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Ken Yager
Ken Yager
	Yager in 2014
Member of the Tennessee Senate; from the 12th district
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; January 13, 2009
Preceded by	Tommy Kilby
Personal details
Born	January 5, 1947 (age 77)
Citizenship	American
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Malinda Raby
Children	2
Occupation	Politician

Kenneth "Ken" E. Yager (born January 5, 1947) is a Republican politician who is currently serving as a State Senator in the Tennessee General Assembly for District 12 and holds the leadership role of Senate Republican Caucus Chairman. Yager was first elected to this position in 2008 and represents the people in the counties of District 12, which are Campbell, Clay, Fentress, Macon, Morgan, Overton, Pickett, Roane, and Scott.

Early life and education

Yager attended the University of Tennessee at Martin in 1969 he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in liberal arts and history. In 1972 he earned his master's degree in Education from the University of Tennessee at Martin. He earned his Juris Doctor in law from the University of Memphis in 1977. Yager worked as a cashier and a janitor while attending school.

Career

Early career

Yager's career as a government employee began his employment as a teacher within the Roane County public school system. Yager later began working as an appointed County Attorney from 1978 to 1982, before eventually being elected County Executive in 1982. Yager would continue to serve on the county payroll as the County Executive until 2006. Mr. Yager is an assistant professor of law at Roane State Community College.^[1]

In 2008 Yager beat Becky Ruppe and Christopher Fenner to become the Tennessee State Senator for District 12, and he currently still seated in this public office.^[2]

Yager placed his Tennessee law license into Inactive status on March 9, 2012.^[3]

Political career

Yager was elected to County Executive in Roane County during 1986, at which time the county created a budget surplus without increasing taxes and its credit rating improved from A− to A. Yager's administration is noted^{[by whom?]} as having supported the local school system and county road network as well as emergency services.^{[citation needed]} New jobs were created via a new industrial park and consolidation of the local Chamber, Tourism and Industrial Board offices, an animal shelter, a new health department, and a new interstate exchange. Yager assisted in securing grants for Roane County that totaled millions of dollars. Yager continued in this position until he was elected to the Senate in 2006.^[4]^{[better source needed]}

While a freshman Senator Yager was appointed Vice-Chairman of the Senate Environment, Conservation and Tourism Committee. He was then elected by his peers to be on the powerful Joint Fiscal Review Committee, which serves as a watchdog over the state's financial affairs. He also serves on the Senate Transportation Committee and the Senate State and Local Government Committee, where he advises on intergovernmental relations and the need for road improvements in Tennessee's rural communities.^[4]^{[better source needed]}

Senator Yager voted for the 2014 HB0937/SB0804 legislation before the Tennessee General Assembly prohibiting "...the governor from making any decision or obligating the state in any way with regard to the expansion of optional enrollment in the medical assistance program, pursuant to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, unless authorized by joint resolution of the general assembly", setting up another roadblock preventing thousands of uninsured Tennesseans from purchasing affordable marketplace health insurance. ^[5] The most recent 2023 Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) study estimated that an additional 194,000 uninsured adults across Tennessee would be eligible for Medicaid if the state government approved marketplace health insurance expansion.^[6]

Community involvement

Yager has served in various roles in the community. He has been the president of a local parent teacher organization, a Boy Scout Committee member, school volunteer, and he serves on many non profit boards. Yager is a member of the National Rifle Association of America.^[4]^{[self-published source?]}

Yager was named 2023 'Man of the Year' by the Tennessee Men’s Health Network. During 2024, Yager was photographed skydiving as to both "celebrate [his] one year of being cancer-free and to raise awareness for prostate cancer".^[7]

Committee assignments

Yager has served on multiple committees throughout his political career. He is either^[when?] a current member or has previously been a member of the following legislative and non legislative committees.

Legislative

Energy, Agriculture and Natural Resources^[8]
Finance, Ways and Means^[8]
Joint Committee on Fiscal Review^[8]
Joint Fiscal Review^[8]
Select Committee on Ethics^[8]
State and Local Government^[8]

Non-legislative

Commerce and Labor Committee, Tennessee State Senate^[8]
Judiciary Committee, Tennessee State Senate^[8]
State and Local Government Committee, Tennessee State Senate^[8]
Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations^[8]
Transportation and Safety Committee, Tennessee State Senate^[8]

Personal life

Yager is married to the former Malinda Raby of Oliver Springs. As of 2019, they have been married for more than 33 years and have two children, Bonnie-Marie and Will. Yager and his wife currently reside in Kingston and attend the First Baptist Church in Kingston, Tennessee.^[9]

2024 arrest

On December 3, 2024, Yager was arrested on Jekyll Island in Glynn County, Georgia, for a hit and run while driving under the influence, after authorities spotted his Ford Edge with Tennessee-issued Senate tag license plates in a supermarket parking lot following reports the vehicle had been involved in an earlier hit-and-run crash. According to the police report and body cam footage, Yager urinated on himself during the Georgia Department of Public Safety stop at Jekyll Market, and "allegedly tripped and fell".^[10]^[11]