NASHVILLE – Gov. Bill Lee is asked in January to plan to fund his private school voucher bill, immigration measures and large counties in the northeastern Tennessee hurricanes We invited a special session on Wednesday in the end. It’s causing criticism.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle challenged the governor’s decision to combine the three issues in one special session without a time frame. Democrats say the governor is using the Hurricane Relief Fund to pressure lawmakers to vote for the Education Voucher Plan.
Sen. Richard Briggs of Knoxville said Wednesday that the special session should focus on only one issue.
“I don’t know if it’s legal, but I don’t know if there’s a difference,” Briggs said.
Next week, many Republican lawmakers will travel to Washington, D.C. for President Donald Trump’s inauguration and return to jump into a special session on January 27th.
The eight county disaster packages hit by Hurricane Helen could cost around $450 million. The private school voucher plan, which will expand statewide for up to 20,000 students in its first year, will expand its private school voucher plan, which will add about $144 million a year, plus a $2,000 bonus to teachers. In addition to the funds to provide, it is expected to cost $144 million a year. Another 80% of all sports bets is to focus on building and maintaining K-12 public schools as part of the bill.
The state has questioned whether school districts will be “harmless” based on the state’s K-12 funding, but the state will cover the costs of counties losing students for a year.
The governor also confirmed that he would deploy the National Guard if Trump was asked to deport undocumented immigrants. Lawmakers are expected to take up several bills related to immigration. Some of it is designed to crack down on undocumented residents and other residents who can provide some protection.
Briggs said Wednesday that he didn’t understand why Congress couldn’t take Hurricane Relief Funds into the first legislation. The governor used a $100 million Tenncare fund to lend to affected counties.
Several lawmakers say the state should have done it sooner.
Chapel Hill Republican Rep. Todd Warner, who was a critic of the governor’s private school voucher program, thought the governor would use flood rescue money to put pressure on lawmakers to vote for private school voucher programs. I refused to say.
“After the storm, we should have taken a week to evaluate. The special session should have been called afterwards,” Warner said. “I’ve all helped people in eastern Tennessee, whatever it takes to get help from those people.”
But House Democrat Caucus Chairman John Ray Clemons said he felt it was “completely inappropriate” for the governor to ask lawmakers to address two issues in the same special session. He said lawmakers should already be called to consider funding for “devastated” families and communities in northeastern Tennessee.
“Government Bill Lee has been waiting almost four months, so we could combine that with a voucher vote and spend some time lining up the voucher votes rather than helping families who need help. “I did,” Clemons said. “It’s uncomfortable on multiple levels.”
Lawmakers can use rainy day funds to support flood-damaged counties in Tennessee
Raumesh Akbari, the leader of the Senate minority in Memphis, says the governor’s call will depend on whether he has enough votes to pass the voucher plan, which has been in question since he was elected 12 years ago. He said it was likely. Despite other states being hit hard financially and poor results from students, when they pass, hundreds of millions of dollars enter the program.
“It’s related to immigration and hurricane relief, and this has become a political issue rather than a policy-focused focus,” Akbari said.
In contrast, Lt. Col. Randy McNally said there was no problem combining the questions. “The two things are separate,” McNally said. It mentions voucher bills and hurricane relief.
Senate majority leader Jack Johnson said he doesn’t believe the governor is using flood relief funds to pressure lawmakers to vote for the voucher bill. Johnson, a Republican from Franklin, said he thinks it would be appropriate to include flood relief material in the same session as a private school voucher.
“We have hurricane victims who need relief. We have a school selection bill that will help 20,000 families across the state. They are both time sensitive,” Johnson said. “It’s not unusual at all.”
Rep. Gary Hicks, a Rogersville Republican, said Wednesday that he “heard a whisper” when the governor threatened to withhold flooding in the Tennessee Rep. Northeastern Rep. district if he didn’t vote for the private school voucher bill. However, Hicks said he was not faced with losses in Hawkins County, which was on the edge of the hurricane and maintained primarily wind damage, or was not urging him to vote for the education bill.
The Tennessee Education Association, the state’s leading teachers union, said Wednesday lawmakers should address hurricane damages.
“The General Assembly considers measures to support those recovering from natural disasters, but should refrain from causing man-made disasters,” said the president of Tea Tanya Court.
Some lawmakers are concerned about the long-term impact of private school vouchers that may be left after their first year, regardless of family income.
The teacher group said that by cutting state support for public schools and funding voucher programs, local governments will force local governments to make up for the variance by raising taxes and reducing services. It’s there.
We have hurricane victims who need relief. There is a school selection bill that will help 20,000 families across the state. Both are time sensitive. It’s not unusual at all.
– Senator Jack Johnson, R-Franklin
Lee’s plan will provide a $20,000 “scholarship” worth $7,075 to students enrolling in private schools between 2025-26. It is estimated to be around $175,000 per household income. Critics of the program say private schools are not ready to serve them, but students with disabilities and students in the state Education Savings Account Program are also eligible.
The state can add 5,000 “scholarships” each year.
Approximately 350 private schools are eligible to participate in the program and must manage tests that meet the state’s standardized tests or curriculum.
One of the main complaints about the bill is that it drains money from public schools and that local school boards are not reluctant to hand it over to lawmakers.
However, this year’s version says that school district funding will not “decrease from the first year to the next year due to student corruption.” However, if the district loses students, the state will pay additional funds to these districts, covering just one year of relocation.
The bill was a 1982 Supreme Court case, Plylerv. Doe denies “scholarships” to undocumented students, despite prohibiting students from denying free public education based on immigration circumstances.
In 2019, lawmakers adopted the Education Savings Account Program and established a voucher program for low-income students in Shelby and Davidson counties. The House approved the measure after former speaker Glenn Casada began voting for nearly 45 minutes to work the Chamber of Commerce for one vote after members got stuck in tie.
Knoxville Republican Rep. Jason Zachary turned his “no” vote to “yes” and allowed him to pass the bill.
An FBI investigation continued to determine whether lawmakers were offered personal compensation for the vote, but no one has been charged.
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