Tennessee’s 113th General Assembly gaveled in last month, and will continue on until lawmakers finalize the budget this spring. Technically, that’s the only requirement of the two legislative chambers laid out in the state constitution — that the assembly approve all public spending for the year. But as per usual, there will be plenty of other squabbling and legislation along the way.
Here in the early days of the session, Tennessee’s Republican supermajority has already made national headlines for advancing legislation to ban gender-affirming care for minors. They’ve also proposed renaming a portion of Rep. John Lewis Way here in Nashville “President Donald Trump Boulevard,” and pitched cutting the number of Metro councilmembers from 40 down to 20. (The latter is seen by many as a punishment for the body’s rejection of a proposed Republican National Convention here in 2024.) Tennesseans can expect plenty more of that sort of thing as various legislators seek to gain ground on national culture-war issues.
In his State of the State address on Monday night, Gov. Bill Lee touted his Tennessee Works Act and pledged to suspend grocery taxes for a three-month stretch. He also warned about the “influence of the Chinese Communist Party” and “the dangers of a drug crisis stemming from an open border.”
Meanwhile in the background, legislation pertaining to education, infrastructure, health care, criminal justice and the state’s Department of Children’s Services is up for consideration.
In this week’s issue, we dive into all of the above. Read on for details on what to expect in this year’s ongoing legislative session. —D. PATRICK RODGERS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
With his proposed Transportation Modernization Act, the governor wants to add lanes to existing highways through public-private partnerships
State Republicans are using this legislative session to target the LGBTQ community
More than 350,000 Tennesseans are expected to lose TennCare coverage, and attempts at abortion protections are arising
Education-related legislation this session will include third-grade retention, ESAs and more culture-war issues
Proposed legislation focuses on increased punishment and tweaks to the state’s execution protocol
Republicans are making good on the threats to get their pound of flesh from Nashville
The department commissioner wants supplemental funding in part to increase bed capacity for kids without homes
