Tennessee opens session on school vouchers and Trump immigration push, as protests seek gun control
Tennessee opens session on school vouchers and Trump immigration push, as protests seek gun control
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Tennessee's Republican-dominant Statehouse gaveled into session Monday with blueprints from Gov. Bill Lee to greatly expand school voucher access and find ways to embrace President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration agenda. But as lawmakers eased into the special session, they were met with renewed calls from the public for gun control changes less than a week after another school shooting. Last week, a 17-year-old Antioch High student killed a 16-year-old girl who also attended the school, before the shooter fatally shot himself.
So far, Gov. Lee's proposals are expected to cost an eye-popping $917 million, with $424 million for a voucher plan that folds in other education funding, and $470 million for Hurricane Helene relief in northeast Tennessee. It's unclear how much the immigration proposal would cost.
“These are all three things that the vast majority of Tennesseans have said they want us to do,” Lee, a Republican, said in a social media video posted Monday. “All of this to make Tennessee a beacon of opportunity, security and freedom.”. Notably, lawmakers will consider the creation of a state immigration division — where a newly appointed division director will seek an agreement for the state under the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s 287(g) program. The federal program involves deputizing local law enforcement for duties that are typically performed by ICE agents.
