Sarbjeet S. Kumar (born July 14, 1947) is an Indian-American politician and physician. A Republican, Kumar has represented the 66th district in the Tennessee House of Representatives since 2015. He chairs the House Insurance Committee.
Kumar immigrated to the United States from India in 1970, working in Miami, Florida from 1971 to 1977. In 1977, he moved to Springfield, Tennessee, where he continued his career as a surgeon.[2]
Kumar holds the patent for a clamp device, sometimes called the "Kumar clamp", used in gallbladder surgeries.[3]
In 2014, Kumar ran for the Tennessee House of Representatives' 66th district after incumbent Representative Joshua Evans decided to run for the Tennessee Senate. Kumar won the Republican primary on August 7, 2014, with 43% of the vote.[4] On November 4, 2014, Kumar won the General Election unopposed.[5] Kumar was re-elected in 2016, 2018, 2020, and recently in 2022. His current term ends on November 5, 2024.
In 2023, Kumar supported a resolution to expel three Democratic lawmakers from the legislature for violating decorum rules during a pro-gun control protest in the State Capitol Building. The expulsion was widely characterized as unprecedented.[6][7] Prior to his expulsion vote, Justin Jones accused Kumar of putting a "brown face to white supremacy;" Kumar also stated that Jones had pointed in his face and told him, "Kumar, they will never accept you."[8]
In the 2015 legislative session, Rep. Kumar did not serve on any committees.
In the 2017 legislative session, Rep. Kumar served on the following committees: Education Instruction and Programs and Health (vice chair).
In the 2019–2020 legislative session, Rep. Kumar served on the following committees: Finance, Ways, and Means Committee and the Health Committee.
In the 2021–2022 legislative session, Rep. Kumar served on the following committees: Calendar and Rules Committee, Health Committee, and the Insurance Committee (chair).
