[{"_1":2,"_98":-5,"_99":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74,86],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":-5,"_68":69,"_70":-5,"_71":72,"_73":72},"mediaId",6700802,"mediaKeyId","2172435-8031a6c4ea30179e4a826efeae2dbc07","parentId",2172435,"title","Tennessee House approves Education Freedom Act after heated debate over vouchers, testing and school funding","audioSeconds",14470,"startMs",2222000,"endMs",16692000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2172435-8031a6c4ea30179e4a826efeae2dbc07&start=2222&end=16692","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2172435-8031a6c4ea30179e4a826efeae2dbc07/thumbnail_2222000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6700802/Tennessee-House-approves-Education-Freedom-Act-after-heated-debate-over-vouchers-testing-and-school-funding","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6700802-da2ce00427da58fb2f7b62e77f6c96d3/orig.mp4?Expires=1770930245&Signature=RTS6tlI0gncwb6QeQOqcMQONXKf-ZpjHtLgiA6NvCd-oTitcIQI3gRTfanD7z8LQNmG3FeNP0spG5wkcpw6OpdmxXcqJs~DTpOy1ZEPErs04ZFXy4blWIkl5V75Iio33jjQp0BDAHYVv64XOMk5bFFV5HfEbyUnJeOXvB4dra9dK0G84Hzo-9JHKpDpfLoTtXYbZeFB06mhxMN9bXmETpt~RrntovKD9thZGrDWQ7SYvOWZvs-wV84kxJSSf~3ZY3Mjm0t6Wk5DmRIpH9zBKYO4PXm~-J1P7X29lRBGMstBXmjkkgVX0eCsDbWJa5~NGvLiB3zt3yF8l3AgFqCOM3g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","TN State Legislature","date","2025-01-30T00:00:00Z","article","The Tennessee House of Representatives passed the Education Freedom Act (House Bill 6004) during a special session after hours of debate over accountability, funding and the scope of a 20,000-student scholarship program.

The bill creates an Education Freedom scholarship program that backers said will expand options for families and opponents called a transfer of public dollars to private institutions. Lawmakers approved the measure on a final vote recorded as: Ayes 54, Nays 40, 1 Present not voting.

Supporters said the program offers parents additional choice while protecting local school budgets. “For the first time ever, Tennessee will be able to lead the nation in fully supporting and funding our public schools and providing choice options for those families that desire to go to a private school,” said House Majority Leader Blair Lambeth while describing how the bill pairs scholarships with facility funding for public schools.

Opponents assailed the policy as fiscally risky and unfair to lower-income families. “This is welfare for the wealthy,” Representative Caleb Clemens said on the floor. Several members cited research from other states and warned of long-term budget pressure if scholarship participation grows.

Key provisions and debate highlights

- Scholarships and amounts: The plan authorizes up to 20,000 scholarships. Lawmakers discussed a per-scholarship figure in the bill (often described on the floor as roughly $7,000–$7,075) and whether that amount would be sufficient for families who would still face out-of-pocket costs for many private schools.

- Funding sources: The bill directs 80% of sports-wagering council funds toward school facilities and uses a mix of recurring and nonrecurring general fund dollars to pay for scholarships and an approximately $2,000 teacher bonus included in the package. Opponents warned redirecting sports-wagering revenues could reduce funds that otherwise support the Hope scholarship and other postsecondary programs.

- Hold-harmless and local budgets: Sponsors included a “hold-harmless” mechanism intended to prevent local education agencies from losing state funding if students leave for scholarships; opponents said the measure’s language and the fiscal note still left local budgets at risk in future years as costs rise.

- Testing and accountability: Lawmakers debated how to measure academic outcomes for scholarship recipients. Amendments that would have required universal TCAP testing for scholarship students or mandatory annual audits of participating private schools were proposed but were tabled or failed. House Education Committee members and bill sponsors said the bill requires nationally normed testing and a statistical sample to compare outcomes.

- Protections for students with disabilities: Multiple amendments sought to strengthen admission and services for students with disabilities who use scholarships. One proposed amendment requiring private schools to avoid “discrimination” against students with disabilities drew intense debate and was ultimately defeated on the floor.

- School safety and targeted capital funding: Representative Powell introduced an amendment to create recurring capital funds—$50 million was discussed on the floor—to help schools that experienced shootings repair or rebuild affected facilities; that amendment was tabled.

Notable quotes from the debate

- Representative Karla Mitchell (opponent): “This bill is the Governor Bill Lee ‘bridal school voucher voucher bribery scam subsidy act.’”

- Representative Rhonda Hemmer (opponent on lottery diversion): “We’re taking away $70-plus million of revenue that’s increasing every year, to put in this new program. We need to be funding these infrastructure grants with our general fund, with our regular tax revenue.”

