House Floor Session: 9:30am - 3:31pm; Last Senate Floor Session around 2:00pm - 3:34pm.
ADJOURNED SINE DIE
.png) HB6004 9:30am - 1:40pm: Education Freedom Act passes House 54-44-1
Pearson accidentally voted YES - I think he got that changed!! |
.png) SB6001 Education Freedom Act Passes the Senate 20-13 |
I am really upset this morning. It is one thing to disagree on a piece of legislation and support different positions, and work hard, but there is NEVER a time when a legislative family member should be threatened in any way, shape or form. Good grief - get a grip!!
PLEASE pray that these threats will not materialize.
.png) HB6005 1:42pm-2:05pm: Appropriations 81-14-2 |
.png) Appropriations SB6005 27-6 |
.png) HB6001 2:05pm - 2:57pm Immigration, driver's licenses, enforcement of federal immigration laws, voting, etc.: 72-22; Senate - SB6002 - 26-7 |
In 2018, it was Tennessee Eagle Forum that passed the original anti-sanctuary city bill. Most difficult bill I have ever passed. A number of Republicans tried to kill it and the then Governor didn't sign it, but, guess what, it is still law. What was passed yesterday builds on that original bill.
The OFFICIAL GOP Special Session Message
General Assembly concludes successful special session
Lawmakers provide disaster relief, address illegal immigration
The House and Senate chambers on Jan. 30 concluded a successful special session of the 114th General Assembly, securing critical resources for disaster relief, establishing a framework for immigration enforcement and providing education freedom for Tennessee families.
The General Assembly on Monday convened in an extraordinary special session for the 67th time in Tennessee’s 229 years of statehood. Lawmakers worked throughout the week, meeting with constituents, debating legislation and considering testimony from citizens on pressing issues. In all, the General Assembly passed seven bills appropriating $908 million for education, disaster relief and public safety.
Republicans launch new era of student success
Tennessee Republicans in partnership with Gov. Bill Lee launched a new era of student success and put the Volunteer State on the pathway to having the best public schools in the nation with passage of the Education Freedom Act of 2025.
The bill establishes statewide school choice, giving every Tennessee family the opportunity to choose the educational path that best suits their child's needs. The legislation makes historic investments in public education while preserving the future fiscal integrity of public schools.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday signaled his support for Tennessee’s Education Freedom Act on social media platforms.
“Congratulations to Tennessee Legislators who are working hard to pass School Choice this week, which I totally support. We will very soon be sending Education BACK TO THE STATES, where it belongs,” said President Trump. "It is our goal to bring Education in the United States to the highest level, one that it has never attained before. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"
Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order prioritizing federal funds to expand school choice nationwide.
House Bill 6004: The Education Freedom Act empowers Tennessee parents with the freedom to pick the right school for their child regardless of income or zip code.
Education Freedom Act prioritizes students in need: 20,000 scholarships will be available to Tennessee students beginning in the 2025-26 school year, with 10,000 seats reserved for students at or below 300% of income qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, who have a disability, or who are eligible for the existing Education Savings Account (ESA) program.
- Grows with demand: 5,000 scholarships with universal eligibility are added for each subsequent school year after applications exceed 75% of total scholarships.
- Funds choice: Students will receive a scholarship equal to the per pupil base funds allocated to public school students each year of $7,075.
- Supports opportunity: More than 350 private schools will be eligible to voluntarily receive Education Freedom Scholarships as category I-III schools.
- Accountability and transparency: Students take standardized national or state tests, with results shared with parents and anonymously reported to the legislature for annual review.
- Protects education freedoms: House Bill 6004 ensures schools maintain their independence and educational freedom.
Tennessee Republicans have invested 3.8 billion new dollars in public education over the last decade and provided nearly $1 billion in teacher pay raises during the same time. Republicans this week renewed their commitment to supporting public schools by further investing in the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) formula and raising minimum teacher pay during the regular legislative session. The Education Freedom Act includes significant new investments in Tennessee’s public schools, including:
- Supports public schools: Ensures funding to school districts will never decrease due to disenrollment.
