© 2024 WUOT

WUOT
209 Communications Building
1345 Circle Park Drive
University of Tennessee
Knoxville, TN 37996-0322
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

After Months Of Scandals, Tennessee House of Representatives Set To Elect New Speaker

Some Tennessee House lawmakers are concerned about the cost of a special session to replace Speaker Glen Casada.
Stephen Jerkins
/
WPLN
Some Tennessee House lawmakers are concerned about the cost of a special session to replace Speaker Glen Casada.

Hear the radio version of this story.

Tennessee lawmakers will come back to Nashville later this week to pick a new House speaker.

The election will take place during Friday’s special session, which was called with specific guidelines on what can and cannot take place.

Gov. Bill Lee announced the special session in June, and according to the Tennessee Constitution, he has established what can be discussed during the meeting. The main purpose is for the House to elect its new speaker.  

Rep. Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, is presumed to replace Franklin Republican Glen Casada, who stepped down from the top post amid multiple scandals. Sexton won the GOP nomination last month and, because the party holds a supermajority, it’s almost certain he will be elected.

Lee has also tasked the Tennessee General Assembly with voting on whether to approve some court rules. No bills can be introduced during the one-day event, but resolutions can be accepted. 

One of them, introduced by Knoxville Democratic Rep. Gloria Johnson, calls for the removal of embattled Rep. David Byrd, R-Waynesboro. Byrd has been accused by three women of sexual assault when he was his basketball coach in the 1980s.

It’s unclear if the resolution would have enough support from lawmakers to even be considered on the House floor.

Copyright 2019 WPLN News

Sergio Martínez-Beltrán is Nashville Public Radio’s political reporter. Prior to moving to Nashville, Sergio covered education for the Standard-Examiner newspaper in Ogden, Utah. He is a Puerto Rico native and his work has also appeared on NPR station WKAR, San Antonio Express-News, Inter News Service, GFR Media and WMIZ 1270 AM.