Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature

The modern version of the official seal of TISL was designed by Tonya Kelley of The University of Memphis.

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, a House of Representatives, and a Supreme Court as well as standing committees that discuss legislative bills that are also produced wholly by the students.

By the end of session, officers are elected to serve as an 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 law.

TISL is a program of the Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature Foundation, a 501(c)(3) educational corporation chartered by the State of Tennessee.

"Four days that will last the rest of your life..."

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 the North Carolina Student Legislature, which had been founded in 1937. He also helped to found the South Carolina Student Legislature in 1956, 10 years before TISL. 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 senators and representatives to change the political dynamic in the Capitol.

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.

Executive Council

The nine-member Executive Council manages TISL through the year and prepares for the next General Assembly. Serving as an officer can be rewarding and expand your TISL experience.

Officers are ambassadors for TISL, which means they frequently call on other campuses, university administrators and state officials. The best officers are self-motivated and self-confident as they initiate campus visits and other opportunities to advocate TISL.

In many respects, the Executive Council’s work throughout the year resembles a statewide political campaign with some of the same strategic planning scheduled execution.

Officers’ duties and responsibilities are enumerated in Article V of the TISL Constitution.

Officers are reimbursed for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses subject to an official expense policy.

Current Officers

The current officers were elected at the 45th General Assembly to serve a one year term. The current officers are:

Officer duties

Governor

CEO. Convenes Executive Council meetings and sets the agenda. The Governor is TISL’s primary ambassador to non-students such as alumni and state officials. The governor typically makes at least one statewide trip to visit colleges.

Speaker of the Senate/House of Representatives

The speakers’ ability to preside over the Senate and House is a major factor in the success of the General Assembly. Speakers should be skilled in parliamentary procedure. Each speaker will also select and appoint a Chief Clerk, Sergeant-at-Arms and other chamber officers.

The Speaker of the Senate uses the title "Lieutenant Governor" by custom, and is first in the line of succession to the governorship. The Speaker of the House is second in the line of succession.

Secretary of State

The Secretary of State is the official record keeper for TISL. He/She prepares minutes of each Executive Council meeting for prompt distribution to the Executive Council. The Secretary of State prepares and distributes legislation at the General Assembly and manages the flow of bills between committees, the Senate and the House.

Attorney General

The Attorney General is the Executive Council’s expert about the Constitution and about other laws affecting TISL. The Attorney General works with the Supreme Court and administers elections at the General Assembly.

State Treasurer

The Treasurer serves as TISL’s chief financial officer. He/She receives funds and deposits them in the bank, receives bills and expense reports and prepares checks to pay them, reconciles the bank account and otherwise oversees the finances. The Treasurer also oversees the operation of the TISL store and delegate parking at the General Assembly each year.

Speaker Pro Tempore of the Senate/House

The Pro Tempore of the House and Senate should be skilled in parliamentary procedure and effective in maintaining their respective chambers. Speaker Pro Tempore positions are next-in-command to the House Speaker and the Lieutenant Governor (Senate Speaker).

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court

The Chief Justice presides over the Tennessee Intercollegiate Supreme Court, which oversees the Appellate Moot Court Collegiate Competition (better known as AMC3). The Chief Justice is elected by the justices of the Court.

Past Governors

Following is a list of the Governors of TISL and the schools they represented. Bold indicates an Incumbent Governor.

External links

• The Official TISL Website

Related programs

• Tennessee Intercollegiate Supreme Court
• Appellate Moot Court Collegiate Challenge