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 the 31st Senatorial district, which encompasses the following parts of Shelby County: Bartlett, Cordova, East Memphis, Germantown, and Hickory Hill.

Kelsey graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon, and he earned his J.D. from Georgetown University. He is a high school graduate of Memphis University School.

Political experience and law practice

Kelsey works as an attorney. He is a member of Tennessee Bar Association and the Memphis Bar Association. He has worked in the Office of the Counsel to the President, under George W. Bush, in the U. S. Senatorial Office of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, in the U. S. Senate Committee Office of Fred Thompson, and in the U. S. Congressional Office of Ed Bryant.

Eighty-Third House District

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. Kelsey was the former chairman of the House Civil Practice Subcommittee.

Thirty-First Senate District

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.

He supported Rick Perry for Republican primary of the presidential election of 2012.

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

Kelsey ran unopposed in 2014 for the District 31 seat.

Political positions

In 2014, Kelsey sponsored the Religious Liberties Act dubbed "Turn the Gays Away" bill which would allow businesses to turn away same sex couples. After the controversial proposal received national attention, he withdrew the bill.

In 2015, Kelsey voted 'yea' for the Tennessee "Guns in Parks" legislation. He has maintained a strongly pro-gun stance on issues related to fire arms and the gun lobby.

After his reelection in 2014, the Memphis Flyer called Kelsey a "self-promoting loon" and compared him to Ophelia Ford.