- Rewards teachers: Provides $198 million to distribute a $2,000 bonus to every Tennessee teacher.
- Invests in infrastructure: Dedicates 80% of sports wagering revenues to building and maintaining K-12 public school facilities, prioritizing emergency needs as well as at-risk and distressed counties.
House Bill 6005: Lawmakers appropriated $424.2 million for education
- $145.9 million for Education Freedom Scholarships (the General Assembly previously appropriated $144.2 million in the 2024 legislative session)
- $198.4 million for teacher bonuses
- $77.2 million for K-12 infrastructure directed from existing sports wagering revenue
- $2.7 million for administrative costs.
“Today, the legislature delivered a major victory for Tennessee families,” House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, said on Thursday. “We empowered parents with the freedom to choose the best education for their children, took bold action to align with President Trump’s immigration plan to protect our communities, and provided critical relief to East Tennesseans recovering from Hurricane Helene. These steps strengthen our state, uphold the rule of law, and put Tennesseans first. I’m grateful for the leadership of my colleagues and Governor Lee as we continue making Tennessee the best state in the nation.”
GOP protects citizens, enforces immigration laws
The General Assembly on Thursday passed House Bill 6001, sponsored by House Majority Leader William Lamberth, R-Portland, which will establish a new temporary state immigration enforcement division, create a grant program to financially assist local governments who aid in immigration enforcement, raise standards to obtain state-issued identification and create local accountability for officials who violate state law through sanctuary cities policies.
“We are not a sanctuary to illegal immigrants from across the world that try to come to this state,” Lamberth said. “If you come here illegally, you will be deported.”
The legislation establishes the Centralized Immigration Enforcement Division (CIED) within the Tennessee Department of Safety. The new temporary division will serve as a liaison between the state and federal governments to streamline communications and ensure proper and efficient enforcement of immigration laws.
The CIED will enter Tennessee into a 287(g) program with the federal government, which allows law enforcement agencies across the state to perform certain immigration officer functions under the oversight and direction of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). To help fund these efforts and incentivize local municipalities to enter into a 287(g) program of their own, the legislation creates a $5 million Immigration Enforcement Grant Program for law enforcement training, equipment purchases and other eligible activities.
The CIED will be led by a chief immigration officer, appointed by the governor, to work with President Trump’s border czar and coordinate state efforts.
To further improve public safety, House Bill 6001 will make it a Class E felony offense for local officials to adopt or maintain sanctuary city policies, which are currently a violation of Tennessee state law. The legislation establishes a process for Tennessee’s Attorney General to initiate removal proceedings against local officials who have been convicted of violating anti-sanctuary city provisions.
Finally, the legislation will create a new temporary state-issued ID issued to legal non-citizens that includes a visually distinctive marker to distinguish from IDs held by U.S. citizens. It will also restrict eligibility for state-issued IDs to citizens, lawful permanent residents and individuals here with federal authorization. These efforts will ensure only American citizens receive permanent identification and will prevent non-citizens from registering to vote or taking advantage of services exclusive to U.S. citizens.
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.png) Governor Bill Lee speaks following passage of school voucher bill |
Lee Wins Long-Sought Universal School Voucher Plan in Tennessee
Tennessee lawmakers passed all seven pieces of legislation proposed by the governor on Thursday, ending a 4-day special session focused on vouchers, immigration enforcement and hurricane relief
by Sarah Grace TaylorJanuary 31, 2025
After a six-year struggle and millions of dollars in campaigning from outside groups, Gov. Bill Lee accomplished his most significant legislative goal on Thursday when the Tennessee General Assembly passed his universal school voucher bill.
The Education Freedom Act, Lee’s final attempt at a school voucher program that will use public money to provide private school vouchers to students, passed both chambers Thursday afternoon after an intensive four-day special legislative session.
The bill will provide 20,000 education freedom scholarships — Lee’s brand of school voucher — worth roughly $7,200 to students and leaves the program open-ended to expand after that.
