The Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature (TISL) is an annual legislative session conducted by college students from across Tennessee, providing students over with an education about Tennessee state government and a channel to express their opinions on state issues.
This model legislature convenes in the State Capitol for four days, typically in November. It consists of a Senate and a House of Representatives, which debate bills that are produced wholly by the students. The Supreme Court consists of judges and lawyers participating in the Appellate Moot Court Collegiate Challenge (AMC3). Students also have the option to work as lobbyists or members of the media.
During each General Assembly, officers are elected to serve on the Executive Council that governs the organization for the following year. The Executive Council chooses from ten bills that have passed in both the House and the Senate and designates them as Priority Legislation to be presented to the Tennessee General Assembly. Many of TISL's bills have become state law.
History The history of the Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature is a story of students taking the initiative and providing leadership to organize themselves for learning about state government and expressing their views on state issues.
In 1966, Dr. Douglas Carlisle, a political science professor at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, approached the Student Government Association with the concept of TISL. Dr. Carlisle was familiar with similar programs in North Carolina and South Carolina.
Events of the 1960s were important to TISL's founding. President John F. Kennedy's emphasis on student activism motivated young people across the nation before he was assassinated in 1963. His death heightened the resolve of many students to participate and make a difference. Important federal laws under President Lyndon Johnson such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and other far-reaching programs were focusing attention on the role of government. Student activism over the Vietnam War was growing.
It was also an exciting time in Tennessee politics. In Nashville, the Tennessee General Assembly was demonstrating the first stirrings of independence after decades under the control of the governor's office. The 1962 Baker v. Carr decision, a Tennessee case of national significance, led to the first redistricting of the legislature since 1900. This, in turn, produced a flood of new state senators and state representatives to change the political dynamic.
The legislature also began annual sessions after voters approved a constitutional amendment changing the legislative calendar. Consequently, Tennesseans were paying more attention to their state government than they'd paid in a long time. Republican Howard Baker's election to the U.S. Senate in 1966 introduced two-party competition for statewide offices and raised interest in politics.
The UTK student most intrigued with the TISL concept was Phillip Moffitt. Together, Moffitt and Dr. Carlisle contacted other student government associations across the state. At Vanderbilt University, they caught the interest of student Charles Bone. Bone and Moffitt were to become the first and second governors of TISL.
Records suggest that an organizational meeting occurred on the Vanderbilt campus in the spring or summer of 1966. The 1st General Assembly occurred in the fall at the State Capitol. Since that time, TISL has convened in nearly every academic year. The General Assembly has been displaced from the Capitol occasionally, usually because of construction. It has sometimes met in the auditorium of the War Memorial Building and in committee rooms of the Legislative Plaza.
The Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature Foundation was incorporated in 1976 under TISL Governor David Lillard Jr. and received a 501(c)(3) classification from the Internal Revenue Service a year later as a further result of Lillard's work.
In 2014, the record for most colleges in attendance was broken. With 43 colleges and universities in attendance, the 45th General Assembly of the Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature was the largest group of students to attend the conference.
Officers Executive Council The ten-member Executive Council manages TISL throughout the year and prepares for the next General Assembly. Officers are ambassadors for TISL, which means they frequently call on other campuses, university administrators, and state officials. Officers’ duties and responsibilities are enumerated in Article V of the TISL Constitution.
The Executive Council consists of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Speaker Pro Tempore of the House of Representatives, Speaker Pro Tempore of the Senate, Attorney General, Lobbying Director, Communications Director, and Chief Justice of the Tennessee Intercollegiate Supreme Court.
The current officers were elected at the 56th General Assembly to serve a one-year term. The current officers are: Position Office Holder School name Governor Milind Chaturvedi East Tennessee State University Lieutenant Governor Anthony Griffin University of Memphis Speaker Pro Tempore of the Senate Hannah Ferreira Middle Tennessee State University Speaker of the House Harrison Simpson Tennessee Technological University Speaker Pro Tempore of the House Jeremiah Chambers University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Secretary of State Jadah Freeman University of Tennessee at Martin State Treasurer Mario Ulloa East Tennessee State University Attorney General Charles Dorset East Tennessee State University Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Cheyenne Bare Tennessee Technological University Lobbying Director Jack Ford University of Tennessee at Knoxville Communications Director Macy Miller East Tennessee State University
Support Staff In addition to the Executive Council, various other officers and support staff are appointed to help the Executive Council with the management of the different components of TISL. The Speakers of each chamber appoint a Chief Clerk to oversee the flow of legislation and keep records while in session. There is also a Deputy Clerk (and in some cases an Assistant Clerk) who help the Chief Clerk in his/her duties. Both the Secretary of State and State Treasurer appoint Deputies and Assistants to assist them in their responsibilities. The Supreme Court justices appoint a Chief Clerk and Marshall to oversee paperwork and records of the AMC3 competition. There are also a number of law clerks and courtroom clerks that help the AMC3 program function. A Director of Lobbying is appointed to coordinate that program, as well as a Media Director to oversee the media component. The Governor is assisted by a Chief of Staff and Cabinet, who advise him on bills and convey the Governor's wishes to Senators and Representatives.
