Tennessee Senate

Senate of Tennessee
Tennessee General Assembly
Coat of arms or logo
Type
Type
Term limits
 None
History
New session started
 January 10, 2017
Leadership
Speaker of the Senate
Randy McNally (R)
Since January 10, 2017
Speaker pro Tempore
Ferrell Haile (R)
Since January 19, 2018
Majority Leader
Mark Norris (R)
Since January 9, 2007
Minority Leader
Lee Harris (D)
Since January 13, 2015
Structure
Seats 33
Composition of the Tennessee Senate
Political groups

Majority party

Minority party

Length of term
 4 years
Authority Article III, Tennessee Constitution
Salary $19,009/year + per diem
Elections
Last election
 November 1, 2016
(16 seats)
Next election
 November 6, 2018
(17 seats)
Redistricting Legislative Control
Meeting place
State Senate Chamber
Tennessee State Capitol
Nashville, Tennessee
Website
www.capitol.tn.gov/senate

The Tennessee Senate is the upper house of the U.S. state of Tennessee's state legislature, which is known formally as the Tennessee General Assembly.

The Tennessee Senate, according to the state constitution of 1870, is composed of 33 members, one-third the size of the Tennessee House of Representatives. Senators are to be elected from districts of substantially equal population. According to the constitution, a county is not to be joined to a portion of another county for purposes of creating a district; this provision has been overridden by the rulings of the Supreme Court of the United States in Baker v. Carr (369 U.S. 182, 1962) and Reynolds v. Sims (337 U.S. 356, 1964).

The Tennessee constitution has been amended to allow that if these rulings are ever changed or reversed, a referendum may be held to allow the senate districts to be drawn on a basis other than substantially equal population.

In 1921, Anna Lee Keys Worley became the first woman to serve in the Tennessee Senate.[1]

Until 1966, Tennessee state senators served two-year terms. That year the system was changed, by constitutional amendment, to allow four-year terms. In that year, senators in even-numbered districts were elected to two-year terms and those in odd-numbered districts were elected to four-year terms. This created a staggered system in which only half of the senate is up for election at any one time. Districts are to be sequentially and consecutively numbered; the scheme basically runs from east to west and north to south.

Republicans attained an elected majority in the Senate in the 104th General Assembly (2005-2007) for the first time since Reconstruction; a brief majority in the 1990s was the result of two outgoing senators switching parties.

Senate Speaker

The Senate elects one of its own members as Speaker; the Speaker automatically becomes Lieutenant Governor of Tennessee. The current Speaker of the Senate and Lieutenant Governor is Randy McNally, who was elected to the position in 2017. One of the main duties of the Speaker is to preside over the Senate and make Senate committee appointments. The Speaker also controls staffing and office space with Senate staff. The Speaker serves as an ex-officio member of all standing committees.

Composition of the 109th General Assembly 2015–2017

Affiliation Party
(Shading indicates majority caucus)
 Total
Republican Democratic Vacant
End of previous legislature 26 7 33 0
Begin 28 5 33 0
August 31st, 2017[2] 27 32 1
November 6th, 2017[3] 26 31 2
November 22nd, 2017[4] 25 30 3
December 19th, 2017[5] 26 31 2
Latest voting share 83.9% 16.1%

Senate Leadership and Members

Senate Leaders

Majority Leadership (R)

Minority Leadership (D)

Members, 2017–2019

DistrictNamePartyResidenceCounties represented
1 Steve Southerland Rep Morristown Cocke, Greene, Hamblen, and part of Sevier
2 Art Swann Rep Maryville Blount and part of Sevier
3 Rusty Crowe Rep Maryville Washington, Unicoi, and part of Carter
4 Jon Lundberg Rep Bristol Johnson, Sullivan, and part of Carter
5 Randy McNally Rep Maryville Anderson, Loudon, and part of Knox
6 Becky Duncan Massey Rep Knoxville Part of Knox
7 Richard Briggs Rep Knoxville Part of Knox
8 Frank Niceley Rep Strawberry Plains Claiborne, Grainger, Hancock, Hawkins, Union, and Jefferson
9 Mike Bell Rep Riceville Polk, McMinn, Meigs, Monroe, and part of Bradley
10 Todd Gardenhire Rep Chattanooga Parts of Hamilton and Bradley
11 Bo Watson Rep Hixson Part of Hamilton
12 Ken Yager Rep Kingston Campbell, Fentress, Morgan, Rhea, Roane, Pickett, and Scott
13 Vacant Part of Rutherford
14 Shane Reeves Rep Murfreesboro Bedford, Lincoln, Marshall, Moore, and part of Rutherford
15 Paul Bailey Rep Sparta Cumberland, Jackson, Overton, Bledsoe, Putnam, and White
16 Janice Bowling Rep Tullahoma Coffee, Franklin, Grundy, Marion, Van Buren, and Warren
17 Mark Pody Rep Lebanon Cannon, Clay, DeKalb, Macon, Smith, and Wilson
18 Ferrell Haile Rep Gallatin Sumner, Trousdale, and part of Davidson
19 Thelma Harper Dem Nashville Part of Davidson
20 Steven Dickerson Rep Nashville Part of Davidson
21 Jeff Yarbro Dem Nashville Part of Davidson
22 Mark Green Rep Clarksville Stewart, Houston, and Montgomery
23 Jack Johnson Rep Franklin Williamson
24 John Stevens Rep Huntingdon Benton, Carroll, Gibson, Henry, Obion, and Weakley
25 Kerry Roberts Rep Springfield Cheatham, Dickson, Hickman, Humphreys, and Robertson
26 Dolores Gresham Rep Somerville Chester, Decatur, Fayette, Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, McNairy, and Henderson
27 Ed Jackson Rep Jackson Madison, Crockett, Dyer, Lake, and Lauderdale
28 Joey Hensley Rep Hohenwald Giles, Lawrence, Lewis, Maury, Perry, and Wayne
29 Vacant Part of Shelby
30 Sara Kyle Dem Memphis Part of Shelby
31 Brian Kelsey Rep Germantown Part of Shelby
32 Mark Norris Rep Collierville Tipton and part of Shelby
33 Reginald Tate Dem Memphis Part of Shelby

Past composition of the Senate

References

  1. ↑ "Anna Lee Keys Worley". National Women's History Museum. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
  2. ↑ Sen. Mae Beavers (R-17) resigns to focus on gubernatorial run
  3. ↑ Sen. Jim Tracy (R-14) resigns for a federal appointment
  4. ↑ Sen. Doug Overbey (R-2) resigns following appointment as U.S. attorney
  5. ↑ Republican Mark Pody elected to replace Sen. Mae Beavers (R-17)

Coordinates: 36°09′57″N 86°47′03″W / 36.1658°N 86.7843°W / 36.1658; -86.7843

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