“Thanks to the General Assembly and to thousands of Tennesseans who have worked so hard, universal school choice is now a reality for Tennessee families,” Lee said Thursday. “I have said all along that we should and could have the best public schools in America and provide parents with choice, and we’ve done that.”
Despite pushback from 20 Republican lawmakers and others who fear Tennessee’s public schools — which consistently rank in the bottom half of schools nationwide — will suffer from a loss of funding and competition from fly-by-night private schools that seek to benefit from the available funding, the state legislature passed the voucher bill and accompanying appropriations legislation to allocate $447 million toward the program, with an estimated five-year cost of more than $1 billion.
After two weeks of silence, where he did not testify in either chamber for any of his seven bills dealing with school vouchers, hurricane relief or immigration enforcement, Lee spoke at a news conference late Thursday, celebrating the passage of each bill and centering his support of President Donald Trump. The president broke with Lee on voucher-centric endorsements in the 2024 Tennessee primaries. Still, Trump urged the governor to tack immigration policies onto the special session and supported Tennessee’s voucher push on social media this week.
“I want to thank President Trump as well, who’s followed our efforts and encouraged us as we set an example for other states,” Lee said, noting an executive order signed by Trump Wednesday directing the Federal Department of Education to direct federal funding to back the “school choice” movement in states like Tennessee, which could benefit the burgeoning voucher program.
“I think there’s opportunity there,” Lee added. “The president wants to support states like ours who are advocating for school choice. I think President Trump is one who believes pretty strongly that states should decide many of the issues on their own.”
The Republican-controlled House spent more than four hours discussing the bill Thursday, declining to even vote on about 30 amendments proposed by Democrats. While some were performative, like an amendment by Rep. Bo Mitchell (D-Nashville) that would have renamed the bill the “Gov. Bill Lee Private School Voucher Bribery Scam Subsidy Act,” most of the tabled amendments would have added layers of accountability to schools receiving the vouchers.
Among the proposals that never received a vote were requirements for standardized testing, state audits and a rule mandating that schools be operational in Tennessee for five years before they qualify to receive vouchers.
One such amendment by Rep. Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville) would have required private schools receiving public money to follow the same rules established by the legislature, requiring public schools to share lesson plans and reading materials with the public and follow the same teacher evaluation criteria set by Republican lawmakers.
Tennessee Gov. Lee’s immigration plan comes with a $20.5 million price tag
By: Anita Wadhwani - January 28, 2025 5:01 am
Gov. Bill Lee’s plan to use state resources for immigration enforcement will cost Tennessee taxpayers $20.5 million annually, an analysis from the state’s fiscal review committee found.
The price tag includes more than $560,000 to establish and run a four-person “centralized immigration enforcement division” that would serve as liaison with the U.S. government to enforce immigration laws.
A grant program to provide funds to local law enforcement agencies that enter into so-called 287(g) agreements with the federal government to enforce immigration laws would cost $20 million annually, the analysis found.
Lee, earlier this month, made the surprise announcement that immigration enforcement legislation would be considered as part of a special session of the Tennessee legislature that convened Monday. The session will also consider Lee’s controversial private school voucher plans and disaster recovery funds for northeast Tennessee counties struck by the inland force of Hurricane Helene.
Immigration enforcement has long been a federal responsibility, paid for by federal funds. Lee’s proposal, if approved by the Legislature, would be the first substantial use of Tennessee taxpayer dollars to enforce U.S. immigration law within the state.
Lee’s proposal – a broad package that also includes criminal penalties for local officials who vote in favor of sanctuary policies for immigrants and adding distinctive markings to state licenses and IDs issued to legal immigrants – has drawn pushback from Democrats who characterized it as a political ploy to distract from Lee’s school voucher plan.
Immigrant advocates have called Lee’s plan “extreme” and said it appears to go further in asserting state power over immigration enforcement than any other non-border state.
