Steve Southerland
Republican · TN · Tennessee State Senator, District 9; Senate Deputy Speaker
Steve Southerland is the Republican Tennessee state senator for District 9 and serves as Senate Deputy Speaker and Senate Republican Caucus chaplain. A retired mortgage broker from Morristown, he has served in the Senate from the 103rd through 114th General Assemblies and holds committee roles in judiciary and government, commerce and labor, fiscal review, government operations, and education, health and welfare.
Campaign Finance Information — Tennessee Senate District 9
Campaign Finance Information · Tennessee Senate District 9 · August 6, 2026
Data last updated July 22, 2026
- Raised
- $2,107
Top disclosed occupations of direct donors
- PRESIDENT$2,000
- SENATOR$107
Direct contributions by size
- $1,000-$4,999$1,000
- $500-$999$900
- $100-$249$207
Source: Tennessee Registry of Election Finance · 2026 cycle · apps.tn.gov
Track record
Environment and Public Health
· 1 record
Southerland sponsored Senate Bill 269, the Tennessee Waste to Jobs Act, addressing packaging recycling, reuse, and composting.
March 11, 2026For
Source: wapp.capitol.tn.gov · researched July 18, 2026
Government Efficiency
· 2 records
Southerland sponsored local legislation that abolished the Hamblen County Road Commission effective August 31, 2028.
April 15, 2026For
Source: wapp.capitol.tn.gov · researched July 18, 2026
Southerland sponsored Senate Bill 986 to return half of recordation-tax revenue to the county where the real property is located.
February 12, 2025For
Source: wapp.capitol.tn.gov · researched July 18, 2026
Public Safety and Crime Control
· 2 records
Southerland sponsored Senate Bill 967 to extend the lease-termination coordination period for tenants who are domestic-abuse, sexual-assault, or stalking victims.
March 18, 2025For
Source: wapp.capitol.tn.gov · researched July 18, 2026
Southerland sponsored Senate Bill 979 to create a misdemeanor for certain harassment of first responders performing official duties.
February 12, 2025For
Source: wapp.capitol.tn.gov · researched July 18, 2026
Social Programs and Welfare
· 4 records
Southerland sponsored Senate Bill 2606 to provide round-hay-baling machines through Tennessee's agricultural enhancement program under specified conditions.
February 5, 2026For
Source: wapp.capitol.tn.gov · researched July 18, 2026
Southerland sponsored Senate Bill 966 to expand purchasable military-service credit in the Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System.
April 14, 2025For
Source: wapp.capitol.tn.gov · researched July 18, 2026
Southerland sponsored enacted Senate Bill 978 changing statutory references from adult day care to adult day services; it became Public Chapter 87.
April 4, 2025For
Source: wapp.capitol.tn.gov · researched July 18, 2026
Southerland sponsored Senate Bill 987 to exempt certain disabled-veteran and military-award vehicles from airport parking fees.
February 12, 2025For
Source: wapp.capitol.tn.gov · researched July 18, 2026
Public Education Quality
· 2 records
Southerland sponsored Senate Bill 2598 to expand education-freedom-scholarship eligibility to students enrolled in out-of-district public schools.
April 20, 2026For
Source: wapp.capitol.tn.gov · researched July 18, 2026
Southerland sponsored Senate Bill 972 to require video surveillance in special-education classrooms subject to parental request and approval.
February 12, 2025For
Source: wapp.capitol.tn.gov · researched July 18, 2026
Election Integrity
· 1 record
Southerland sponsored enacted Senate Bill 981 authorizing Hamblen County to participate in the convenience-voting-center pilot project.
May 13, 2025For
Source: wapp.capitol.tn.gov · researched July 18, 2026
Personal Income Tax Reduction
· 1 record
Southerland sponsored Senate Bill 2603 to exempt food and food ingredients purchased by Tennessee residents age 65 or older from sales tax.
March 10, 2026For
Source: wapp.capitol.tn.gov · researched July 18, 2026
Corporate Accountability
· 2 records
Southerland sponsored enacted legislation regulating virtual-currency kiosks, effective July 1, 2026 as Public Chapter 739.
July 1, 2026For
Source: tnsenategop.com · researched July 18, 2026
Southerland sponsored Senate Bill 1124 to require solar sellers and installers to prove the serving utility offers net metering before contracting.
February 12, 2025For
Source: wapp.capitol.tn.gov · researched July 18, 2026
Public Infrastructure
· 1 record
Southerland sponsored enacted Senate Bill 970 concerning transfer and oversight of municipal water and wastewater systems, which became Public Chapter 283.
April 28, 2025For
Source: wapp.capitol.tn.gov · researched July 18, 2026
General
· 5 records
Southerland serves as Senate Deputy Speaker and chaplain of the Senate Republican Caucus.
July 17, 2026
Source: wapp.capitol.tn.gov · researched July 18, 2026
Southerland is a mortgage broker and a member of the Morristown Area Chamber of Commerce and Rotary Club.
July 17, 2026
Source: wapp.capitol.tn.gov · researched July 18, 2026
Southerland serves as vice-chair of Joint Judiciary and Government and second vice-chair of Senate Commerce and Labor, with additional fiscal-review, government-operations, and education-health-welfare committee assignments.
July 17, 2026
Source: wapp.capitol.tn.gov · researched July 18, 2026
Steve Southerland has served in the Tennessee Senate from the 103rd through the current 114th General Assembly.
July 17, 2026
Source: wapp.capitol.tn.gov · researched July 18, 2026
Southerland won the 2022 Tennessee Senate District 9 general election with 39,113 votes.
November 8, 2022
Source: multistate.us · researched July 18, 2026
Elections
- Tennessee Senate District 9 · August 6, 2026 · State Senate District 9; Tennessee · incumbent
Profile last researched July 18, 2026.