Full Biography

Stephen Fincher, 39, is a managing partner in Fincher Farms, a seventh generation West Tennessee based agribusiness.  Stephen has been in agribusiness his entire life, and lives in the Frog Jump community of Crockett County, beside his father and brother.

At the age of nine, Stephen joined the Southern gospel music singing ministry started by his family over 60 years ago.  The Fincher’s produce their own music and have recorded many albums.  The Southern gospel music singing ministry has performed over 2,000 events all over the Southeast.   

Stephen has raised money for dozens of community organizations and causes, including the fight against cancer, child abuse prevention, youth sports organizations as well as many events for individuals or families in need. He is a Lifetime Member of the NRA and a member of Ducks Unlimited.

Stephen is a member of the House Committee on Financial Services and serves on the Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit Subcommittee as well as the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee.

As a successful businessman running a large agriculture operation, Stephen understands capital and labor intensive projects.  He believes Washington must get out of the way and allow small business to get back in the business of creating jobs.  The path to prosperity is not more Washington control or Washington bailouts but expanding small businesses. 

Since being elected, Stephen has been working on multiple issues to allow the private sector to create jobs, cut government spending, and make Washington more accountable to taxpayers. Some examples are:

H.R. 3606 Reopening American Capital Markets to Emerging Growth Companies Act of 2011

Over the last ten years, the number of companies going public has fallen dramatically, hurting the ability of small companies to grow, innovate, and hire new workers. The legislation creates a new category of issuers, called “emerging growth companies,” that have annual revenues of less than a $1 billion and following the initial public offering (IPO), less than $700 million in publicly traded shares.  Exemptions for these “on ramp” status companies would end either after five years, or when the company reached $1 billion in revenue or $700 million in public float.

Small companies are our nation’s best job creators, but have been the hardest hit by burdensome regulations. On average, 92% of a company’s job growth occurs after an IPO.  It is imperative we reduce regulations to help these small companies create private jobs for Americans.

H.R. 3606 was added as the base bill of the JOBS Act and was signed into law by the president on April 5, 2012.

H.R. 1607 The Creating Real Opportunities for Prosperity Act

The Creating Real Opportunities for Prosperity Act (CROP Act), ensures family farms are able to receive the credit they need to operate.  The CROP Act will extend the term limits of guaranteed credit through December 13, 2013.  This legislation will suspend the current 15 year term limits and give family farms the ability to receive much needed operating loans from the Farm Service Agency (FSA).  This bill is pending in the House Committee on Agriculture. 

H.R. 3193 Welfare Integrity Act of 2011

At a time when Congress is focused on trimming budgets and cutting spending, it is imperative to cut waste, fraud, and abuse wherever we find it.  The Welfare Integrity Act of 2011 would be a step toward eliminating abuse of taxpayer money, by requiring that all states who receive funds from the TANF program certify that they are testing applicants and current recipients for illegal drug use. This bill was introduced on October 13, 2011 and is pending in the House Committee on Ways and Means.

Keeping his promise, Stephen refused to take the taxpayer funded health care  insurance provided by Congress and instead is keeping his own health insurance.  He also turned down the federal thrift savings retirement program provided by Congress.  Stephen is in touch with Tennessee values not Washington ways.

Stephen and his wife of 20 years, Lynn, have three children: John Austin, Noah, and Sarah. They live in the Frog Jump community of Crockett County and are active in Archer's Chapel Methodist Church.