Image Credit: Speaker Cameron Sexton / Facebook & Antony-22 / CC
The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –
Representative Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville-District 25) is running for reelection in the Republican primary slated for August 1st, 2024. Sexton, who assumed office in 2010, is in his fourteenth year as a state representative and fifth year as Speaker of the House.
Dubbed the “King of RINOs” by critics, here is a look at some of Sexton’s actions as House speaker and his voting record over the last few years.
Highlights from the 2020 through the 2024 legislative sessions include:
Voting to Protect Businesses from Covid-19 Related Lawsuits That Followed Nonsensical “Health Guidance.”
In 2020, Sexton voted for tort reform, a bill that small business association NFIB supported. The Tennessee Recovery and Safe Harbor Act provided protection from pandemic-related lawsuits for businesses that “substantially complied with public health guidance.” The bill ultimately failed after a conference committee report failed to receive a constitutional majority in the House.
Voting for Legislation That Censors Conservatives.
In 2022, Sexton was the Prime Sponsor for an “Incumbent Protection” bill that effectively censors 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 spent on communication that includes images of candidates or their names within 60 days of an election. The legislation increases paperwork for groups trying to keep the public aware of the voting habits of lawmakers. Many nonprofits don’t have the manpower to deal with increased red tape, effectively silencing them. Before Governor Lee signed the bill into law, opponents urged him to veto it, saying that it was an overreach at the expense of free speech. ALEC Action said that while “well intended” the bill “improperly blurs the lines between election transparency and non-political, non-profit activity.”
Supporting Corporate Welfare.
In 2022, Sexton voiced his support publicly for allocating $550 million in state bonds as part of the state’s budget to help fund a new domed stadium in Nashville for the Tennessee Titans. Sexton 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 sales tax deal where the team keeps the first 5.5% of the state’s 7% sales tax for sales at the stadium. The legislation also extended the deal to apply to non-baseball events at the stadium.
Voting for Legislation That Could Criminalize Parents Based On Anonymous Allegations.
In 2023, Sexton voted for a bill, HB1109, that makes it a criminal offense for families to hide children outside of the state when that child is in custody of the Department of Children’s Services.
Since DCS is not required to verify the credibility of anonymous sources making accusations of child abuse or neglect, this legislation could possibly make it easier to criminalize parents who have not committed such an offense. Not only does this legislation allow parents to be charged with a felony for failure to turn their child over to the state, it also looks to relieve DCS of having to properly notify parents about removal orders since it is not a defense that “the person harboring or hiding the child has not been served with an actual copy of a protective custody order or emergency custody order.”
The primary concern that opponents of the bill had seems to do away with basic due process, which gives a person the right to know about accusations made against them and allows them the ability to defend themselves in court.
Voting Against School Choice.
Sexton voted against legislation, HB0433, expanding Tennessee’s Education Savings Account Program to Hamilton County, and the Chattanooga area.
Endangering Homeschool Families.
As the Prime Sponsor of HB1214, Sexton advocated for legislation seeking to regulate homeschooling by recategorizing some homeschooling as students participating in part-time public school charters funded by the Tennessee’s public education funding formula (TISA). This blurring of lines raised concerns that this third homeschooling option could potentially bleed over into the existing legal ways to homeschool in the state. After conservative pushback, the legislation was taken off notice in the House Education Administration Committee.
Supporting the Creation of Schools Separating Kids from Their Parents & Communities.
In 2024, the most recent legislative session, Sexton was the Prime Sponsor for a sneaky caption bill, HB2922, that was amended to create a new type of congregate setting called an “opportunity school” that may lead to the unnecessary institutionalization of young people with disabilities and other so called “at-risk” youth in a way that may interfere with the rights of parents. Children as young as 11 may be enrolled and sent across the state, far from their families and communities.
Voting to More Easily Terminate Parental Rights.
Sexton voted for a bill, HB1808, that effectively makes it easier to funnel children away from their parents and into state custody. The law that took effect July 1st, 2024, allows Tennessee Department of Children’s Services to file a petition for termination of parental rights within 90 days if there has been substantial noncompliance by a parent or guardian with the statement of responsibilities in a permanency plan over a period of six months.
Voting to Keep Records Hidden From the Public Eye.
Legislation that allows the Department of Tourist Development to keep records hidden from the public at the discretion of the attorney general and tourism commissioner received a vote in favor from Sexton. HB1692, which is now law, allows records to be exempt from public records laws if the information is deemed “sensitive.” A similar law passed in 1988, allowing the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development to keep records secret for five years. Critics of the bill said it creates problems with transparency.
