittee
Chair – Sparks
Boyd
Cochran
Cooper
Hawk
Russell
Towns

Employee Affairs Subcommittee
Chair – Holsclaw
Boyd
Bricken
Coley
Freeman
Thompson

Finance
Chair – Lynn
Vice Chair – Hazlewood
Baum
Camper
Crawford
DeBerry
Gant
Hicks
M. Hill
Holt
Kumar
Lamberth
Ogles
Reedy
C. Sexton
Shaw
Staples
Windle
Zachary

Finance Subcommittee
Chair – Holt
DeBerry
Hazlewood
Hicks
M. Hill
Lynn
Ogles
C. Sexton
Shaw

Education
Chair – White
Vice Chair – Haston
Baum
Byrd
Cepicky
Cochran
Coley
DeBerry
Dixie
Dunn
Hodges
Hurt
Leatherwood
Love
Moody
Parkinson
Ragan
Rudder
J. Sexton
Vaughan
Weaver
Williams
Windle

Education Administration Subcommittee
Chair – Byrd
Cepicky
Hodges
Love
J. Sexton
White
Williams

K-12 Subcommittee
Chair – Ragan
Haston
Rudder
Weaver
White
Windle

Curriculum, Testing & Innovation Subcommittee
Chair – Moody
Baum
DeBerry
Dixie
Dunn
Leatherwood
White

Higher Education Subcommittee
Chair – Coley
Cochran
Hurt
Parkinson
Vaughn
White

Government Operations
Chair – Daniel
Vice Chair – Rudder
Calfee
Camper
Dunn
Halford
Hardaway
Howell
Lafferty
Lamberth
Ragan
Reedy
C. Sexton
Stewart
Williams

Health
Chair – Terry
Vice Chair – Helton
Byrd
Cooper
Dixie
Gant
Hall
M. Hill
Jernigan
Kumar
Leatherwood
Miller
C. Sexton
J. Sexton
Sherrell
Smith
Van Huss
Vaughan
Whitson

Facilities, Licensure & Regulations Subcommittee
Chair – Vaughn
Byrd
Cooper
Gant
Helton
Smith
Terry

Mental Health & Substance Abuse Subcommittee
Chair – Kumar
Hall
Jernigan
Leatherwood
Sherrell
Terry

Public Health Subcommittee
Chair – J. Sexton
Dixie
M. Hill
Miller
Terry
Van Huss
Whitson

Insurance
Chair – Travis
Vice Chair – Hall
Cepicky
Gant
Garrett
M. Hill
T. Hill
Hodges
Jernigan
Lafferty
Miller
Powers
Rudd
C. Sexton
Sparks
Smith
Terry
Thompson
Zachary

TennCare Subcommittee
Chair – M. Hill
Gant
Miller
Terry
Thompson
Travis
Zachary

Life & Health Insurance Subcommittee
Chair – Smith
T. Hill
Hodges
Lafferty
Powers
C. Sexton

Property & Casualty Subcommittee
Chair – Jernigan
Cepicky
Garrett
Hall
Rudd
Sparks
Travis

Judiciary
Chair – Curcio
Vice Chair – Garrett
Beck
Camper
Carter
Daniel
Doggett
Eldridge
Faison
Farmer
Griffey
Howell
Hulsey
C. Johnson
Lamberth
Littleton
Mitchell
Ogles
Parkinson
Potts
Rudder
Sanderson
Sherrell
Tillis
Towns
Van Huss

Civil Justice Subcommittee
Chair – Carter
Beck
Curcio
Daniel
Garrett
Howell
Towns

Criminal Justice Subcommittee
Chair – Farmer
Camper
Curcio
Doggett
Lamberth
Ogles
Parkinson

Children & Families Subcommittee
Chair – Littleton
Curcio
Faison
C. Johnson
Potts
Rudder
Tillis

Constitutional Protections & Sentencing Subcommittee
Chair – Van Huss
Curcio
Eldridge
Griffey
Mitchell
Sanderson
Sherrell

Local
Chair – Crawford
Vice Chair – Wright
Calfee
Carr
Carter
Faison
Freeman
Hakeem
Helton
G. Johnson
Lamar
Moon
Ramsey
Rudd
Tillis
Travis

Elections & Campaign Finance Subcommittee
Chair – Rudd
Carter
Crawford
Hakeem
Tillis

Cities & Counties Subcommittee
Chair – Moon
Calfee
Crawford
Lamar
Travis
Wright

Property & Planning Subcommittee
Chair – Carr
Crawford
Faison
Freeman
Helton
G. Johnson
Ramsey

State Government
Chair – Keisling
Vice Chair – Eldridge
Beck
Bricken
Farmer
Halford
Hawk
Hicks
Hulsey
Lafferty
Littleton
Love
Powell
Ramsey
Sanderson
Shaw
Staples
Tillis
Todd

Departments & Agencies Subcommittee
Chair – Sanderson
Beck
Halford
Keisling
Littleton
Staples
Tillis

Public Service & Employees Subcommittee
Chair – Ramsey
Bricken
Hawk
Hicks
Keisling
Love
Shaw

Corrections Subcommittee
Chair – Hulsey
Eldridge
Farmer
Keisling
Lafferty
Powell
Todd

Transportation
Chair – Howell
Vice Chair – Griffey
Carr
Daniel
Dunn
Hardaway
Lamar
Potts
Russell
Weaver
Whitson

Safety & Funding Subcommittee
Chair – Weaver
Carr
Howell
Lamar
Potts
Russell

Infrastructure Subcommittee
Chair – Whitson
Daniel
Dunn
Griffey
Hardaway
Howell

Naming, Designating & Private Acts
Chair – Windle
Vice Chair – Hawk
Carr
Clemmons
Curcio
Dunn
Faison
G. Johnson
Lynn
Mitchell
Ragan
Sparks
Stewart
White
Williams

Calendar & Rules
Chair – Zachary
Vice Chair – Russell
Boyd
Camper
Casada
Crawford
Curcio
Daniel
DeBerry
Dunn
Halford
M. Hill
T. Hill
Howell
C. Johnson
Keisling
Lamberth
Lynn
C. Sexton
Shaw
Stewart
Terry
Travis
White
Windle

—

Laura Baigert is a senior report at The Tennessee Star.
Photo “Glen Casada” by Glen Casada.