TISL Governors: Past & Present The Governors of TISL and the schools they represented are listed below. The incumbent governor is Kyah Powers, and is indicated below in bold. Year Governor's Name Governor's School 1966-1967 Phillip Moffitt The University of Tennessee, Knoxville 1967-1968 Charles Bone Vanderbilt University 1968-1969 Jonah Gray East Tennessee State University 1969-1970 George DeJarnatt Vanderbilt University 1970-1971 Chad McCullough Tennessee Technological University 1971-1972 Frank Clement Jr. The University of Memphis 1972-1973 David Fleming Tennessee Technological University 1973-1974 Stephen Harris East Tennessee State University 1974-1975 Roy Herron The University of Tennessee, Martin 1975-1976 Philip Sanford Austin Peay State University 1976-1977 David Lillard Jr. The University of Memphis 1977-1978 Jeff Wilson The University of Tennessee, Knoxville 1978-1979 Douglas Littlejohn The University of Memphis 1979-1980 David Mason Austin Peay State University 1980-1981 Kem Morgan The University of Tennessee, Chattanooga 1981-1982 Randy Wilmore Tennessee Technological University 1982-1983 Tony Yates Middle Tennessee State University 1983-1984 Mark Ross Middle Tennessee State University 1984-1985 Mark Ross Middle Tennessee State University 1985-1986 Nathan Poss Cumberland University 1986-1987 Glenn Keesee Vanderbilt University 1987-1988 Alan Crone The University of Memphis 1988-1989 David Sanford Lincoln Memorial University 1990-1991 Kevin O'Connor The University of Memphis 1991-1992 Mark L. Sluder Tennessee Technological University 1992-1993 Mark L. Sluder Tennessee Technological University 1993-1994 Tre Hargett The University of Memphis 1994-1995 Steven L. Denney Tennessee Technological University 1995-1996 Russell A. Humphrey The University of Memphis 1996-1997 Elizabeth G. Millsaps Middle Tennessee State University 1997-1998 Jeffrey F. Wisdom The University of Memphis 1998-1999 Ashley Woods Walters State Community College 1999-2000 Emily Cline The University of Memphis 2000-2001 Lee Scott Lambuth University 2001-2002 Josh Trent Union University 2002-2003 Elizabeth Shelley The University of Memphis 2005-2006 Joshua Clarke Union University 2006-2007 Amir Bahreini Cleveland State Community College & The University of Tennessee, Knoxville 2007-2008 Kenneth Taylor The University of Memphis 2008-2009 Micah Roeder Union University 2009-2010 Gian Gozum The University of Memphis 2010-2011 Cory Higdon The University of Memphis 2011-2012 Matthew Meinel Vanderbilt University 2012-2013 Alexander R. Brown Chattanooga State Community College 2013-2014 Jamie Arnett The University of Tennessee, Martin & Austin Peay State University 2014-2015 Brandon Chrisman The University of Tennessee, Knoxville 2015-2016 John Domanski The University of Tennessee, Martin 2016-2017 Kara Gilliam The University of Tennessee, Knoxville 2017-2018 James Matthew Wyatt Union University2018-2019Faith UdobongRhodes College2019-2020Hunter McCloudThe University of Tennessee, Martin2020-2021Matthew KennyRhodes College2021-2022Preston GeorgeMiddle Tennessee State University2022-2023Paige FosterUniversity of Memphis2023-2024Aiden GraybealEast Tennessee State University 2024-2025Kyah PowersEast Tennessee State University
Notable TISL Alumni Several alumni of the TISL program have gone into government and public serve in Tennessee and other states. Name Notes Jeff Bivins Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Mike Faulk Tennessee Circuit Court JudgeTennessee State Senator Tre Hargett Tennessee Secretary of State Roy Herron Chair of the Tennessee Democratic PartyTennessee State SenatorTennessee State Representative Russell Humphrey Chief Clerk of the Tennessee Senate Mike Kernell Tennessee State Representative Holly Kirby Tennessee Supreme Court Justice David Lillard Tennessee State Treasurer Ron Lollar Tennessee State Representative Phillip Moffitt Cofounder, author, executive Doug Overbey United States AttorneyTennessee State Senator Tennessee State Representative Tony Shipley Tennessee State Representative
References
External links The Official TISL Website Tennessee Intercollegiate Supreme Court Appellate Moot Court Collegiate Challenge