House GOP re-elects top leadership team
House Republicans have voted to retain their top leadership team of Speaker Cameron Sexton of Crossville, Majority Leader William Lamberth of Portland, Caucus Chair Jeremy Faison of Cosby, and Majority Whip Johnny Garrett of Goodlettsville. Pat Marsh of Shelbyville was renominated for speaker pr tem. All were unopposed.
Further down the ticket, Mark Cochran of Englewood was elected assistant majority leader. He succeeds Ron Gant of Rossville, who was seriously injured in a head-on crash of two SUVs last month. Cochran had announced his challenge before the wreck and some members had expected Gant to bow out of the race so he could focus on his recovery. But Gant, who did not attend the caucus meeting at Paris Landing State Park, decided to remain on the ballot.
Sexton was one of six candidate for speaker after Glen Casada (R-Franklin) resigned the post amid scandal in the summer of 2019. Faison was elected to succeed Sexton as caucus chair. Lamberth was first elected majority leader in 2017.
Here’s the release from House Republicans:
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee House Republicans today selected Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, by unanimous vote to lead the House of Representatives for a third term.
The Republican House Caucus held its biennial organizational meeting to elect leadership positions following a historic election in which the House GOP gained two seats, securing a 75-24 supermajority. The caucus election was held at Paris Landing State Park in Paris, Tenn.“I greatly appreciate the overwhelming support and the trust my colleagues have placed in me to continue serving as speaker,” said Sexton. “Tennessee leads because Republicans continue standing strong to preserve the freedoms, liberties, and conservative values that are important to the citizens of our state. Together, we will continue to effectively partner to prioritize solutions that build upon the General Assembly’s successes so Tennessee remains the best place to live, work, raise a family, and retire.”
Members voted unanimously to reelect for a third term State Rep. William Lamberth, R-Portland, as majority leader, State Rep. Jeremy Faison, R-Cosby, as caucus chairman, and State Rep. Johnny Garrett, R-Goodlettsville, as majority whip. State Rep. Pat Marsh, R-Shelbyville, was unanimously chosen to serve his second term as Speaker Pro Tempore.
Mark Cochran, R-Englewood, was elected to his first term as Assistant Majority Leader.
“Tennessee voters spoke loud and clear this year when they overwhelmingly elected Republicans to represent them at every level,” Lamberth said. “I am so proud of all this caucus has accomplished. Together, with the leadership of Speaker Sexton, Lt. Gov. Randy McNally and Gov. Bill Lee, we will continue to deliver on our promise to uphold common sense conservative values and seek the best possible quality of life for all Tennesseans.”
“Republicans in the legislature have been extremely successful over the last decade at building a stronger, safer, and more prosperous Tennessee,” Faison said. “The House Republican Caucus for the 113th General Assembly is made up of 75 talented, hardworking Tennesseans from every corner of this state who have a great desire to build on that tradition. I’m proud to have their support as we work to move Tennessee forward.”
Others elected to caucus leadership positions include State Rep. Paul Sherrell, R-Sparta as floor leader; State Rep. Scotty Campbell, R-Mountain City, as caucus vice chair; State Rep. Michelle Carringer, R-Knoxville as Secretary; State Rep. Rebecca Alexander, R-Jonesborough, as Treasurer.
Freshman State Rep. Jody Barrett, R-Dickson, was elected Assistant Floor Leader.
The 113th General Assembly is scheduled to convene on Jan. 10, 2023.
Mailer backing Warner uses image linked to Phoenix Solutions
House Majority Leader William Lamberth’s political action committee is sending out mailers supporting embattled Rep. Todd Warner’s re-election campaign in House District 92. The piece presumably inadvertently uses a photo of Warner that has been linked to Phoenix Solutions, the political vendor that operated in the shadows and caused ex-Rep. Robin Smith (R-Hixson) to plead guilty to a federal public corruption charge earlier this year.
According to a February 2021 report by the Chattanooga Times Free Press, the same photo was used among a portfolio presented to a potential client by Phoenix Solutions. Warner, whose home and offices were searched by the FBI the previous month alongside those of Smith and former Senate Speaker Glen Casada, denied he had engaged Phoenix Solutions to do work for his primary campaign against then-Rep. Rick Tillis (R-Lewisburg).
