Here are Sexton’s House committee assignments

House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) announced his committee appointments on Wednesday before the General Assembly adjourned its organizational session. Here they are:
AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMITTEE
- Chair – Curtis Halford
- Vice Chair – Rusty Grills
- Mark Cochran
- Barbra Cooper
- Tandy Darby
- Clay Doggett
- GA Hardaway
- Bud Hulsey
- Chris Hurt
- Jason Potts
- Jay Reedy
- Iris Rudder
- Johnny Shaw
- Chris Todd
- Ron Travis
- Dave Wright
Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee
- Chair – Chris Todd
- Mark Cochran
- Tandy Darby
- Curtis Halford
- Bud Hulsey
- Chris Hurt
- Jason Potts
- Jay Reedy
- Johnny Shaw
CIVIL JUSTICE COMMITTEE
- Chair – Mike Carter
- Vice Chair – Darren Jernigan
- Rush Bricken
- John Ray Clemmons
- Michael Curcio
- Rick Eldridge
- Andrew Farmer
- Johnny Garrett
- John Gillespie
- Bruce Griffey
- Torrey Harris
- Mary Littleton
- Brandon Ogles
- Antonio Parkinson
- Bob Ramsey
- Robin Smith
- Mike Stewart
Civil Justice Subcommittee
- Chair – Andrew Farmer
- Mike Carter
- John Ray Clemmons
- Michael Curcio
- Johnny Garrett
- Bruce Griffey
- Brandon Ogles
- Antonio Parkinson
Children and Family Affairs Subcommittee
- Chair – Mary Littleton
- Rush Bricken
- Mike Carter
- Rick Eldridge
- John Gillespie
- Torrey Harris
- Mike Stewart
Democrat Camper, Republican Hicks test positive for COVID-19
House Minority Leader Karen Camper (D-Memphis) and House Finance Subcommittee Chair Gary Hicks (R-Rogersville) have tested positive for COVID-19.

Camper felt ill during the start of last week’s special session, but an initial test did not detect the virus. She went home to Memphis as a precaution, where another test determined she had been infected. Camper is resting and recuperating at home, according to a statement from the House Democratic Caucus.
Hicks attended last week’s special session and was among several Republicans seen interacting with others without a mask. He works at Rogersville City School, which last week announced it would delay opening after two staffers tested positive for COVID-19 and while it awaited test results on a third.
The two positive tests follow the hospitalization this week of Rep. Mike Carter (R-Ooltewah) due to COVID-19. Carter had skipped the special session along with former House Speaker Glen Casada (R-Franklin), who said he stayed home because had been exposed to the coronavirus. Casada wouldn’t tell The Tennessean whether he had tested positive, but said he had no symptoms and felt fine.
Rep. Kent Calfee (R-Kingston) tested positive for COVID-19 following the conclusion of the regular session in June, as did former Republican Rep. Kevin Brooks, the mayor of Cleveland, who was hospitalized with pneumonia on both lungs. Brooks had served as as the minister of the day for the final House floor session in June.
Winners and losers in the General Assembly’s fundraising sweepstakes
The final fundraising disclosures are in before Thursday’s primary election. We’ve dug through the Tennessee Registry of Election Finance disclosures to aggregate how much each candidate for the House and Senate has raised so far through this election cycle.
House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) leads the way with $359,200, followed by freshman Rep. Bob Freeman (D-Nashville) with $290,700. Sen. Paul Rose (R-Covington) is next on the list with $226,500, though his numbers are a bit inflated by having stood for a special election during the cycle.
On the other end of the spectrum are incumbents who have raised the least. They are Reps. G.A. Hardaway (D-Memphis) with $2,900, Mike Carter (R-Ooltewah) with $3,900, and former House Speaker Glen Casada (R-Franklin) with $6,450.
These totals are for candidates only, meaning they don’t include any of their political action committees.
A couple caveats about the way the Registry keeps these numbers: They include outside donations and direct contributions from the candidates themselves, but not loans. For example, while Rep. Rick Tillis’ challenger Todd Warner in District 92 is listed as raising $2,950, that figure doesn’t include the eye-popping $127,100 he has loaned himself. The figures also don’t include unitemized contributions, which for some candidates can be substantial.
So with all that being said, the full list follows. Challengers and candidates in open races are listed in italics.
Coming soon to a store (or keyboard) near you: Two sales tax holidays

