[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-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",[32,75,87],{"_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":68,"_69":70,"_71":56,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6577794,"mediaKeyId","3093222-8626e374455a533b2fa6dd63b1288f9b","parentId",3093222,"title","Votes at a glance: key measures the Tennessee Senate approved on the floor","audioSeconds",10473,"startMs",2812000,"endMs",13285000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3093222-8626e374455a533b2fa6dd63b1288f9b&start=2812&end=13285","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3093222-8626e374455a533b2fa6dd63b1288f9b/thumbnail_2812000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6577794/Tennessee/Votes-at-a-glance-key-measures-the-Tennessee-Senate-approved-on-the-floor","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6577794-d3435d3526cb01b335e91ad397d4e47d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771110163&Signature=arOwslj2G9VwrgLOjXrohGGOVGSGnsPMJWuUhrhcT1UzwXMSrNv5EDZMOSfWa7L1KdMSHIoIj~HNs430myRbOLt~sdGP0TBt3~yQqjTVbhUrjNBo4t4taW1ekCaqR5yA-Piiho83qHsghdq5vCpD3lrwL7l-6rMP9ZEgvj7WV9wmzEUzFmLIMw84Q0E7tFPiRic6iMQKbHWX82n-upuzv57MQBv-IpmTlgncboiZqfXctMhaO-JxYdxg8UTTNAb8zkAXKgPQLe9aU4nQWy3yVLKaXrCmNaVwwU3R6i3tW6Oac24oQmM~Jb-FzVDWn5T-KFSax5mzQvrgJy69nGh8eg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Tennessee","date","2025-04-22T00:00:00Z","article","The Tennessee Senate recorded final‑action votes on a number of bills and resolutions during the floor session. Below are the principal measures the chamber disposed of on the floor that day and the floor vote outcomes where recorded.

- Senate Bill 7 14 (education intervention framework for challenged districts): PASSED (final recorded vote on the floor: 26–6). Authorizes staged interventions, oversight board, expanded ESA eligibility for designated districts.

- House Bill 13 14 (criminal threats of mass violence; doxing): PASSED (final action recorded; floor vote: Ayes 29, Nays 3). Creates a new class E felony for knowingly making threats of mass violence and a class B misdemeanor for unlawful posting of home addresses with intent to cause harm; enhanced penalties for targeting schools or other protected locations.

- Senate Bill 4 38 (Solid Waste Task Force, concur with House amendment): CONCURRED (unanimous). Adopted the House amendment with clarifying language on co‑chair replacements.

- Senate Bill 6 44 (concurrence on House amendment): CONCURRED (unanimous). Allowed rules promulgation per amendment.

- Senate Bill 11 15 (private prisons; death rate adjustments): CONCURRED (unanimous). House amendment added a 90‑day compliance timeframe; Senate concurred.

- House Bill 7 83 (local authority to regulate sober living homes — Hamilton County permissive authority): PASSED (Ayes 32). Permissive local regulation; compliance with Fair Housing and ADA noted in text.

- House Joint Resolution 51 (month of prayer and fasting, July): PASSED (27–3). Nonbinding resolution establishing a month of prayer for interested citizens.

- House Bill 9 69 (recurring transportation revenue from sales tax on tires to highway fund): PASSED (unanimous recorded vote). Earmarks sales/use tax from new and used tire sales to the highway fund, subject to annual caps in near term.

- House Joint Resolution 1 47 (kratom regulation advocacy): PASSED (unanimous recorded vote). Urges regulation or ban of kratom sales in state; memorializing resolution.

- House Bill 5 77 (stipend increases for local jails certified as Tier 1/2): PASSED (unanimous recorded vote). Doubled stipend levels to incentivize accreditation and reentry programming.

- Other bills and consent calendars: Multiple consent‑calendar bills and local bill calendars were adopted by unanimous votes during the session; several committee amendments were withdrawn or folded into adopted language during floor consideration.

