Legislators are leaving the state Capitol Thursday after the 113th Tennessee General Assembly adjourned for the final time in 2024.
Lee’s pitch created a divide among Republican legislators and faced widespread criticism from school leaders
The beginning of the session was marked by discussions regarding Gov. Bill Lee’s plan for school vouchers, called the Education Freedom Scholarship Program in the budget. Ultimately the governor took a major loss, with legislators in the House and Senate — both controlled by Lee’s fellow Republicans — unable to agree on several key parts of the legislation. Neither chamber’s version ever made it out of committee.
During the final days of the session, members of both the House and Senate met in a conference committee to resolve their differences over Lee’s franchise tax cut. After much back and forth, they were able to come to an agreement — though it wasn’t exactly what the governor pitched. Businesses will be able to request a refund for the previous three years if they had previously submitted taxes based on the property provision. But there will be some transparency as business’s names will be released in categories based on how much they received.
House approves three-year refund; Democrats blast transparency provision
The session’s four short months — which felt much longer to some observers — were marked by ongoing tension, as protesters and advocates were a frequent presence at the Capitol. The Republican supermajority also continued to wield its power over Democrats. As the session drew to a close this week, Rep. Justin Jones (D-Nashville) was called to order three times, meaning under House rules he was not allowed to speak for the rest of the day and the next. Republicans called for the three Rule 19 votes because he recorded video from the floor, which is against House policy. This was despite the fact that, as noted by Rep. Jason Powell (D-Nashville), Rep. Jerome Moon (R-Maryville) was also recording. No action was taken against Moon.
Gun safety advocates were removed from the House gallery late in the session for erupting into chants after lawmakers passed a bill that would allow some teachers to carry guns in schools. Protesters were also removed from the Senate chamber during a prior session on the same bill. Lawmakers passed a recognition of the one-year anniversary of the Covenant School shooting, but several pieces of gun control legislation offered by Democrats stalled in committee, never making their way to floor votes. During discussion this week of a bill aiming to criminalize “abortion trafficking” — which ultimately passed — Rep. Aftyn Behn (D-Nashville) called the legislation’s sponsor Rep. Jason Zachary (R-Knoxville) “smug” and was called to order.
Republicans test chamber loopholes to kill bills backed by Democrats
In March, Behn partnered with Rep. Todd Warner (R-Chapel Hill) on a bill that would have moved sexual harassment proceedings within the legislature to the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office. While it had bipartisan sponsors, the bill didn’t even get the chance to be heard in a committee — colleagues reportedly told Warner that was partly because Behn was a co-sponsor.
Also this week, several bills sponsored by Democrats were rolled to the end of the day’s calendar, prompting Democratic Caucus Chair Rep. John Ray Clemmons (D-Nashville) to speak up.
“I rise because I’m starting to see an alarming pattern here developing on the House floor,” Clemmons said. “I will ask for this pattern of conduct to stop.”
State House votes yes as gun safety advocates voice opposition from the gallery
There was also some strain for the Nashville legislative delegation during the session — not just because of their status as members of the Democratic superminority. The city’s representation started the session in an uphill battle against state control after several bills passed last session that would have preempted Metro’s authority — on the airport and sports boards and even the number of Metro Council seats. Metro largely won out in court against the state legislation.
This year, the General Assembly took a stance against Tennessee State University, passing a bill to vacate the historically Black university’s board. Rep. Harold Love (D-Nashville), a TSU graduate, and other Democrats attempted to find a middle ground by suggesting amendments to vacate only some of the board’s eight seats. However, none was considered and Republicans moved the bill along. Gov. Bill Lee signed the legislation the same day it passed, appointing a new board as Love and others noted TSU’s historic underfunding.
Move comes as comptroller's office issues audit reports including findings from 2019
A bill to create an authority over Nashville’s East Bank development was held up after Republicans sent it back to committee, though it ultimately passed the House on the final day of session, having passed the Senate earlier in the week. Originally, Sen. Charlane Oliver (D-Nashville) sponsored the legislation in the Senate, but she removed herself due to “rumors about the controlling party’s intent.”
“Whether it’s political exclusion or hurt feelings or both, I don’t know what the truth is, but I know my integrity is not worth these political theatrics and power plays — especially for legislation that lacks input from the residents I represent in the Senate,” Oliver said at the time, adding that she felt she had not been included on discussions about the language from the beginning.