The House meets at the state Capitol in Nashville on June 1, 2020. (Erik Schelzig, Tennessee Journal)
As part of a late-session compromise between the House and Senate, lawmakers agreed to double to the cap on the price of clothing, computers, and back-to-school items for the annual sales tax holiday. And then they decided to hold it on consecutive weekends. Gone in the legislative deal was a House proposal to also hold a sales tax holiday for automobiles, which would have been a far pricier proposition.
Here’s a release from the state Revenue Department about the sales tax holiday weekends starting July 31 and Aug. 7:
NASHVILLE — Mark your calendars. For 2020 only, the Tennessee General Assembly has approved two sales tax holiday weekends to help Tennesseans save money and support the economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The first tax-free holiday weekend focuses on clothing and other back-to-school items. It begins at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, July 31, and ends Sunday, August 2, at 11:59 p.m. During this time, consumers may purchase clothing, school supplies, and computers and other qualifying electronic devices without paying sales tax. Certain price restrictions apply. For school supplies and clothing, the threshold for qualifying items is $200 or less. For computers and other electronics, the price threshold is $3,000 or less. Download our list of tax-exempt items here.
Exempt items sold online are also eligible. Consumers must purchase items for personal use, not business or trade.
The second sales tax holiday weekend focuses on restaurant sales. It begins at 12:01 a.m. on August 7 and ends Sunday, August 9, at 11:59 p.m. During this time the retail sale of food and drink by restaurants and limited service restaurants, as defined in Tenn. Code Ann. § 57-4-102, is exempt from sales tax.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has caused immense economic strain on Tennessee families. These sales tax holidays will allow them to keep more of their hard-earned money and support Tennessee businesses,” said Tennessee Governor Bill Lee.
“We want to remind everyone about these opportunities for tax relief,” Revenue Commissioner David Gerregano said. “It’s a good opportunity to save money during these difficult times.”
For more information about the sales tax holiday weekends, visit www.tntaxholiday.com. You can also read our frequently asked questions, as well as this important notice.
The Department of Revenue is responsible for the administration of state tax laws and motor vehicle title and registration laws, as well as the collection of taxes and fees associated with those laws. The Department collects around 87 percent of total state revenue. During the 2019 fiscal year, it collected $15.3 billion in state taxes and fees and more than $3 billion in taxes and fees for local governments. To learn more about the Department, visit www.tn.gov/revenue.
Carmack statue might have to return unless law is changed
The state may have no choice but to return the toppled statue of segregationist newspaper editor Edward Ward Carmack under a state law enacted to make it harder to replace historical markers and statues.
According to the Heritage Protection Act:
A public entity having responsibility for maintaining a memorial, or a nonprofit entity acting with permission of the public entity, shall have the authority to take proper and appropriate measures, and exercise proper and appropriate means, for the care, preservation, protection, repair, and restoration of the memorial.
State attorneys interpret that last part about the repair and restoration of the monument to mean that governments are required to fix any damage. That means the statue knocked over in last weekend’s protests could have to be brought back to its former place of prominence outside the southern entrance of the state Capitol. That’s unless lawmakers decide to seek a waiver or pass a law affecting that particular monument.
House scheduled to hear 391 bills this week, Senate none

Rep. Jim Coley (R-Bartlett) presides of the House Higher Education Subcommittee on May 26, 2020. (Screengrab: Tennessee General Assembly)
The full slate of 20 state House committees meeting this week have 391 bills on their calendars, according to a count by The Tennessean. By contrast, the Senate has none.
The two chamber are at odds about how wide the scope of their return into session should be. The upper chamber wants to focus on COVID-19 related legislation, the budget, and “time-sensitive” measures. The House wants to throw the doors open to any remaining bills, including controversial measures such as making the Bible the state’s official book, banning most abortions, and getting rid of training and background check requirements to carry handguns in public.
The lower chamber is allowing limited access to lobbyists and the public, while the Senate will remain on lockdown for all but lawmakers, staff, and the media.
The Finance Committee is the panel meeting on the Senate side this week.
Rep. Andy Holt says he won’t run for re-election

Rep. Andy Holt (R-Dresden), left, attends a meeting at the state Capitol in Nashville on Jan. 8, 2019. (Erik Schelzig, Tennessee Journal)
Rep. Andy Holt (R-Dresden) has announced he won’t seek another term in the state House this year.
Holt tells Thunderbolt Broadcasting he wants to spend more time with his family and on his agritourism business.
State Representative Andy Holt: I Will Not Seek Another Term
House District 76 comprises all of Weakley and parts of Obion and Carroll counties. Holt was first elected to the seat in 2010.
Tennessee money cop Justin Wilson dons money suit
Comptroller Justin Wilson enters House budget hearings on Dec. 17, 2019 (Erik Schelzig, Tennessee Journal)State Comptroller Justin Wilson drew less attention at House budget hearings on Tuesday for what he said than for what he wore. Wilson and his deputy, former Rep. Justin Mumpower, donned matching suits with $100 prints on them.
Mumpower wore a tie with the same pattern on it, but the self-proclaimed “beloved comptroller” resorted to his old reliable Grinch tie.