Votes were recorded on the floor for final consideration; where specific roll‑call tallies were announced on the record those counts are shown above. Measures passed on final consideration will proceed through enrollment and transmission for the governor’s consideration or other next steps as provided by law.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Tennessee - Senate Floor Session - Apr 22, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","A roundup of major floor votes recorded during the session, with outcomes and brief descriptions.","taxTitle","Senate Floor Session, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Tennessee","taxId",79856,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":56,"_72":73,"_74":73},6577798,"Senate approves bills to bar diversity, equity and inclusion preferences in public employment and programs",2366,13924000,16290000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3093222-8626e374455a533b2fa6dd63b1288f9b&start=13924&end=16290","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3093222-8626e374455a533b2fa6dd63b1288f9b/thumbnail_13924000.jpg","/articles/6577798/Tennessee/Senate-approves-bills-to-bar-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-preferences-in-public-employment-and-programs","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6577798-bdfe4560ed2257e4d78436a52f49af07/orig.mp4?Expires=1771110163&Signature=Gflu20x~6Ix1bmA6Vsy7gmGVGjtRyyvo-zTukk9-Kz4c~Cisf8KlpTbz73Ufs0MJccU5ezUb7PnvdtibzU5cV0Z5hbT6wLOA9VFgA6Yua8y~dZKhV5Hn0Qt8tchIUH8V5sUecyZWbMMKV3XbrvXnkbsaobSPhgpp3IE8wxCaIwYzDAkzjidZ2RKrCI-cDO6kg~lS-9wEI-EccGCF-m~lPI766Oyz5tpZEaE-cq-6Ze3oOp0vppXidyaMJkVc5GMbAc9PyYnHzqiBEj7V-bf-JeX23vySUzxJWHbbuUUBpPMQkFmDRvIs5Ba8gC3fF0TuyUnu1~-DZg2pFV6DcOaRSg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Tennessee Senate voted to approve legislation restricting the use of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) preferences by state and local governments and to void existing state policies that it characterizes as discriminatory preference.

Leader Johnson sponsored the primary measure (conforming House Bill 6 22 on the floor) and framed the legislation as alignment with federal guidance and an executive order that, in his words, warned against discriminatory DEI policies. “This bill ensures public employment decisions in Tennessee are based solely on individual merit and qualifications, not on demographic characteristics,” Leader Johnson said during floor remarks.

Debate on both the employment bill and a companion measure (Senate Bill 10 84) was robust. Supporters argued the changes prevent race‑ or gender‑based decisionmaking in state hiring and program administration. The sponsor cited an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) release and said the provision would help avoid unlawful preferences. Opponents called the bills an overreach that would undermine long‑standing civil‑rights protections and hamper efforts to increase diversity and inclusion where underrepresentation persists.

Senator Massey asked whether the bills would affect disability employment initiatives; the sponsor said the text does not affect programs that lawfully encourage hiring of people with disabilities or other existing lawful eligibility statutes. Several senators—including Senator Yarbrough, Senator Lamar and others—said the bills would erase decades of statutory protections and create legal and policy uncertainty for local governments.

On final consideration the Senate passed the package including the companion enforcement bill (Senate Bill 10 84). The companion bill, which specifically voids conflicting state department programs and prohibits a unit of state or local government from maintaining DEI offices or divisional mandates, passed on a recorded vote on the floor. The sponsor said the language was intended to preserve access to services on a merit or need basis while preventing identity‑based criteria from determining hiring or program eligibility.

Supporters said the bills will protect the state from litigation and align state practices with federal guidance. Opponents said the measures risk reducing access to contracting and recruitment programs that foster participation by veterans, women and people with disabilities and would chill local initiatives aimed at addressing disparities.