- Leader Blair Lambeth (sponsor/majority): “The bill provides for facility funding to go back to schools, specifically our distressed and at-risk counties, our high-performing schools and our fast-growing districts.”

How the House voted and next steps

The House approved the bill and the package of amendments that accompanied it; the vote on final passage was recorded as Ayes 54, Nays 40, 1 Present not voting. The legislation now proceeds along the enactment process required by the special session. Several members warned they expect follow-up measures and oversight items to be debated during the regular session.

Why it matters

The Education Freedom Act is one of the most consequential pieces of policy considered in the special session: it reallocates new revenue streams, creates a new scholarship program that could alter enrollment patterns, and touches on testing, special education services and local education funding. Proponents framed the law as expanding parental choice and directing additional capital funds to school facilities; opponents called it fiscally risky and likely to worsen inequities in public education.

A number of proposed amendments on testing, audits and disability protections were debated but failed or were tabled on the floor, leaving unresolved questions that lawmakers, advocates and local school leaders say they will revisit in the regular session.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Floor Session - 4th Legislative Day - 1st Extraordinary Session\tJan 30, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Tennessee House of Representatives passed the Education Freedom Act (House Bill 6004) in a special session vote after a long, sometimes heated debate focused on vouchers, testing and how the state will shield local school budgets.","taxTitle","taxId",0,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":-5,"_68":69,"_70":-5,"_71":72,"_73":72},6700797,"House approves $1.5B-plus appropriations package funding disaster relief, teacher bonuses and voucher implementation",1570,16637000,18207000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2172435-8031a6c4ea30179e4a826efeae2dbc07&start=16637&end=18207","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2172435-8031a6c4ea30179e4a826efeae2dbc07/thumbnail_16637000.jpg","/articles/6700797/House-approves-15B-plus-appropriations-package-funding-disaster-relief-teacher-bonuses-and-voucher-implementation","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6700797-967555806a1223e4852676308aa1c373/orig.mp4?Expires=1770930245&Signature=YoKYU7nJQV104cWcf4Qdvur75VAHVVcyStSlraQ146y4wmTQe3m0KhDc~W8KGdgzmVgby8lwFkY06D~9D7CQtTJcRb~oyVQ1f3eyKDI0klSoqFctjBf3Xh4kEGQIeXO~gSpPMMK2MxrWInKuHXBjEhHnUWd3bKpEj9neFOLKrwaz4nsuZ9Y9S79Zf01rpQgaGb0SLN5ylFiZ3PnWryIcWjGX5uu24bQVGZWGX1om4uXpFehG-Dau5NnGxsJjVwD4s~3gOHQIAEG437yIULN0azNze9bRDzeeBipDj~OBxynVg3O5FcLw9wysaYbVPuQzm9YsW5139VcUW4e1WTfYsw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Tennessee House approved the state appropriations measure that funds disaster relief, school facility grants and implementation of the scholarship program that lawmakers debated during the special session.

The appropriations bill (Senate Bill 5 on the desk, considered as the funding vehicle for special-session measures) passed on a recorded vote: Ayes 81, Nays 14, 2 Present not voting.

What the package funds

- Disaster relief and recovery: The bill includes allocations intended for counties affected by recent flooding and disasters; the House discussion referenced millions in targeted relief to Carter and Sevier counties and other local assistance.

- Education-related funding: The package contains the funding necessary to implement the Education Freedom Act passed in the same session — that includes recurring and nonrecurring dollars for scholarship payouts, a one-time $2,000 teacher bonus (funded as a nonrecurring payment), and a facility funding stream sourced from sports-wagering revenues and other appropriations.

- Other investments: The bill also included line items for economic incentives and other programs discussed in committee during the session.

Debate and fiscal questions

Members pressed leadership on where the money would come from and how the new spending would affect multi-year budgets. Several lawmakers asked whether the administration and fiscal staff had provided a full year-by-year forecast of the appropriations’ impact; leadership said the package used a combination of reversions and previously set-aside amounts and that additional reconciliations would be handled in the regular session.

Representative Blair Lambeth and appropriations sponsors described how nonrecurring reversions and set-asides were being used to fund the special-session priorities, while noting recurring allocations were limited and the package included safeguards intended to preserve public-school funding levels.

Vote and next steps

The measure passed on a recorded vote of Ayes 81, Nays 14, with 2 present not voting. With the House vote complete the appropriations act accompanies the policy measures passed in the special session and the funding will be implemented through the normal executive-branch spending and reporting processes.

