As expected, state lawmakers made no changes at the top of either chamber during the first day of the 114th General Assembly.¶
State Senators re-elected Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally, R- Oak Ridge, as Speaker with a 26 to 0 vote. Senate Democrats and McNally abstained from voting.¶
The Oak Ridge Senator has led the Senate since 2017, and he accepted his leadership position with a compliment.¶
“Each General Assembly that I’ve gaveled in seems to be better than the last, and I’m very impressed by the quality of the people who sacrifice family time and have sacrificed their careers in many instances to serve in our state,” said McNally.¶
In the House, members re-elected Representative Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, to serve as House Speaker with 75 votes to Democrat nominee Representative Karen Camper’s, D-Memphis, 23 votes.¶
Sexton has led the chamber since 2019. ¶
“My goal is to be more efficient, empower Tennesseans over the government, and uphold our constitutional duty of oversight. I look forward to working with those in the body who want to get things done and to put service above self,” said Sexton.¶
House Speaker Cameron Sexton (Photo by Tennessee General Assembly)¶
Both leaders are expected to name committee chairs on Thursday, including the new chair of the Senate Education Committee. Former State Senator Jon Lundberg previously led the committee, but he lost his seat in the August Republican Primary to new Senator Bobby Harshbarger, R-Sullivan County.¶
Among the first items of business for the new session will be Governor Bill Lee’s Education Freedom Act of 2025 that would allow families across the state to use public dollars to send their children to private school, sometimes referred to as vouchers. Governor Lee is expected to call for a special session that would focus on the act and Hurricane Helene relief following the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump later this month.¶
The new General Assembly will be the last of a Governor Lee administration that has included considerable focus on education issues, even beyond vouchers. Following the pandemic, Governor Lee’s administration helped pass the Literacy Success Act to address COVID learning loss. The following year the governor successfully pushed through the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) Act that reworked how public schools are funded and provided a billion new dollars for education.¶
Education advocacy organization Tennesseans for Student Success cited those changes as important reforms for lawmakers to build upon in the upcoming session.¶
"The last six years have set a high bar for education leadership and innovation in our state and that work has produced real results in the classroom,” said Lana Skelo, President and CEO of Tennesseans for Student Success. “We look forward to working with the new leaders and existing education champions in this General Assembly to not only protect these critical student-focused reforms but to also tackle existing challenges like achievement gaps and improving the pathways between public education and careers."¶
The Tennessee Firefly is a product of and supported by Tennesseans for Student Success.¶