Both bills now proceed through the legislative enrollment and transmittal process before reaching the governor.","The Senate approved companion measures barring government offices and programs that use race, ethnicity, gender or other identity factors to prefer applicants or beneficiaries; sponsors said the change restores merit‑based hiring and program delivery, opponents called the bills an attack on civil‑rights protections.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":56,"_72":73,"_74":73},6577803,"Tennessee Senate approves intervention plan for chronically low‑performing Shelby County schools",2456,10834000,13290000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3093222-8626e374455a533b2fa6dd63b1288f9b&start=10834&end=13290","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3093222-8626e374455a533b2fa6dd63b1288f9b/thumbnail_10834000.jpg","/articles/6577803/Tennessee/Tennessee-Senate-approves-intervention-plan-for-chronically-lowperforming-Shelby-County-schools","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6577803-5147e19c0de36ad49af9cc9392fe74e2/orig.mp4?Expires=1771110163&Signature=U9q6yUPMxxsB0bESpW1S08OBUy9D0~b4jhlid-~yxjr--3110b1IhLdKyJrJq3tjFt-iZ3RdyGj8K22J3vucHNs3i1txvFfiPzT1PltD9AgDDnjorztSqqofNU-dPgGkSTldLQ5J7krX3IW0MXKvmGdrHZIAlR-NMKzC1EpkOmeuvz3RK4pMxBlJ6kkuD3IlZiQt4sMDHO4f2yBnKjgKp2cH6zxt1kNM97ffLnDLcPCAoqZyyof4kiYoUn-G1H5a6dd8SGiH5nqMQHFUTU26D8yF27C6sBDKxr4j4FQFpJoVnftH-3ktCS7BfpL3MoQPuN9gUSq2tzt3TkcA1uTfxg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Tennessee Senate on final consideration approved a bill creating a statutory intervention framework for school districts the measure defines as “challenged,” a designation that can trigger removal or replacement of local school leaders and expand school choice and charter options.

The bill, introduced on the floor by Senator Taylor, won final passage 26–6 after several hours of debate. It defines a challenged district as one that meets multiple criteria, including a high share of economically disadvantaged students, repeated failures on state math and reading expectations and the presence of at least one school on the state priority list in five of the last five lists. Once a district meets the threshold, the commissioner of education may recommend removal of a superintendent or elected board members and the statute authorizes a locally appointed oversight board with the power to produce needs assessments and transformation plans.

Supporters said the law creates a structured alternative to past interventions that failed to produce improvement. “We have to do something,” Senator Taylor said on the floor, arguing Shelby County’s results and facility needs demanded new tools. He described the measure as a set of incremental, cascading interventions designed to preserve local appointments while giving the state and local governments a formal mechanism to require and monitor changes.

Opponents said the bill undermines local democracy and will not address root causes such as poverty, housing and workforce pay. Senator Lamar, a Memphis native and a product of the city’s schools, warned the measure would shift power away from voters and saddle county governments with new costs for an appointed advisory board. “If you got a problem with [the school board], you better go to the polls,” Lamar said, adding that the state has a poor record when it comes to running school systems.

Senator Yarbrough and other critics raised constitutional and equity concerns and questioned whether the changes would disproportionately affect districts with high poverty. Yarbrough said the bill effectively privileged one county and risked creating inconsistent voucher and scholarship outcomes across the state.

The bill also removes the income cap for Eligibility Scholarship Accounts (ESA) for students zoned to a designated challenged district, expands and expedites charter options the commissioner may recommend, and creates a local oversight board whose members would serve multi‑year terms and be compensated at the same rate as the elected board members. The oversight board is required to review school board agendas and to have staff paid for by the county commission, according to the bill’s text as presented on the floor.

Senators debated whether the state’s constitutional authority and an attorney‑general opinion would permit removal of elected board members; Senator Taylor cited an attorney‑general opinion he said dated to 1995 to support the change. Several members asked for more time and caution; others said the long record of underperformance and deferred maintenance in the district required action now.

After the vote, Senator Taylor renewed his motion and supporters said the measure was intended as a tool to help, not replace, local officials. Opponents said they would continue to press concerns about process, cost and the effect on community control.

The final passage was recorded on the Senate floor, and the bill will move to the usual enrollment and transmission steps before becoming law or being enrolled for the governor’s signature.","The Senate passed legislation that creates a cascading intervention framework for school districts meeting specified underperformance and poverty metrics; the measure drew extended debate over local control, vouchers and the role of appointed oversight.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Votes at a glance: key measures the Tennessee Senate approved on the floor

Senate approves bills to bar diversity, equity and inclusion preferences in public employment and programs

Tennessee Senate approves intervention plan for chronically low‑performing Shelby County schools