Brian Kelsey (born December 22, 1977) is an

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and former member of the

Tennessee State Senate The Tennessee Senate is the upper house of the U.S. state of Tennessee's state legislature, which is known formally as the Tennessee General Assembly. The Tennessee Senate has the power to pass resolutions concerning essentially any issue reg ...

. A member of the

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

party, he was elected to represent District 31, which encompassed the following parts of Shelby County: Cordova, East Memphis, and Germantown. In November 2022, Kelsey pleaded guilty to violating two federal campaign finance laws in connection with his failed 2016 congressional campaign.

Early life and education

Kelsey was born in 1977. He attended

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private schools An independent school is independent in its finances and governance. Also known as private schools, non-governmental, privately funded, or non-state schools, they are not administered by local, state or national governments. In British En ...

, and graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

degree with honors from the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United State ...

. He earned his J.D. from

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private research university in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll in 1789 as Georgetown College, the university has grown to comprise eleven undergraduate and graduate ...

Career

From 2009 to 2018, he worked at The Kelsey Firm, PLLC. Brian Kelsey was first elected as a state representative to the 104th

Tennessee General Assembly The Tennessee General Assembly (TNGA) is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is a part-time bicameral legislature consisting of a Senate and a House of Representatives. The Speaker of the Senate carries the additional title ...

(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. Kelsey was the former chairman of the House Civil Practice Subcommittee. Kelsey ran for the District 31 seat vacated after the

resignation Resignation is the formal act of leaving or quitting one's office or position. A resignation can occur when a person holding a position gained by election or appointment steps down, but leaving a position upon the expiration of a term, or choos ...

of former Senator

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. In 2010, Kelsey won re-election for a full

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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 The United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, informally the Senate Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of 22 U.S. senators whose role is to oversee the Department of Justice (DOJ), consider executive and judicial nominations ...

. 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. Kelsey is a member in the

American Legislative Exchange Council The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is a nonprofit organization of conservative state legislators and private sector representatives who draft and share model legislation for distribution among state governments in the United State ...

(ALEC), having attended meetings of the organization. Kelsey ran unopposed in 2014 for the District 31 seat. Kelsey is the only legislator in Tennessee history to sponsor three successful amendments to the state constitution: the first prohibited a state

income tax An income tax is a tax imposed on individuals or entities (taxpayers) in respect of the income or profits earned by them (commonly called taxable income). Income tax generally is computed as the product of a tax rate times the taxable income. Ta ...

, the second changed the selection of state appellate judges from popular vote to gubernatorial appointment, and the third added a new section to the Tennessee Constitution to make it illegal for workplaces to require mandatory labor union membership for employees as a condition for employment. He also sponsored the

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's comprehensive

tort reform Tort reform refers to changes in the civil justice system in common law countries that aim to reduce the ability of plaintiffs to bring tort litigation (particularly actions for negligence) or to reduce damages they can receive. Such changes a ...

act in 2011, and passed a law to prohibit

Obamacare The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and colloquially known as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Pres ...

Medicaid expansion in Tennessee in 2014. In 2019, his conference committee report instituting an Education Savings Account program was signed into law by Governor Bill Lee. In 2021, Kelsey was one of four

senators who voted against removing from the

Tennessee constitution The Constitution of the State of Tennessee defines the form, structure, activities, character, and fundamental rules (and means for changing them) of the U.S. State of Tennessee. The original constitution of Tennessee came into effect on June 1, ...

the article which allows

involuntary servitude Involuntary servitude or involuntary slavery is a legal and constitutional term for a person laboring against that person's will to benefit another, under some form of coercion, to which it may constitute slavery. While laboring to benefit anothe ...

as punishment for people convicted of a crime. In March 2022, following his indictment by a federal

grand jury A grand jury is a jury—a group of citizens—empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings, investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a p ...

in October 2021, Kelsey announced he would not be seeking re-election.

Campaign finance scheme

On Monday, October 25, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice announced a five-count indictment by a federal grand jury against Kelsey in connection with his failed 2016 congressional campaign. Kelsey was indicted for violating multiple

campaign finance Campaign finance, also known as election finance or political donations, refers to the funds raised to promote candidates, political parties, or policy initiatives and referendums. Political parties, charitable organizations, and political a ...

laws, including

soft money The financing of electoral campaigns in the United States happens at the federal, state, and local levels by contributions from individuals, corporations, political action committees, and sometimes the government. Campaign spending has rise ...

contributions in violation of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002. The indictment states that money was funneled from a state committee to Kelsey's federal campaign, and illegal excess contributions were made to the federal campaign and concealed from the

Federal Election Commission The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is an independent regulatory agency of the United States whose purpose is to enforce campaign finance law in United States federal elections. Created in 1974 through amendments to the Federal Election Cam ...

. Kelsey become one of the first politicians ever to be indicted for alleged soft money violations. Kelsey initially pleaded not guilty until his co-defendant, Nashville social club owner Joshua Smith, pleaded guilty in October 2022. On November 22, 2022, Kelsey pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the Federal Election Commission as well as aiding and abetting the acceptance of excessive contributions on behalf of a federal campaign. On December 8, 2022, Kelsey's law license was suspended by the

Tennessee Supreme Court The Tennessee Supreme Court is the ultimate judicial tribunal of the state of Tennessee. Roger A. Page is the Chief Justice. Unlike other states, in which the state attorney general is directly elected or appointed by the governor or state leg ...

after a request from the court's Board of Professional Responsibility.

References

External links

* Campaign website with extensive biography and press clippings archive
VoteKelsey.com
* Find Law directory page for the subject
Brian K. Kelsey - a Memphis, Tennessee (TN) Civil Litigation Lawyer
* Tennessee General Assembly Senator's member page

* Outline of votes by Kelsey and others in the TN General Assembly related to 'Insure Tennessee' legislation

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelsey, Brian Republican Party members of the Tennessee House of Representatives Living people 1977 births 21st-century American politicians Politicians from Memphis, Tennessee Tennessee politicians convicted of crimes