Voting for Legislation that Closely Resembles Red Flag Gun Laws.
Sexton also voted in favor of legislation that some critics have called a “Red Flag” bill expanding mandatory reporting laws for mental health professionals. The legislation, which was signed into law on April 23rd and became effective immediately, requires a report be made on a patient to local law enforcement, 988, or a local health facility if the individual makes what a mental health professional deems a threat against a group of people related to a school or against a family member of the patient. Critics of the bill voiced concern regarding privacy laws and how reported information would be stored and used. Mental health professionals are also given civil, criminal, and regulatory immunity given the subjective way in which they might perceive something to be a threat.
Voting to Possibly Enable Murderers to Escape Accountability.
A new law, HB1695, that prevents the autopsies of minors who are victims of violent crimes from becoming part of public record, and so protects violent offenders also received Sexton’s vote.
At the beginning of the 2024 legislative session, Sexton gave his stamp of approval on Democrat Representative Aftyn Behn’s invite of transgender Chaplain Dahron Johnson delivering the prayer on the House floor despite strong objections from devout Christians in the House Republican caucus.
During a 2023 special session on safety, Sexton attempted to remove all means of expression from Tennesseans present in the galleries of the House of Representatives which led to a lawsuit being filed against House leadership. Sexton’s rules stated that, “No voice or noise amplification devices, flags, signs, or banners shall be permitted.”
State troopers removed three gun control activists from a House subcommittee meeting after they ignored a request to lower their signs prompting the three to sue. A Davidson County judge issued a temporary restraining order blocking the House rule against the usage of signs.
After Sexton supported the expulsion of “The Tennessee Three” during last year’s legislative session for violating rules of decorum, allegations arose that Sexton himself might be in violation of the fundamental rules of the legislature. Accused of not actually living in Crossville, but instead residing in Nashville full-time, Sexton was under scrutiny for potentially representing Crossville illegally.
Reportedly, Sexton and his wife Lacey secretly purchased a second home in West Nashville for close to $600,000 in 2021 through the establishment of an anonymous trust.
Towards the end of the legislative session in 2022, Sexton slipped an amendment into an obscure caption bill seeking to censor advocacy groups 60 days prior to an election. Conservative groups like Beacon Center of Tennessee, Tennessee Firearms Association, Tennessee Right to Life, Tennessee Stands, and even other groups like Americans for Prosperity were at risk of being unable to even mention the names or show the faces of an elected official or candidate days before an election, or face tough penalties.
After significant pushback, the legislation was amended to ensure that it wouldn’t stop nonprofit advocacy groups from communication with members in the run-up to an election, and a provision was also removed that would have required donors to be disclosed. This didn’t stop calls for Governor Bill Lee to veto the bill. Lee chose to sign it into law.
Additionally, Sexton made The Tennessee Conservative’s Top 5 List of Tennessee House RINOs in the 2023 RINO Report.
The Tennessee Legislative Report Card gave Sexton a lifetime voting score of 84 with an abysmal F for leadership for the 2024 legislative session. Of note, the report card which can be seen in full HERE shows that 62.19% of Sexton’s campaign contributions were designated as special interests.
In Brandon Lewis’ 2024 Tennessee Voting Guide, he is asking that voters in District 25 send a message of no confidence to GOP Establishment RINOs by writing in “A Real Conservative” instead of casting a vote for Cameron Sexton.
About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
6 Responses
I see two that would be right at home in Kalifornia
I have wanted Sexton gone for sometime. Hopefully it gets done this year.
Speaker Sexton’s job is to foster consensus in the legislature and seek common ground to actually get work done for the citizens of Tennessee. He is a solid conservative who is highly respected by his peers and constituents. What good is a ” hard right conservative ” if they cannot bring folks together to actually accomplish anything?? I feel this article is biased and not reflective of the true facts surrounding his voting record. I urge voters to do a deep dive into his record versus forming judgements on ” hit pieces ” such as this. Our conservative movement will not survive if we continue to attack and destroy ourselves from within.
David, please do your friend Sexton a favor and tell him that in 2026 conservatives will remember all of his “bring[ing] folks together” so that we conservatives have gotten amazingly little of what we want out of this Republican super majority during Sexton’s tenure. As a result, he best banish any thought of getting conservative support when he runs for governor in 2026 . Not when we will have Marvelous Mark Green (Heritage-96%) on the ballot as well.
How do you compromise with a RINO ? Either we stand for something or we don’t . If this man who is obviously a RINO votes as the record shows then he needs a boot up his backside . I mean hello ????
Thanx!