Tennessee’s highly debated school voucher bill is headed to a final vote on the House floor on Thursday after passing through extensive discussion and public protest during committee hearings Tuesday.
The development comes as President Donald Trump made a post on social media platform Truth Social backing the voucher program.
Ahead of a special session on education, Lee is moving several swing votes while their districts wait on flood relief money
Criticism did come early on Tuesday when Rep. Bo Mitchell (D-Nashville) stood at the beginning of the House meeting to say he had seen former state aide Michael Lotfi post online that he helped write Gov. Bill Lee’s education bill.
Lotfi is currently the deputy director of the state chapter of libertarian conservative political advocacy group Americans for Prosperity. He had a no-show job under former state House Speaker Glen Casada that was one of a series of revelations that led to Casada’s resignation. He was also previously a legislative aide to former Rep. Andy Holt (R-Dresden), but was fired in 2016 for “policy violations regarding outside employment being in conflict with his work at the legislature,” the Nashville Post reported at the time.
Scene sister publication the Post reached out to House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland) to ask if he knew whether Lotfi helped write the legislation he carries for the governor’s administration. He was also asked if he took issue with the assertion that Lotfi had made. Lamberth did not respond to the request for comment.
During the House and Senate committees, an amendment was added to the education bill that specifies $77 million for school infrastructure in the bill, which comes from a sports betting tax fund, and will go first toward HOPE scholarship funding should there be a deficit in the HOPE lottery funds. In the House Finance Committee, Rep. Charlie Baum (R-Murfreesboro) said the State Funding Board has projected the HOPE lottery will run a $22 million deficit.
"We can't use this money to make up a deficit with HOPE and at the same time fund this capital fund," Baum said.
Lamberth said in response that the $22 million is a high estimate, with the low estimate being around $5 million. He added that because the growth of the sports betting fund has been "exponential," lawmakers don't anticipate this being an issue — because HOPE will be funded first if there is such a deficit, and there should still be enough for the education infrastructure as described in the bill.
"I anticipate that this account would fluctuate per year," Lamberth said.
The amendment also specifies that the funds would be granted to local education agencies at a rate of $25 per student in the LEA. A priority basis is set for distribution of funds as well.
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First priority would be for schools located in an economically distressed or at-risk county. Then priority will be given to LEAs that are considered high-performing, where 50 percent or more of that district's schools receive an A rating. Districts that are considered fast-growth areas will receive the third priority. If there is still more money in the fund, it will be given to schools in order of when they submit an application. A provision also allows for schools that have been damaged by a natural disaster to be granted funds based on when they submitted an application.
Immigration enforcement measures and hurricane relief for East Tennessee are also on the docket during the special session and will continue to go through committees Wednesday. Gov. Bill Lee’s immigration plan, which would crack down on the enforcement of federal immigration laws, dropped from $20 million to just more than $5 million in the bill’s fiscal note.
Sen. Heidi Campbell (D-Nashville) was the lone no vote on the governor's immigration proposal during Tuesday's Senate Transportation and Safety Committee.
"This deserves the due process of going through a regular session and the consideration by all of the committees in a regular session,” Campbell says.