Tennessee legislature puts hundreds of millions toward private-school vouchers
House, Senate narrowly pass governor’s initiative
By: Sam Stockard - January 30, 2025 3:40 pm
In one of the most hotly-contested questions in modern Tennessee political history, the legislature narrowly approved a $430 million private-school voucher program that critics say will grow quickly to $1 billion and endanger the state’s budget.
The House voted 54-44 in favor of Gov. Bill Lee’s voucher initiative, with 20 Republicans opposing the measure, only four more than required for passage.
Rep. Justin Pearson of Memphis was the only Democrat to be recorded as voting for the bill, but he did that inadvertently and filed an immediate request to change his vote.
The Senate followed with a 20-13 vote, concluding the governor’s six-year effort to create a statewide private-school voucher program and wrapping up a special session in less than a week.
“We are taking a significant plunge with no proof these students will be successful,” said Senate Minority Leader Raumesh Akbari of Memphis.
In contrast, Republican Sen. Brent Taylor of Shelby County said he wants “every family” to have the same opportunity to afford the same private education his children received.
Republican Sen. Todd Gardenhire of Chattanooga was expected to vote against the bill but said his concerns about the finances had been resolved.
Yet another Republican lawmaker, Sen. John Stevens of Huntingdon, said the measure would allow parents to enroll their children in a school that “aligns with their values,” referring to schools with religious affiliations.
Lee’s plan calls for providing more than $7,000 each to 20,000 students statewide and then expanding by about 5,000 annually, even though two-thirds of the scholarships are expected to go to students already enrolled in private schools, based on the state’s financial analysis.
Half of those students in the first year could come from families with incomes at 300% of the federal poverty level, an estimated $175,000 for a family of four, while the rest would have no income limit. No maximum income would be placed on the program after the first year. The bill also allows students to attend online private schools.
Tennessee State House Removes Disruptive Audience After Rep. Justin Jones Delivers Speech Denouncing Immigration Bill
January 29, 2025 Tom Pappert
Disruptive members of the public were reportedly removed from the Tennessee State House gallery on Wednesday shortly after State Representative Justin Jones (D-Nashville) delivered a speech urging Republicans not to vote for legislation that would empower citizens to recall local politicians who vote to make their communities a sanctuary city.
Lawmakers are currently convened in Nashville for a special legislative session to consider the Education Freedom Act, a universal school choice proposal that would create 20,000 scholarships to empower families, as well as a package of relief legislation for those affected by Hurricane Helene and immigration legislation to support the federal government under President Donald Trump.
It was the immigration portion of the special session that drew a disruption on Wednesday, shortly after Jones urged lawmakers to block a vote for several immigration proposals.
“This is not about immigration.” Jones accused his colleagues, “This is about fear-mongering, this is about giving red meat, and it’s acting like you’re doing something when it’s just about targeting both elected officials and individuals in our district because people are afraid that America’s changing and becoming more diverse.”
The Nashville Democrat continued, “this diversifying of America is not a threat to any of us, it’s something that makes this nation great, and if we want to vote on all these provisions, we might as well take down that lady in the harbor that says ‘Give me your poor, your tired, your huddled masses,'” referencing the Statue of Liberty in the New York harbor.
He added, “would you please present to me your grandparents’ immigration papers when they came? Let’s check the record of where they came from,” before concluding his speech.
Bobbie Patray Facebook page Wednesday:
I was sitting in the room. When the committee started , Chairman Chris Todd gave the reasonable, respective conditions of being in the audience. When the women started hollering out, snapping their fingers, speaking loudly to the committee members, and just being totally disruptive, Todd repeatedly warned them, and finally directed the sergeants at arms to escort them out. Well they weren't having any of that, so finally the Capitol Troopers were brought in (meanwhile the rules require that the committee recess) and got the arms and legs of the perpetrators and carried them out!!!! When they were gone, the committee re-convened and carried on with the calendar.
After 38 years at the State Capitol, I am all for making your voices heard and lobbying for your position, etc., but this kind of behavior is embarrassing, annoying, disrespectful, and is almost NEVER successful!! I want to thank Rep. Todd, the sergeants at arms, and the troopers for the way they took care of business yesterday.
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