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The Tennessee General Assembly concluded its special session last Thursday, and passed all the items on the agenda including school vouchers, illegal immigration and disaster relief.

“This week, in partnership with the General Assembly, Tennessee passed meaningful legislation to address three pressing issues that President Trump and Tennesseans overwhelmingly support–the Education Freedom Act, additional disaster relief for East Tennesseans and measures to halt illegal immigration,” Gov. Bill Lee said. “I thank Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally, Speaker Cameron Sexton, Leader Jack Johnson, Leader William Lamberth, and members of the General Assembly for acting swiftly to pass conservative policies that will guarantee opportunity, security, and freedom for the people of our state.”

School vouchers

The main item on the agenda was Lee’s Education Freedom Scholarship Act, also known as the school voucher bill, which received the most pushback from the General Assembly, with the House voting 54-44 with some Republicans voting against it, including State Rep. Rush Bricken.

 “I could not get behind it unless it had a reasonable family income cap for the people eligible for the scholarships,” Bricken said.

Bricken said he envisioned a bill that would lend a helping hand to families with lower-moderate income. He also voiced concerns about the long-term fiscal impact the bill could have on the state.

“I’m really afraid that in the long term, this thing is going to get expensive for our state’s budget,” Bricken said.

As for the Senate, the vote came down to 20-13, where like the House saw seven Republicans voting against the bill, including State Sen. Janice Bowling.

When it comes to the specifics of the school voucher bill, SB6001/HB6004 provides the framework and layout for the vouchers, as well as a one-time bonus for public school teachers and maintenance funding for K-12 facilities across the state.  SB6005/HB6005 will appropriate about $145.9 million for Education Freedom Scholarships, $198.4 million for teacher bonuses, $77.2 million for K-12 infrastructure directed from existing sports wagering revenue and $2.7 million for administrative costs.

Tullahoma City Schools issued the following statement to The News following the passage of the school voucher bill:

“While the passing of the voucher bill is disheartening, this in no way impacts our goal as a public school district. Our number one focus is and will always be our students. Tullahoma City Schools exists to provide an educational foundation for students so they can live with integrity and have a life-long passion for learning by providing them with thought-provoking and innovative experiences that support their development in academics, fine arts, athletics, and their overall well-being.

“A special thank you to both Senator Janice Bowling and Representative Rush Bricken, who listened to their constituents and voted ‘No’ to this bill. Whether you are a teacher or staff member in TCS, have a student in our schools, serve on the school board, or are one of our amazing community partners, we are beyond thankful for your contribution to Tullahoma City Schools. We remain grounded in our vision of challenging students today for a limitless tomorrow.”

Immigration

The second item addressed during the special session was public safety and illegal immigration, which passed both chambers by party lines.

The immigration bill, SB6002/HB6001, will create a new division within the Department of Safety called the Centralized Immigration Enforcement Division, where Lee will appoint a Chief Immigration Enforcement Officer to coordinate directly with the Trump Administration on federal immigration policies and implementation. This also sets up the 287(g) agreement, which will incentivize local governments to enter into agreements with federal authorities to assist with immigration law enforcement, detention and removal efforts and establishes penalties for officials who fail to comply with enforcement mandates.

The bill will also create its Immigration Enforcement Grant Program, which establishes a $5 mill grant fund for local government agencies to assist with training law enforcement officers, operational expenses and purchasing necessary equipment, and other eligible activities to support federal and state immigration policies. The language of the bill does not require city and county governments to approve the participation. For local accountability, the bill will create a Class E felony offense for local officials who adopt or maintain sanctuary city policies in violation of state law and empowers the Tennessee Attorney General to initiate removal proceedings for officials convicted of violating anti-sanctuary city provisions.

The bill also restricts eligibility for state-issued IDs to U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, and individuals with federal authorization for a specified period, introduces visually distinctive markers on temporary licenses issued to non-citizens, and mandates proof of citizenship for renewal or reinstatement of driver licenses. Per the bill, the department would “sunset” or stop at the end of the Trump administration, and legislators would need to renew the department if they want to continue it after 2028. 

Disaster relief

The final item on the special agenda was addressing disaster relief for East Tennessee following Hurricane Helene and future disasters. The bill SB6003/HB6003 establishes two disaster relief funds, the Hurricane Helene Interest Payment Fund and Governor’s Response Fund, to support ongoing recovery efforts and allow for proactive preparation for future emergencies. The Hurricane Helene Interest Payment Fund will use $110 million to establish a new fund that will help local governments manage loan interest for recovery costs by covering interest costs at 5% per year for three years on loans for recovery expenses. The Governor’s Response and Recovery Fund will use $100 million to create a new program inspired by the HEAL Program that will provide flexible financial resources for future emergencies, including agricultural recovery, unemployment assistance, and business recovery efforts.

The bill SB6004/HB6002 will allow the Commissioner of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development to provide relief by allowing the ability to waive requirements as-needed for claimants seeking unemployment benefits and clarifies Tennessee Emergency Management Agency’s (TEMA) statutory authority to assist with disaster recovery on public property at the request of local jurisdictions. The final bill, SB6005/HB6005, will appropriate $110 million to the Hurricane Helene Interest Payment Fund, $100 million to the Governor’s Response and Recovery Fund, $240 million to TEMA to reduce political subdivisions’ cost share obligations of the non-federal portion of disaster recovery costs, and $20 million for the reconstruction of Hampton High School in Carter County, which was significantly damaged in Hurricane Helene.