The mailer was prepared by an outside vendor unrelated to Warner’s re-election campaign.
Here’s the way the photo played in the newspaper account last year:
Warner has upset his colleagues by attending a campaign rally for Gary Humble (who is challenging state Senate Republican leader Jack Johnson in Williamson County) and for his ongoing use of a vendor, Dixieland Strategies, that is suspected of having ties for former Casada aide Cade Cothren.
Warner faces two Williamson County challengers in next week’s Republican primary, former County Commissioner Jeff Ford and Spring Hill Alderman Matt Fitterer.
Lamberth hires California GOP aide, Farm Bureau political director as top adviser
State House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland) is hiring his new chief adviser from California. Mike Zimmerman, a former aide to three Republican leaders in the Golden State’s legislature, will succeed James Dunn, who is now executive director of the Tennessee Commission on Aging and Disability.
Zimmerman’s most recent position has been political director for the California Farm Bureau Federation in Sacramento.
Here’s the full email from Lamberth to members of the House Republican Caucus:
Dear Friends,
I am pleased to announce Mike Zimmerman will be joining our Caucus as Chief Advisor to the Majority Leader.
Mike is extremely well qualified with more than 20 years of legislative experience serving as Political Director, Deputy Chief of Staff and as Chief of Staff for three different Republican Leaders in the California General Assembly. As Chief of Staff, Mike managed more than 80 employees who worked in policy, communications, and constituent services. His areas of expertise include public policy, state government, fiscal oversight, and political campaigning.
He is leaving his current position as director of political affairs for the California Farm Bureau Federation in Sacramento where he has served since 2018. Mike is moving to Tennessee with his wife and 8-month-old son to be closer to family in Williamson County and to raise his son in a state that shares his conservative values. His first day with us is Wednesday, Sept. 8th.
Having served in leadership support positions for the minority party in a blue state, Mike brings an invaluable and unique perspective. I am confident he will serve you well and will send his contact information once he officially begins this new role. Mike will be reaching out to every one of you to meet within the next few weeks whenever you happen to be in Nashville. Thank you again for the opportunity to serve you and thank you for all that you do every day to strengthen our great state.
Battle brewing over wine shipping restrictions
The first round in what could be this year’s big booze fight is scheduled for the House Departments and Agencies Subcommittee on Tuesday. The bill sponsored by House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland) seeks to place greater restrictions on direct shipment of wine to Tennessee consumers. The move is backed by the state’s liquor wholesalers and retailers, while it is opposed by a national wine industry group calling itself “Free the Grapes!”
The bill would only allow wineries to ship wine themselves, rather than using so-called fulfillment houses to handle the logistics for them. Supporters say the change would return the law to its original intent, which was to allow oenophiles to obtain hard-to-find wines directly from the source. Allowing winemakers to use clearinghouses to send their product far and wide circumvents the state’s strictly regulated system for distributing (and taxing) alcohol, they argue.
Opponents say consumers like the flexibility of having wine delivered straight to their homes — especially during the pandemic. Read the full release from the Free the Grapes group below.
Continue readingHere are the candidates for House GOP leadership
Following Rep. Andrew Farmer’s withdrawal as a candidate for House majority leader, the only remaining contested GOP leadership race appears to be for caucus chair, where Robin Smith is challenging Jeremy Faison.
Here’s the list circulated among House Republican Caucus members (with the caveat that nominations will also be allowed to be made at the GOP meeting on Tuesday) :
Speaker
- Cameron Sexton
Speaker Pro Tempore
- Pat Marsh
Republican Leader
- William Lamberth
Republican Caucus Chair
- Jeremy Faison
- Robin Smith
Assistant Majority Leader
- Ron Gant
Caucus Whip
- Johnny Garrett
Floor Leader
- Paul Sherrell
Caucus Vice-Chair
- Brandon Ogles
Caucus Secretary
- vacant
Caucus Treasurer
- Mark Cochran
Fiscal Review
- Clark Boyd
- Jason Zachary
- Kelly Keisling
- Kevin Vaughan
- Ron Gant
- Rush Bricken
- Scott Cepicky
Farmer drops challenge of Lamberth for majority leader
State Rep. Andrew Farmer (R-Sevierville) is dropping his bid for House majority leader, according to a message to GOP colleagues obtained by the The Tennessee Journal.
