2021 Tennessee legislative session

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2021 Tennessee legislative session
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General information
Session start:    January 12, 2021

Session end:    May 5, 2021

Leadership
Senate President
Randy McNally (R)

House Speaker
Cameron Sexton (R)
Majority Leader
Senate: Jack Johnson (R)
House: William Lamberth (R)
Minority Leader
Senate: Jeff Yarbro (D)
House: Karen Camper (D)

Elections
Next Election:    November 8, 2022

Last Election:    November 3, 2020

Previous legislative sessions
2020 • 2019 • 2018
Other 2021 legislative sessions

In 2021, the Tennessee General Assembly was scheduled to convene on January 12 and adjourn on May 5.

The legislators serving in this session took office following the 2020 elections. Republicans won a 27-6 majority in the Senate and a 73-26 majority in the House. The party also controlled the governorship, creating a Republican state government trifecta. At the start of the 2021 session, Tennessee was one of 22 state legislatures where one party had a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers.

The Tennessee General Assembly is responsible for redistricting following each census. Legislators were expected to address redistricting as part of the 2021 legislative session. As of the 2020 Census, Tennessee was one of 37 states where legislators were responsible for redistricting.

At the beginning of the 2021 legislative session:
  • Republicans held a majority in the Tennessee state House and state Senate.
  • Tennessee was one of 22 Republican state government trifectas.
  • Tennessee's governor was Republican Bill Lee.

    • Leadership in 2021

    Tennessee State Senate

    Tennessee House of Representatives

    Partisan control in 2021

    See also: State government trifectas

    Tennessee was one of 22 Republican state government trifectas at the start of 2021 legislative sessions. A state government trifecta occurs when one political party holds the governor's office, a majority in the state Senate, and a majority in the state House. For more information about state government trifectas, click here.

    Tennessee was also one of 22 state legislatures where one party had a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers. Veto overrides occur when a legislature votes to reverse a veto issued by an executive such as a governor or the president. If one party has a majority in a state legislature that is large enough to override a gubernatorial veto without any votes from members of the minority party, it is called a veto-proof majority or, sometimes, a supermajority. To read more about veto-proof supermajorities in state legislatures, click here.

    The following tables show the partisan breakdown of the Tennessee General Assembly in the 2021 legislative session.

    Tennessee State Senate

    Party As of January 2021
         Democratic Party 6
         Republican Party 27
    Total 33

    Tennessee House of Representatives

    Party As of January 2021
         Democratic Party 26
         Republican Party 73
    Total 99

    Regular session

    The following widget shows up to 25 pieces of legislation in the 2021 legislative session that most recently passed both chambers of the legislature, were signed by the governor, or were approved by the legislature in a veto override. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation met these criteria in 2021. This information is provided by BillTrack50.

    Redistricting

    See also: Redistricting in Tennessee after the 2020 census

    Tennessee's nine United States representatives and 132 state legislators are all elected from political divisions called districts. District lines are redrawn every 10 years following completion of the United States census. Federal law stipulates that districts must have nearly equal populations and must not discriminate on the basis of race or ethnicity.

    Congressional districts
    Litigation over congressional redistricting in Tennessee after the 2020 census has concluded.

    On February 6, 2022, Gov. Bill Lee (R) signed new congressional districts into law, approving a proposal passed by both chambers of the Tennessee legislature.[1] On January 18, 2022, the Senate Judiciary Committee recommended a congressional district proposal for consideration by the full Senate in a 7-2 vote along party lines, with all Republicans supporting the proposal and all Democrats opposing it.[2] The Senate approved proposals for congressional and Senate maps in a 26-5 party-line vote on January 20.[3] The House approved the congressional plan in a 70-26 party-line vote on January 24.[4] This map took effect for Tennessee's 2022 congressional elections.

    Click here for more information.

    Legislative districts
    Litigation over state legislative redistricting in Tennessee after the 2020 census is ongoing.

    On November 22, 2023, the Davidson County Chancery Court struck down the state Senate map, declaring it unconstitutional. The court ordered the state to create a new state Senate map by January 31, 2024.[5] The Tennessee Supreme Court stayed the lower court's order, keeping the state Senate map in place for the 2024 elections.[6] On April 13, 2022, the Tennessee Supreme Court reversed a ruling by the Davidson County Chancery Court on April 6, blocking the same state Senate map. Gov. Lee signed the state's legislative districts into law on February 6, 2022.[1]

    Click here for more information.

    See the sections below for further information on the following topics:

    1. Summary: This section provides summary information about the drafting and enacting processes.
    2. Apportionment and release of census data: This section details the 2020 apportionment process, including data from the United States Census Bureau.
    3. Drafting process: This section details the drafting process for new congressional and state legislative district maps.
    4. Enactment: This section provides information about the enacted congressional and state legislative district maps.
    5. Court challenges: This section details court challenges to the enacted congressional and state legislative district maps.
    6. Background: This section summarizes federal and state-based requirements for redistricting at both the congressional and state legislative levels. A summary of the 2010 redistricting cycle in Tennessee is also provided.

    To learn more about the redistricting process in Tennessee after the 2020 census, click here.

    Standing legislative committees

    See also: Standing committee and List of committees in Tennessee state government


    A standing committee of a state legislature is a committee that exists on a more-or-less permanent basis, from legislative session to session, that considers and refines legislative bills that fall under the committee's subject matter.

