NASHVILLE – Governor Bill Lee issued a declaration Friday afternoon, with the official calling for a special session aimed at passing his private school voucher plan and establishing a centralized immigration enforcement agency .
As Lee announced earlier this week, the session, which is scheduled to begin on January 27th, is set to provide disaster aid to East Tennessee County, which was devastated by the Hurricane Helen Floodwaters in September.
However, the declaration also sets out Lee’s intention to establish the Tennessee Transport Financing Agency “to support public and private companies in funding for transportation projects.” The measure may be intended to support new paid lanes, or “selection lanes,” in central and eastern Tennessee.
On Friday, the governor asked if he believes the new office could encounter constitutional questions, spokesman Elizabeth Johnson said, “Last year, Governor Lee implemented federal immigration policies on major state agencies.” This special session will be best positioned for states to coordinate with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to implement the Trump administration’s plan to enforce federal immigration laws on books. We guarantee that you will do so.
She said, “President Trump has made it clear that the state will play a major role in partnering with his administration to make our community safer. Tennessee is listening to the phone. .”
In response to the governor’s declaration, Senate Democrat Caucus spokesman Brandon Patsbless said on Friday that Lee Lee wanted “a cynical distraction from a statewide failed private school voucher fraud.” He issued a statement calling for Lee’s push. By reflecting Donald Trump’s extreme promise to deport immigrant workers, Gov. Lee engaged in a calculated effort to divide Tennessee to advance his political agenda. It’s there. ”
In addition to Lee’s proposal to establish a new immigration agency and an enforcement fund, he may seek to create a mechanism to collect penalties for local government officials creating sanctuary cities for undocumented residents. Not there.
“Instead of focusing on the real needs of working-class Tennessees, including reducing grocery taxes, protecting children from school guns, and expanding health care, the governor uses taxpayer resources. It proposes to implement federal work and family work. Lisa Sherman Luna, executive director of the Tennessee Immigration and Refugee Rights Union, said: “Immigration is a part of our community. Part of the structure, these actions help us split us from the real issues that Tennessees struggle with every day to push his deeply unpopular voucher agenda.”
The special session marks Lee’s latest attempt. This passes the Universal School Voucher, which has been his signature law since his first election in 2018.
In 2019, the legislature passed a limited version of education savings accounts that apply only to Davidson and Shelby counties, but it is not without discord. An FBI investigation continued to determine whether the family lawmakers were offered a voting in exchange for a vote to approve the vote.
The bill expanding the statewide program failed at the 2024 legislative meeting.
2025 Voucher Session Declaration