Farmer cites the “fantastic” outcome of this month’s elections in his decision to give up his challenge of Rep. William Lamberth (R-Portland) for the No. 2 leadership position in the chamber. Republicans held on to all 73 House seats they came into the election with.
“A change in leadership is not what the caucus needs right now and therefore I am officially withdrawing my name,” Farmer said. “The best thing we can do is stand together in unity and support the leadership that is currently in place.”
Rep. Robin Smith of Hixson is challenging Rep. Jeremy Faison of Cosby for House Republican Caucus chair. The leadership vote is scheduled for next week.
Dear Members,
I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all for the support and encouragement you have given to me over the past several weeks. I have genuinely enjoyed traveling around the state, visiting your respective districts and getting to know you all better. The Tennessee ”volunteer” spirit is alive and well in our great state!
As the election results came in, I was incredibly pleased to see that we successfully brought back all our Republican members. Congratulations to everyone! These fantastic outcomes, combined with the fact we have a significant amount of money left in the caucus, have caused me to reconsider my candidacy for majority leader. A change in leadership is not what the caucus needs right now and therefore I am officially withdrawing my name. The best thing we can do is stand together in unity and support the leadership that is currently in place.
I am looking forward to working with each of you in the 112th.
Farmer challenging Lamberth for majority leader
State Rep. Andrew Farmer (R-Sevierville) is challenging Rep. William Lamberth (R-Portland) for the position of House majority leader this fall, according to a letter to colleagues obtained by the The Tennessee Journal.
Farmer and Lamberth were two of four Republican attorneys first elected to the House in 2012 (the other two were Rep. Mike Carter of Ooltewah and disgraced former Rep. Jeremy Durham of Franklin). Farmer won the District 17 seat following Republican Rep. Frank Niceley’s election to the state Senate, while Lamberth was elected the District 44 seat vacated by the retirement of Rep. Mike McDonald (D-Portland).
Lamberth won the chamber’s No. 2 leadership position in November 2018 in the same caucus election that saw Rep. Glen Casada (R-Franklin) nominated for what turned out to be a truncated speakership.
Here’s Farmer’s letter:
Dear Members,
As most of you know, I have been considering the opportunity to run for a caucus leadership position. Realizing the challenges of the upcoming session, I am ready to work with you to face those challenges to make a positive impact on our great state. After much prayer, deliberation and discussion with my wife and family, I have decided to announce my candidacy for House Majority Leader.
Our caucus benefits from a wide range of abilities, viewpoints and experiences among the members. As Majority Leader, I will work to help every member effectively represent their district. We all deserve to make a difference, and that is only accomplished when all of our voices are heard. We only reach our full potential when we recognize the wisdom of our constituents who put us here in the first place. After more than a decade as an attorney I have experienced the challenges that individuals, businesses, and families face. I have learned that listening and understanding their needs are always the first step in helping. By applying those same principles we can make the upcoming session both exciting and productive.
I appreciate the support that so many of you have already offered and I look forward to meeting individually with each one of you to discuss how we, together can reach new heights as a unified caucus. I am respectfully asking each of you for your support and vote.
Sincerely,
Andrew Farmer
House drops proposal to have AG prosecute protest crimes, cost per conviction projected at $500K
The state House has dropped a proposal to give the state Attorney General the power to prosecute crimes committed by protesters.
The Daily Memphian reports House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland) dropped the provision after hearing concerns from the District Attorneys General Conference.
Under the bill enhancing penalties for various unruly behavior, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation could be called in.
Attorney General Slatery Herbert Slatery’s office said the legislation reflects a “widely held sentiment that laws be enforced” if state prpoerty is damaged or law enforecement agents are injured.
