Republicans and Democrats are sorting out who will lead in the 111th Tennessee General Assembly. In recent caucus elections, the following leaders were chosen, several of whom are NFIB members (noted by *). These leaders will have a significant say in what’s debated and passed, and your engagement as an NFIB member will matter greatly, as usual, just like last session.
Tennessee Senate
Lt. Gov. Randy McNally – re-nominated
Jack Johnson* – Majority Leader
Ken Yager – Republican Caucus Chair
Ferrell Haile* – Speaker Pro-Tem & Treasurer
Jeff Yarbro – Minority Leader
Raumesh Akbari – Democratic Caucus Chair
Tennessee House
Glen Casada – Republican House Speaker-nominee
William Lamberth* – Majority Leader
Cameron Sexton – Republican Caucus Chair
Bill Dunn – Speaker Pro-Tem
Rick Tillis – Majority Whip
Karen Camper – Minority Leader
Mike Stewart – Democratic Caucus Chair
McNally and Casada are expected to win easily. McNally, Johnson, Haile, and Casada are Guardian of Small Business award winners. Other items of note:
- Reps. Ron Gant, Chris Todd, and Clay Doggett, all NFIB members, were elected assistant majority leader, assistant floor leader and secretary, respectively.
- Sens. Dolores Gresham and Shane Reeves, both NFIB members, were elected secretary and floor chaplain, respectively.
- Johnson and Yager previously served as chairmen of the important Commerce and the State & Local Government committees, which now must be filled by new leaders.
- The Senate currently has 27 Republicans, five Democrats, and one open seat, while the House has 73 Republicans and 26 Democrats.
Congratulation to three great friends of #smallbiz – @ltgovmcnally @SenJohnson @YagerTweets for securing important leadership positions in the 111th Tennessee General Assembly – Lieutenant Governor, & Senate Majority Leader and Republican Caucus Chair.
— NFIB Tennessee (@nfib_tn) December 4, 2018
Governor-elect Bill Lee has been hiring senior staff in his office and cabinet. To date, they include:
Blake Harris – Chief of Staff
Butch Eley – Chief Operating Officer
Lang Wiseman – Deputy to the Governor & Chief Counsel
Chris Walker – Communications Director
Tony Niknejad – Policy Director
Laine Arnold – Press Secretary
Stuart McWhorter – Commissioner of Finance & Administration
Charlie Hatcher – Commissioner of Agriculture
The legislature will convene Jan. 8, and Lee will be inaugurated Jan. 19.
