Image Credit: Speaker Cameron Sexton / Facebook & Antony-22 / CC
The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –
Dubbed “King of the RINOs,” House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville-District 25) has been a state representative since 2010 and assumed the role of speaker in 2019.
Here is an overview of some of Sexton’s actions as House Speaker and his voting record over the last few years.
2020
• Voted to protect Tennessee businesses who complied with “public health guidance” from pandemic-related lawsuits.
2021
• Stripped a conservative lawmaker of his committee assignment as punishment for bringing a Rule 53 Motion so all members of the House could vote on a bill to protect Tennessee jobs from illegal immigration.
2022
• Sponsored a bill that would have censored conservatives. HB1201 added requirements for 501(c)4, 501(c)5, and 501(c)6 nonprofit organizations to report expenses of more than $5,000 when spent on communication, including images of candidates or their names, within 60 days of an election. This would have increased paperwork for groups that aim to keep the general public aware of the voting habits of lawmakers, with many of these nonprofits not having sufficient manpower to deal with the increased red tape. After significant pushback, the bill was amended to ensure that it would not stymie advocacy groups in the run-up to an election, and a provision was also removed that would have required the disclosure of donors.
• Supported corporate welfare when he publicly voiced his approval of the allocation of $550 million in state bonds as part of the state budget to help fund a new domed stadium in Nashville for the Tennessee Titans.
• Also voted to allow the Chattanooga Lookouts – a minor league affiliate of the Chicago Reds – to move to a new stadium in the city and retain a lucrative sales tax deal.
2023
• Voted for a bill that runs the risk of criminalizing parents based on anonymous allegations. HB1109 is now Tennessee law that makes it a criminal offense for families to hide children outside of the state when that child is in DCS custody. Since DCS is not required to verify the credibility of anonymous sources who make child abuse or neglect accusations, this change in the law makes it easier to criminalize parents who are not guilty of such offenses. The new law allows parents to be charged with a felony for failing to turn their child over to the state and also relieves DCS of having to properly notify parents about removal orders.
• Endangered Homeschool families as the Prime Sponsor of HB1214 which sought to regulate homeschooling by recategorizing some homeschooling students as students participating in the part-time public school charters funded by Tennessee’s public education funding formula, TISA. Pushback from conservative homeschooling families succeeded in getting the legislation taken off notice in the House Education Administration Committee.
• During a special session on safety, Sexton tried to remove all means of expression from Tennesseans present in the galleries of the House, leading to a lawsuit being filed against House leadership.
• Filed a per diem for lawmakers who live outside the State Capitol, even though he owns a home in Nashville. A complaint was filed with the Tennessee Attorney General, asking for a civil investigation into whether Sexton wrongly filed reimbursement expenses with the state. The complaint alleges that by filing the larger per diem, Sexton wrongly claimed expenses 150 times, which could result in a fine of between $375,000 and $1.5 million.
• After Tennessee Right to Life’s Will Brewer stated that the organization would be delivering a negative score on legislator’s report cards for attempting to weaken Tennessee’s abortion law, Sexton characterized Brewer’s statement as a threat, and an intimidation tactic.
2024
• Gave his stamp of approval at the beginning of last year’s legislative session to Democrat Representative Aftyn Behn’s invitation of transgender Chaplain Dahron Johnson to give the prayer on the House floor despite the strong objections from devout Christian members of the House Republican Caucus.
• Sponsored a sneaky caption bill to create “opportunity schools” that would separate children as young as 11 from their parents and larger communities, institutionalize young people with disabilities and other “at-risk” youth.
• Voted for legislation that effectively makes it easier to funnel children away from their parents and into state custody by making it easier for parental rights to be terminated.
• Voted to keep records hidden from the public eye when he voted for HB1692.
• Voted in favor of a bill that was signed into law last year that critics said closely resembled red flag gun laws. A mental health professional must report all instances when a patient makes what might be deemed a threat against a group of people related to a school, or against a family member of the patient.
• Voted to prevent autopsies of minors who are the victims of violent crimes to be made public potentially protecting violent offenders.
• A poll asked “How would you grade TN House Speaker Cameron Sexton on his leadership to stop illegal immigration in Tennessee at the state level?” Out of the 291 participants who voted, over 70% rated Sexton’s efforts as “Poor.”
2025
Denied full press access to The Tennessee Conservative’s reporter Adelia Kirchner. Founder of The Tennessee Conservative Brandon Lewis emailed Sexton last week, along with Director of the Office of Legislative Administration Krista Lee Carsner, to request full access similar to the access freely granted to reporters like Phil Williams and other left-learning, corporate news outlets.
See this article “Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton Running For Reelection: A Look At His Voting Record” for even more information.
About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