Why it matters

This appropriations action moves cash to cover disaster recovery and the education and bonus measures enacted during the special session. Lawmakers and local officials will watch how recurring commitments and one-time reversions affect county budgets and the state’s multi-year revenue plan.","The Tennessee House approved the Senate appropriations measure (Senate Bill 5) that funds disaster relief, school facility grants and the Education Freedom scholarship implementation. Lawmakers debated the timing and revenue sourcing before passing the bill by a large margin.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":-5,"_68":69,"_70":-5,"_71":72,"_73":72},6700792,"Tennessee House creates centralized immigration enforcement office and tightens sanctuary-city penalties",9883,11605000,21488000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2172435-8031a6c4ea30179e4a826efeae2dbc07&start=11605&end=21488","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2172435-8031a6c4ea30179e4a826efeae2dbc07/thumbnail_11605000.jpg","/articles/6700792/Tennessee-House-creates-centralized-immigration-enforcement-office-and-tightens-sanctuary-city-penalties","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6700792-b2d917c441528f1fd8d297c87f525832/orig.mp4?Expires=1770930245&Signature=UBFcO-VaQRhKGOKsSLk7B8Nc5Hpfqe-~eCRCJMTjCP36YTOtO8cf1TZM11FoAlTWCk-aZ6GzQjX~6yZS045D8VMVb4kCSjvGbN-gTaijCa2KAh7-BOVKkvQCb0jcXCZENEbfXZjvqWaAEzvagj~NZKhQMWodqPC2XHMUJtl2HQPdb1RPca~Xn-DDKtlnu74Rv~zHm3kBuswSrs~2rqGSZljyXBO8pzA7nKSYs50kw3kZ~-PB-Z0SCXgbc8tR6x0p06~dQeks0Ta0ExNLYJErD2gD6r~k3Q4HeZAi5Sw0ELL8FzZmQ3RGjq59LtiC2gkljhj0DgnkERytxP9hSIXUAg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Tennessee House approved Senate Bill 6002, establishing a centralized state immigration enforcement division to coordinate with federal authorities, increase penalties for local sanctuary-city policies and alter identification standards for people who are not U.S. citizens.

The final recorded vote on the measure was: Ayes 72, Nays 20, 2 Present not voting.

Major provisions

- Centralized immigration enforcement division: The bill creates a state-level office to coordinate with federal immigration authorities, including 287(g) partnerships that allow local law enforcement to assist federal immigration enforcement.

- Identification and voting: The legislation requires a distinct designation on state-issued non-citizen driver identification that would not be valid for voter registration or voting; sponsors said the designation would be a small visible marker on the license to preserve the right to drive while preventing noncitizens from registering to vote.

- Sanctuary-city penalties: The bill defines a sanctuary-city policy as a local governmental policy that prevents the enforcement of federal immigration law within the local jurisdiction and makes adoption of such a policy by a local legislative body a felony for the officials who enact it.

Floor debate and legal questions

The bill generated vigorous floor debate. Supporters argued the measure restores the rule of law and protects public safety. “We will not have sanctuary cities in this state,” House Majority Leader Blair Lambeth said during debate.

Opponents raised constitutional concerns. Representatives pointed to possible conflicts with legislative immunity and speech-and-debate protections for elected officials and warned the felony provision could invite litigation. A number of proposed amendments seeking to remove or narrow the felony provision and other changes were considered; some failed under the two-thirds consideration threshold used for on-the-floor amendment consideration.

Notable discussion points and quotes

- Representative Jessica Salinas, who shared her family’s immigration story on the floor, warned of the human consequences of punitive policy. “How do you repay a life? How do you repay an opportunity to live?” she asked, describing her family’s experience receiving medical care and assistance in Tennessee as immigrants.

- Supporters emphasized cooperation with federal authorities and a voluntary role for local law enforcement in 287(g) partnerships. The bill includes a small grant fund to help local governments that choose to participate cover costs associated with cooperation.

Implementation and next steps

House passage sends the bill forward for the remainder of the enactment process required by the special session. Sponsors said the new division will require administrative rules and state/federal coordination; the package also creates a grant program intended to reimburse local governments that participate in 287(g) activities.

Why it matters

The measure changes how the state organizes immigration enforcement and imposes new criminal penalties on local officials who adopt sanctuary-city policies, raising immediate legal and constitutional questions and likely prompting court challenges if enacted in its current form.","The House approved legislation to create a centralized state immigration enforcement division, expand cooperation with federal 287(g) partnerships, raise ID standards for noncitizen residents and make sanctuary-city policies a felony for local officials who enact them.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Tennessee House approves Education Freedom Act after heated debate over vouchers, testing and school funding

House approves $1.5B-plus appropriations package funding disaster relief, teacher bonuses and voucher implementation

Tennessee House creates centralized immigration enforcement office and tightens sanctuary-city penalties