On Wednesday, Republican Governor Bill Lee stepped up his efforts to implement universal school vouchers in Tennessee by directing the GOP-controlled Statehouse to put aside its usual legislative tasks in order to concentrate on passing a bill that would permit families to pay for private school tuition with public funds.
The timing of the announcement is odd. This week marked the beginning of Tennessee lawmakers’ usual months-long legislative session, and they are starting off with administrative duties.
Lee has, however, called for a so-called extraordinary session, which limits lawmakers to subjects specified by the governor, as opposed to going through the usual procedure of adopting legislation. The start date of the special session is set for January 27.
Lee has made unsuccessful attempts to increase school vouchers for years. Lee did not garner enough support last year to start a universal school program, even though the Republican barely prevailed in a 2019 campaign to establish a school voucher program for low-income families in a few counties.
The projected voucher effort has been opposed by Democrats and local education officials. In the months following Lee’s admission of defeat in April 2024, it’s uncertain if the political climate has sufficiently improved.
Although a few new lawmakers were elected last November with Lee’s support and financial assistance from pro-voucher activists, many have been reluctant to openly state their positions on universal school vouchers.
Tennessee’s top lawmakers, however, do back the governor’s idea. In a joint statement released Wednesday, many of them stated that “we believe the state has a responsibility to act quickly on issues that matter most to Tennesseans.”
According to a news release from Lee’s office, Lee also instructed lawmakers to “address public safety measures regarding immigration, as the incoming Administration has called on states to prepare for policy implementation” and pass a $450 million relief package for Hurricane Helene victims in order to help defuse the school voucher controversy.
Although they promised further information over the coming days, Lee’s administration did not elaborate on what those public safety measures would be.
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Lee has joined the ranks of Republican senators and governors who have vowed to support the plan to deport millions of illegal immigrants. Earlier this month, Lee expressed his willingness to use the state’s National Guard to implement upcoming administration’s plan to reporters.
The same week as Tennessee’s, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has summoned a special session to discuss immigration policies and other issues.
Florida lawmakers don’t start their regular session until March 4.
