Brian Kelsey

Brian Kelsey (born December 22, 1977) is an American politician and a member of the Tennessee State Senate. He was elected to represent District 31, which encompasses the following parts of Shelby County: Cordova, East Memphis, and Germantown. On Monday, October 25, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice announced a five-count indictment by a federal grand jury against Kelsey. Kelsey was indicted for violating multiple campaign finance laws as part of a conspiracy to benefit Kelsey's 2016 campaign for U.S. Congress.

Brian Kelsey
Member of the Tennessee Senate
from the 31st district
Assumed office
December 1, 2009
Preceded byPaul Stanley
Member of the Tennessee House of Representatives
from the 83rd district
In office
January 2004 – December 1, 2009
Preceded byJoe Kent
Succeeded byMark White
Personal details
Born (1977-12-22) December 22, 1977
Memphis, Tennessee
Political partyRepublican
Residence(s)Memphis, Tennessee
Alma materUniversity of North Carolina
Georgetown University

Early life and education

Kelsey was born in 1977. He attended prekindergarten - high school on scholarship at private schools, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He earned his J.D. from Georgetown University.

Career

Since 2018, Kelsey has worked as a constitutional lawyer for the Liberty Justice Center, representing clients throughout the country for free whose constitutional rights have been violated.[1] From 2009 to 2018, he worked at The Kelsey Firm, PLLC.[2]

Brian Kelsey was first elected as a state representative to the 104th Tennessee General Assembly (2004–2006). He served on the House Children and Family Affairs Committee; the House Commerce Committee; the House Domestic Relations Subcommittee; and the House Utilities, Banking and Small Business Subcommittee.[3] Kelsey was the former chairman of the House Civil Practice Subcommittee.

Kelsey ran for the District 31 seat vacated after the resignation of former Senator Paul Stanley. In 2010, Kelsey won re-election for a full term as the Senator from the Thirty-First District.

In the 106th General Assembly, Kelsey served on the Senate Government Operations Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee.

In the 107th General Assembly, Kelsey was assigned to the Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee; the Senate Judiciary Committee; and he was named Secretary of the Senate Education Committee. Kelsey was also admitted to the Joint Committee on Fiscal Review, which consists of members from both chambers who oversee the Fiscal Review Office.

During the 110th General Assembly, Kelsey serves as the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.[4]

Kelsey is a member in the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), having attended meetings of the organization.[5]

Kelsey ran unopposed in 2014 for the District 31 seat.

Kelsey is the only legislator in Tennessee history to sponsor two successful amendments to the state constitution: the first prohibited a state income tax,[6] and the other changed the selection of state appellate judges from popular vote to gubernatorial appointment.[7] He also sponsored the governor's comprehensive tort reform act in 2011,[8] and passed a law to prohibit ObamaCare Medicaid expansion[9] in Tennessee in 2014. In 2019, his conference committee report instituting an Education Savings Account program was signed into law[10] by Governor Bill Lee. In 2021, Kelsey was one of four Republican senators who voted against removing from the Tennessee constitution the article which allows slavery and involuntary servitude as punishment for people convicted of a crime.[11]

Campaign finance indictment

On Monday, October 25, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice announced a five-count indictment by a federal grand jury against Kelsey. Kelsey was indicted for violating multiple campaign finance laws as part of a conspiracy to benefit Kelsey’s 2016 campaign for U.S. Congress. The indictment states that money was funneled from a state committee to Kelsey’s federal campaign, and illegal excessive contributions were made to the federal campaign and concealed from the Federal Election Commission.[12][13]

References
  1. "Brian Kelsey". Liberty Justice Center. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  2. "Sen. Brian Kelsey". www.alec.org. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  3. "Tennessee House Member". Archived from the original on April 27, 2007. Retrieved September 14, 2007.
  4. "Senators - TN General Assembly". www.capitol.tn.gov. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
  5. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 4, 2012. Retrieved June 16, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. "Senator files amendment to ban TN income tax permanently". www.wmcactionnews5.com. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  7. "Tennessee Judicial Selection, Amendment 2 (2014)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  8. "Haslam Signs Tennessee Civil Justice Act to Improve Business Climate". www.tn.gov. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  9. "Sen. Brian Kelsey". www.alec.org. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  10. "STATEMENT FROM SENATOR BRIAN KELSEY REGARDING THE PASSAGE OF THE TENNESSEE EDUCATION SAVINGS ACCOUNT PILOT PROGRAM ACT". Tennessee Senate Republican Caucus. May 1, 2019. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  11. Staff, WMC Action News 5. "Tennessee state senator votes against removing slavery from state's constitution". www.wmcactionnews5.com. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  12. "Tennessee State Senator Brian Kelsey And Nashville Social Club Owner Indicted In Campaign Finance Conspiracy". Department of Justice. October 25, 2021.
  13. "Sen. Brian Kelsey indicted, accused in campaign finance scheme". WREG. October 25, 2021.
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