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Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee is calling for a special legislative session to address school choice legislation and other priorities of President-elect Donald Trump’s administration, including immigration and disaster relief in the Volunteer State.
Mr. Lee announced that he will ask the Tennessee General Assembly to convene a special session on Monday, January 27, to pass the Education Freedom Act. The governor said he would introduce disaster relief legislation to address recovery needs from Hurricane Helen and future natural disasters, adding, “This session will also address immigration security measures as the incoming Trump administration urges states to prepare.” ” he said. For policy implementation. ”
The announcement from Tennessee comes after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday he would call his own special legislative session to help coordinate President Trump’s planned crackdown on illegal immigration in the Sunshine State. .
Mr. Lee issued a joint statement with Tennessee Lt. Governor Randy McNally, State House Speaker Cameron Sexton, State Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, and State House Majority Leader William Lamberth.
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Tennessee Governor Bill Lee speaks on stage at the Republican National Convention on July 16, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
“We believe the state has a responsibility to act quickly on the issues that matter most to Tennesseans, and we are committed to our most pressing legislative priorities: the Uniform Educational Freedom Act and comprehensive legislative priorities. “There is widespread support in the General Assembly and across Tennessee for holding a special session regarding relief packages for Hurricane Helen and other disaster recovery efforts,” they said. “The majority of Tennesseans, regardless of political affiliation, have made it clear that they support giving parents the right to choose their school, and we believe that we can do the best we can for Tennessee students.” The point is to provide options and public school resources without delay.”
The statement continued: “Hurricane Helen was an unprecedented disaster for local, at-risk and distressed communities, and the state cannot shoulder the local cost of federal relief funds alone. “We have an opportunity and an obligation to work with these affected counties and regions.” In the future, we would like to develop innovative solutions for natural disasters. ”
“Finally, the American people elected President Trump with a mission to enforce immigration laws and protect our communities. Tennessee must have resources in place to support the administration from day one. Yes,” they said.
“Last year, Governor Lee directed key state agencies to begin preparing to implement federal immigration policy,” Governor Lee’s press secretary Elizabeth Lane Johnson said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “This special session will ensure that states are best positioned to work with federal, state, and local law enforcement to carry out the Trump Administration’s plan to enforce federal immigration laws on the books.”
“President Trump has made clear that states will play a critical role in working with his administration to make our communities safer, and Tennessee is heeding that call,” she added.
Lee, whose first school choice proposal was defeated in the state Legislature early last year, spoke to Fox News Digital in November about introducing a second package aimed at expanding parental rights.
After Mr. Trump won a decisive election victory, the governor argued that the political environment on the ground in Tennessee was different than it was months ago, when the first school choice proposal was defeated.
Pro-school choice candidates won successive elections at the state level, and Mr. Trump was successful in his bid for the White House. Lee told Fox News Digital that he agrees with President Trump’s pledge to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education and echoes the president-elect’s concerns that the federal bureaucracy is entrenched in ideologies of gender and race rather than learning. did.
Gov. Bill Lee joins other governors for a press conference to discuss border issues along the Rio Grande River on the U.S.-Mexico border in Eagle Pass, Texas, Feb. 4, 2024. (Raquel Natalichio/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
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“Certainly in this case, each state knows best. In Tennessee, we know best what our children need and how best to educate them. Parents should and will be given more influence over how their children are educated.” The Federal Department of Education will be dismantled and those funds used in more efficient and effective ways. will be delivered to each state,” Lee said at the time. “President Trump has long believed that school choice is important to the people of this country and that educational freedom is something all Americans should enjoy. He has talked about it and campaigned on it.”
A car and debris near the Swannanoa River in an area flooded by devastating rains from Hurricane Helen on October 5, 2024 in Swannanoa, North Carolina. (Steve Exum/Getty Images)
Lee’s new school choice bill, titled the Educational Freedom Act of 2025, would use funding already approved by the state Legislature to allow the state Department of Education to award up to 20,000 scholarships (approximately 7,000 each) over the next fiscal year. This allows the award of US dollar equivalent). It is spent on tuition, tutoring, technology, and exam fees. The first 10,000 scholarships will be reserved for low-income students whose parents cannot afford to send their children to non-public schools within the district.
In addition to creating the Educational Freedom Scholarship, Chancellor Lee’s office said the bill would “provide teacher bonuses to recognize unwavering dedication to student success, increase funding for K-12 facilities, “It will further invest in public schools and teachers by ensuring state funding for school districts.” Reduction due to withdrawal. ” Governor Lee and the General Assembly will “maintain our commitment to our public schools by investing hundreds of millions of dollars more in the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) system and increasing beginning teacher pay.” the office said.
The Governor also plans to invest more than $450 million in direct disaster relief.
Hurricane Helen was an “unprecedented disaster that primarily affected at-risk and affected counties, with eligible damage-related costs estimated at $1.2 billion,” Lee said. ‘s office said.
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The Disaster Relief Grant (DRG) Fund allocates $240 million to strengthen Tennessee’s existing disaster relief fund and also reduces local cost-sharing contributions from 12.5% to 5% and increases federal funding. Funds state match requirements for coverage using . Administrative costs. Lee’s policy also establishes a Hurricane Helen Interest Payment Fund to “help local governments manage recovery loan interest by paying interest on recovery loans at 5% per year for three years.” Allocate $110 million.
Finally, the Governor’s Response and Recovery Fund will provide $100 million to “create new programs inspired by the HEAL program that will provide flexible funding for future emergencies, including agricultural recovery, unemployment assistance, and business recovery efforts.” is assigned. The package also sets aside $20 million to rebuild Hampton High School in Carter County, which was destroyed by Hurricane Helen.
Daniel Wallace is a breaking news and political reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to danielle.wallace@fox.com and X: @danimwallace.
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