The Tennessee legislature is entering the last weeks of its session with votes remaining on Gov. Bill Lee's top priorities. In his final State of the State Address in January, Lee set his agenda.
The White House is experimenting with state-level immigration laws in Tennessee, but most of those proposals have hit resistance, and it’s now do-or-die time for any bills. An expansion of private school vouchers is also far from a done deal with some Republicans objecting to doubling the program without performance data available. And the state’s $58 billion budget has lobbyists in a frenzy to make sure their project is included. It’s the biggest business that remains for the Tennessee legislature with members of the state house press corps as our guide.
Guests:
- Marianna Bacallao, power & equity reporter, WPLN News
- Melissa Brown, bureau chief, Chalkbeat Tennessee
- Sarah Grace Taylor, reporter, Nashville Banner
- Erik Schelzig, editor, The Tennessee Journal
- Mandy Spears, executive vice president, Sycamore Institute
Further reading:
- Tennessee to pilot White House immigration agenda at state level (WPLN)
- Tennessee Voucher Expansion Will Be a Close Call in the Legislature (Nashville Banner)
- Proposal to relax voucher program’s testing mandate advances in Tennessee House (Chalkbeat)
- Lee unveils final budget amendment, signaling approaching end of session (Tennessee Journal)
- Summary of Gov. Lee’s FY 2027 Amended Budget (Sycamore Institute)
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