Gov. Bill Lee will call a special legislative session to focus on passing an expansion to his school voucher program. The announcement Wednesday morning comes less than 24 hours after lawmakers began this year’s regular session.
Lee’s school voucher program currently allows parents in Nashville, Memphis and Chattanooga to put state dollars toward private school tuition. A measure to expand the Education Freedom Act statewide did not have the votes last year, but a special session this year will narrow the legislature’s focus.
The special session, set to start Jan. 27, will also address the need for disaster relief after Hurricane Helene and changes to the state’s immigration policy at the behest of President-elect Donald Trump.
Lee has proposed a $450 million aid package to address storm damage in East Tennessee, $20 million of which will go directly towards rebuilding Hampton High School in Carter County.
Lee did not release details on what immigration legislation is likely to come out of the special session, but the governor said in a statement that the state is preparing to be “ready on Day One of the Trump Administration to support efforts to secure our Nation’s borders and keep communities safe.”
The legislature is already taking steps to address immigration. Bills advancing in the statehouse would redesign driver’s licenses based on citizenship, make public school students without citizenship pay for tuition and require certain hospitals to report their patients’ immigration status to the governor.
