Tennessee’s Republican-controlled legislature approved bills on Thursday aimed at reducing unauthorized immigration and allowing families to use public funds for private school tuition, mirroring the policy agenda of the new Trump administration.
Legislative leaders left little room for debate, pushing through millions of dollars and sprawling policy changes in a special session that lasted just four days. One bill creates a new state immigration office that will work directly with the federal government to enforce immigration law. Another expands the state’s school voucher program, which currently operates only in Tennessee’s largest school districts.
President Trump’s explicit support and a full-throated pressure campaign was enough to help overcome resistance within the Republican supermajority over the school bill. Expanding the voucher program has also been a top priority of Gov. Bill Lee’s, and it narrowly passed with 54 votes in the House and 20 in the Senate.
“Now, we stand ready to assist the president in his further agenda for public safety for our state,” Mr. Lee, a Republican, said in a statement after the special session ended Thursday afternoon. “And finally, thanks to the General Assembly and thousands of Tennesseans who have worked so hard, universal school choice is now a reality for Tennessee families.”
The only provision that won bipartisan support allotted millions of dollars in aid for communities in East Tennessee, which were devastated last year by flooding from Hurricane Helene. Some Democrats voted against part of it, though, because the funding was wrapped into the same spending bill that would pay for the voucher expansion.
“In reality, it’s about control — certainly about control over taxpayer dollars,” said State Senator Heidi Campbell, a Democrat.
Lawmakers had expected Mr. Lee to push for the multimillion-dollar voucher plan, which failed to receive enough support last year, along with the hurricane aid. But after Mr. Trump signed a series of executive orders toughening federal immigration law, Mr. Lee added a nearly $6 million immigration bill to be considered in the special session.
At least one aspect of the bill caused consternation among both Democrats and Republicans: making it a felony for any local official to vote in support of a “sanctuary city” policy for unauthorized immigrants. Such policies are already illegal under state law, and the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee said it would file a legal challenge.
“If we set a precedent for penalizing any elected official for voting their conscience, whether it’s good or bad, then we set a dangerous precedent for the issue,” said State Senator Todd Gardenhire, a Republican from Chattanooga. He cited as an example a conservative lawmaker being punished for supporting Democratic priorities such as abortion rights or gun control.
The expanded vouchers remained the most divisive issue for Democrats and Republicans alike, especially those worried about siphoning money away from rural schools. The program is estimated to cost about $350 million over the next school year, and will cost millions more in the coming years as it is opened up to more students. Some school districts have adopted resolutions opposing the expansion.
As part of the measure, about 20,000 students will be eligible for about $7,000 each to use at private or charter schools in the next school year, with the number of eligible students increasing each year after that. Half of the students must be from low-income families, or have disabilities.
Republicans framed the voucher plan as a way to empower parents and allow them access to more schools. Democrats questioned whether private schools receiving the money would be held to the same educational standards as public schools. They also questioned whether private schools might rebuff certain students who wanted to use the voucher money to attend.
“When we start to take from public schools, we’re hurting our kids, we’re hurting our lower-income kids,” said State Representative Ronnie Glynn, a Democrat from Clarksville. He added that “many of your kids in rural Tennessee will never see the inside of a private institution.”
Some lawmakers also bristled at an amendment that would award one-time bonuses of $2,000 to public schoolteachers only if their school districts passed a resolution “affirming” participation in the voucher program.
But Republicans were quick to highlight the support of Mr. Trump, who preemptively congratulated lawmakers on social media for their work on the bill. The Tennessee chapter of Americans for Prosperity, a conservative advocacy group, hailed that “as of today, parents, not government bureaucrats, are finally in control” on education.
Tennessee lawmakers will return next month for the regular legislative session.