Scot Kerns

Last updated
Scot Kerns
HD23 Scot-Kerns GOP 01.jpg
Member of the MontanaHouseofRepresentatives
from the 23rd district
In office
January 4, 2021 –June 30, 2024
Education
Military service
AllegianceFlag of the United States.svg  United States
Branch/serviceFlag of the United States Air Force.svg  United States Air Force
Years of service2005-2006 (Active)
2010-2018 (Reserve)
2018-2020 (Active)
Rank US-O3 insignia.svg Captain [1]

Douglas Scot Kerns II, also known as Scot Kerns, is a Lutheran pastor and Republican politician who was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. [1] He represented House District 23 of the Montana State Legislature [3] and a served as a candidate minister in Great Falls, Montana. [2]

Contents

Early life

Kerns attained the Eagle Scout award in Boy Scouts. [4]

Education

Kerns attended Randolph-Macon Academy military boarding school in Virginia, [5] then received a BA in Theology from Concordia University Chicago in 2009 [1] and an MA in Divinity from Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in 2013. [2]

Career

Kerns has been a guest pastor ten times on KFUO radio. [6] Kerns once served as the "guest chaplain of the day" in the Kansas Senate. [7] He has served as chaplain of the fire department in Vaughn, Montana, [8] and the pastor of a church near Lincoln, Kansas. [1]

Montana State Legislature

During the 2021 legislative session, Kerns served on the Taxation, Education, and Local Government Committees. [3]

In 2022, Kerns was convicted of driving under the influence (DUI), obstructing a peace officer, and unlawful possession of an open alcoholic beverage in a motor vehicle. He was found asleep in his parked vehicle with an open container. [9]

During the 2023 legislative session, Kerns introduced House Bill 704, which sought to allow certain first-time DUI convictions to be expunged. The bill applied to cases where the person was found inside a non-moving vehicle, had not been involved in an accident, and met other criteria suggesting the vehicle was not in motion. Kerns stated the bill was partially inspired by his own experience and intended to provide individuals with a chance for a clean record in low-risk cases. [9]

Kerns resigned from the Montana House in June 2024 in order to move to Pennsylvania to become the pastor of a Lutheran congregation there. [10]

Personal life

Kerns resided in Great Falls, Montana. [2] [3]

Electoral history

Montana’s 23rd District House of Representatives election, 2020
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Scot Kerns 2,079 51.3
Democratic Brad Hamlett1,97248.7
Total votes4,051 100

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "The Divine Service of Installation" (PDF). St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Lincoln Kansas. 11 August 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "LCMS Locator". LCMS Locator. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 "Legislator Details". Montana State Legislature. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  4. ↑ "Public Eagle Scouts - Boy Scout Troop 627 (East Peoria, Illinois)". www.troop310.net.
  5. ↑ Copper Book: Lawmakers of Montana, Legislative Session of 2021. Montana State Legislature. Montana Legislative Services Division. 2021. p. 48. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Scot Kerns on KFUO Radio". KFUO Radio. KFUO Radio. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  7. ↑ "Civil Air Patrol". Salina Journal. Salina Journal. Archived from the original on 20 March 2020. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  8. ↑ "Firedepartment.net". firedepartment.net. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  9. 1 2 "Great Falls lawmaker brings DUI expungement legislation after his own 2022 conviction". NBC Montana. 2023-03-22. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
  10. ↑ "Great Falls legislator Scot Kerns to resign, move to Pennsylvania". June 12, 2024.
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