24 Facts About Beth Harwell

Beth Harwell served as State Representative for Nashville and is a former chair of the Tennessee Republican Party.

Beth Harwell is the first woman to serve as Tennessee's Speaker of the House.

In 1978 Beth Harwell received her Bachelor of Arts from Lipscomb University.

Beth Harwell received the Small Business award from the National Federation of Independent Business.

Beth Harwell ran for office for the first time while she was teaching at Belmont University, running for the 56th District in the Tennessee House of Representatives in 1986.

Beth Harwell explored a run for the 2006 US Senate race; however she decided against seeking that seat.

In May 2007 Beth Harwell said that she was considering running in the 2010 state gubernatorial election.

In January 2009, Beth Harwell was named chairwoman of the Commerce Committee.

Beth Harwell sponsored the "Children's Act for Clean Indoor Air", protecting kids from the effects of second-hand smoking.

Beth Harwell was the sponsor of the "Families First" legislation which reformed Tennessee's welfare program into what it is today.

In 2009, Beth Harwell led the push for landmark charter school legislation, allowing more Tennessee students to enroll in charter schools.

Beth Harwell sponsored legislation requiring someone subject to an order to protection to give up any firearms that person owns and establishing a punishment for those subject to an order of protection found to be in possession of a firearm.

Beth Harwell has served as Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives since the 107th General Assembly.

Beth Harwell currently serves or has previously served as a member of the following:.

In July 2017, Beth Harwell announced that she was running for Governor of Tennessee in the 2018 election.

Beth Harwell was the first major state legislator to give public support to then-candidate Donald Trump during his bid for the presidency.

Beth Harwell said that she would continue her support for the Trump Administration as governor.

Beth Harwell is a strong opponent of sanctuary cities in Tennessee, helping to pass a law in 2017 which banned sanctuary cities in the state.

Beth Harwell was the only educator in the race for governor, and education was one of her top priorities.

Beth Harwell has advocated for a renewed focus on literacy in lower grades and more emphasis on how valuable technical school can be compared to college.

Beth Harwell directed the House Government Operations Committee to hold additional hearings on the issue, and asked the State Comptroller of the Treasury to review the testing vendor, Questar.

Beth Harwell ensured that Tennessee's budget was balanced every year she served as speaker.

Beth Harwell has supported and advocated for the rights of gun owners for years as the Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives.

On February 5,2022, Beth Harwell announced her intent to run for the state's 5th congressional district, after the state legislature approved a controversial redistricting plan dividing Nashville into three congressional districts in an effort to pick up an additional Republican to Tennessee's congressional delegation.