“If the General Assembly wants us to take on additional responsibilities, there will be a number of steps to consider. If requested, we will obviously engage in those discussions,” said AG spokeswoman Samantha Fisher.
The fiscal note on the bill enhancing penalties for illegal camping on state property to a Class E felony places the cost for each conviction at more than $500,000. But nobody has been convicted under the existing illegal camping laws over the last five years, leading Fiscal Review to deem the impact to be “not significant.”
UPDATE: The Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday amended its version of the bill to decrease the severity of the crime from a felony to a misdemeanor.
GOP bill would give Tennessee AG power to prosecute criminal cases
A man scrubs graffiti off of a building following protests in downtown Nashville on June 1, 2020. (Erik Schelzig, Tennessee Journal)\
Among the bills proposed for next week’s special legislative session is a measure to for the first time give the state attorney general the power to prosecute criminal cases. The bill sponsored by House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland) is aimed at giving the AG jurisdiction over cases related to protests.
Under longtime practice in Tennessee, popularly elected district attorneys general have authority over all criminal prosecutions, while the state attorney general, who is appointed by the state Supreme Court, can file civil lawsuits and is responsible for defending the state in criminal appeals.
Under new legislation, if the AG decides to bring criminal charges related to protests, the office would have “the authority to exercise all of the powers and perform all of the duties before any court or grand jury with respect to such prosecution that the appropriate district attorney general would otherwise be authorized or required by law to exercise or perform.”
The bill also seeks to require local prosecutors to “fully cooperate” with the AG in any from requested.
The bill would take effect on Oct. 1.
UPDATE 1: To say not everyone is impressed would be an understatement.
This looks like some unconstitutional garbage. The TN Constitution is explicit that criminal prosecutions must be by locally-elected prosecutors. If local prosecutor refuses, the court can appoint attorney pro tempore. The AG has no constitutional authority to intervene. 1/ https://t.co/N6lai5mLZH
— Jeff Yarbro (@yarbro) August 8, 2020
UPDATE 2: Word emanating from the corridors of power is that this is a caption bill — in other words one containing placeholder language until the final version can be put together. Whether that was the original intent or in response to criticism is not immediately clear.
War of words erupts over failure to pass bill to ban COVID-19 lawsuits
Everyone thought the deal was done. But then it wasn’t. The General Assembly adjourned in the predawn hours of Friday without passing either a bill to provide businesses immunity from most COVID-19 lawsuits or another measure to set insurance reimbursement standards for telemedicine appointments.
That’s when a war of words began to erupt between the Republican leaders of both chambers. Senate Speaker Randy McNally blamed House Majority Leader William Lamberth and House Judiciary Chairman Michael Curcio for torpedoing the lawsuit bill.
.@WilliamLamberth, together with the bill’s sponsor, @StateRepCurcio, cobbled together a cabal of Democrats and attorneys to defeat the legislation and place our entire economy in danger. It was irresponsible and dangerous.
— Randy McNally (@ltgovmcnally) June 19, 2020
House Speaker Cameron Sexton, normally a McNally ally, shot back that “finger pointing on social media … is not a productive way to arrive at an effective solution.”
“Finger pointing at members on social media because they expressed their opinions is not a productive way to arrive at an effective solution.”
— Speaker Cameron Sexton (@CSexton25) June 19, 2020
Talk immediately turned to whether Gov. Bill Lee might call a special session to try to fix the damage. But first, the two chambers would have to come together on an agreement — something that has proven elusive so far.
The sticking point over the lawsuit liability has been over whether it be backdated to the start of the coronavirus pandemic. The Senate has argued it should, while the House has pointed out that retroactive legislation is banned by the state constitution. Business interests appeared to have been willing to back off the retroactive language in the interest of getting at least something passed this session, but those discussions evaporated after the word was put out the two chambers had agreed to pass the original forms of both the liability and telemedicine bills.
It turned out rank-and-file members of the House weren’t on board with such an arrangement. The vote to adopt the Senate version including the retroactive language was 46-36. It takes 50 votes for bills to be approved in the House.
