Mike Bell

Born and raised in Bradley County, Mike Bell currently lives on a farm in Southern McMinn County.
Bell graduated from Bradley Central High School in 1981, and later received an Associate’s Degree from Cleveland State Community College.

In 1985, Bell married the former Lisa Brumley of Cleveland. They have five children and seven grandchildren.

Bell was elected to the Tennessee State House of Representatives in 2006. While in the House of Representatives, Bell served on the Agriculture Committee, Children and Family Committee, Conservation and Environment Committee, Consumer and Employee Affairs Committee, and Government Operations Committee.

Bell was first elected to the Tennessee State Senate in 2010 where he served until 2022. He represented the 9th Senatorial District, which includes Bradley, McMinn, Meigs, Monroe and Polk Counties. Bell chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee and served on the Education and the Government Operations Committee.
An avid sportsmen and hunter, Senator Bell joined the Tennessee Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus in 2010 and was selected as Co-Chairman in 2012.

Bell was awarded the 2016 Safari Club International State Legislator of the Year for efforts to promote hunting and conservation. Bell was awarded the 2016 Conservation Legislator of the Year from Tennessee Wildlife Federation for contributions to the responsible use and management of Tennessee’s natural resources and for helping to provide and support Hunters for the Hungry. In 2017, he was elected to serve as a member of the Executive Council of the National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses.

Legislative accomplishments include:
• Allow firearms carry permit holders to possess a firearm in a refuge, public hunting area, or a wildlife management area;
• Prohibit anti-hunting radicals from using drones to interfere with lawful hunting and fishing;
• Protect funding for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency;
• Helped secure a portion of the fuel tax to increase water access;
• Passed constitutional carry;
• Enact a Constitutional Right to Hunt and Fish amendment, which would have enshrined the right to hunt, fish, and harvest game subject to reasonable rules and regulations, and established a standard for reviewing such rules and regulations.

Bell currently serves as the Senior Advisor for Legislative Affairs and Policy for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and is an avid outdoorsman. He enjoys numerous hunting and fishing activities ranging from bear hunting to catfish grappling. He and his family are members of the First Baptist Church in Cleveland.