    At the beginning of the 2021 legislative session, there were 38 standing committees' in Tennessee's state government, including 15 joint legislative committees, nine state Senate committees, and 14 state House committees.

    Joint legislative committees

    Senate committees

    House committees

    Legislatively referred constitutional amendments

    In every state but Delaware, voter approval is required to enact a constitutional amendment. In each state, the legislature has a process for referring constitutional amendments before voters. In 18 states, initiated constitutional amendments can be put on the ballot through a signature petition drive. There are also many other types of statewide measures.

    The methods in which the Tennessee Constitution can be amended:

    See also: Section 3 of Article XI of the Tennessee Constitution and Laws governing ballot measures in Tennessee

    The Tennessee Constitution can be amended in two ways—through the legislative process, or a state constitutional convention.

    Legislature

    See also: Legislatively referred constitutional amendment

    In Tennessee, the state Legislature must pass a constitutional amending during two successive legislative sessions with an election in between. During the first legislative session, a simple majority vote is required in both legislative chambers. During the second legislative session, a two-thirds vote is required in both legislative chambers. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot. In Tennessee, amendments must be placed on general election ballots in which there is also a gubernatorial election.

    The required legislative votes per session, assuming no vacancies, are listed below:

    Requirements to refer constitutional amendments in Tennessee
    Session Requirement Senate House
    First Simple majority vote 17 50
    Second Two-thirds vote 22 66

    Convention

    See also: Convention-referred constitutional amendment

    According to Section 3 of Article XI of the Tennessee Constitution, the state Legislature can vote to refer a constitutional convention question to voters. A simple majority vote is required in the Legislature.



    2023 measures:

    See also: 2023 ballot measures

    Certified:

    The following measures were certified for the ballot.

    No measures to list

    2022 measures:

    Below is a list of measures that were referred to the 2022 ballot by the legislature.

    See also: Tennessee 2022 ballot measures

    Certified:

    The following measures were certified for the ballot.

    Historical partisan control

    The table below depicts the historical trifecta status of Tennessee.

    Tennessee Party Control: 1992-2024
    Five years of Democratic trifectas  •  Fourteen years of Republican trifectas
    Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

    Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
    Governor D D D R R R R R R R R D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
    Senate D D D D R D D D D D D D D R R S S R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
    House D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R

    Historical Senate control

    Between 1992 and 2020, partisan control of the Tennessee State Senate shifted in favor of the Republican Party. As a result of the 1992 elections, Democrats held a 19-14 majority. Republicans flipped the chamber in 2004 and, by 2020, expanded their majority to 27-6. The table below shows the partisan history of the Tennessee State Senate following every general election from 1992 to 2020. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.

    Tennessee State Senate election results: 1992-2020

    Year '92 '94 '96 '98 '00 '02 '04 '06 '08 '10 '12 '14 '16 '18 '20
    Democrats 19 18 18 18 18 18 16 16 14 13 7 6 5 5 6
    Republicans 14 15 15 15 15 15 17 17 19 20 26 27 28 28 27

    There was little change in the partisan balance of the state Senate between 1992 and 2002. In the 2004 elections, Republicans gained two seats and took control of the chamber. The largest movement in partisan balance occurred as a result of the 2012 elections, when Republicans picked up six seats. By 2020, the Republican majority had expanded to 27-6.

    Historical House control

    Between 1992 and 2020, partisan control of the Tennessee House of Representatives shifted in favor of the Republican Party. As a result of the 1992 elections, Democrats held a 63-36 majority. Republicans flipped the chamber in 2008 and, by 2020, expanded their majority to 73-26. The table below shows the partisan history of the Tennessee House of Representatives following every general election from 1992 to 2020. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.

    Tennessee House of Representatives election results: 1992-2020

    Year '92 '94 '96 '98 '00 '02 '04 '06 '08 '10 '12 '14 '16 '18 '20
    Democrats 63 59 61 59 57 54 53 53 49 34 27 26 25 26 26
    Republicans 36 40 38 40 42 45 46 46 50 64 71 73 74 73 73

    Republicans made small gains in most elections between 1996 and 2006. In the 2008 elections, Republicans gained four seats and took control of the chamber. The following election, in 2010, was the most significant shift in partisan control between 1992 and 2020. Republicans gained 14 seats in 2010 and followed up those gains with another seven seats picked up in the 2012 elections.

    See also

    Elections Tennessee State Government State Legislatures State Politics
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    State Courts-Tile image.png

    External links

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Tennessean, "Gov. Bill Lee signs redistricting bills dividing Davidson County into three congressional districts," February 7, 2022
    2. ↑ Washington Examiner, "Tennessee redistricting maps sent to full Senate for vote," January 19, 2022
    3. ↑ The Tennessean, "Tennessee senators approve new congressional, Senate districts; House to vote Monday," January 20, 2022
    4. ↑ The Tennessean, "Tennessee House Republicans approve redistricting plan to divide Davidson County into three congressional districts," January 24, 2022
    5. ↑ The Tennessean, "Judges rule Tennessee Senate map unconstitutional, order legislature to redraw by Jan. 31," November 22, 2023
    6. ↑ Nashville Banner, "Tennessee Supreme Court Hears Fight Over How Legislative Districts Were Drawn," October 4, 2024
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