Top issues as Tennessee lawmakers get to work in 2025
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Tennessee lawmakers are coming back to Nashville this week to begin work on the next legislative session, and many of their top priorities have already emerged.
Why it matters: New policies up for debate will touch nearly every aspect of life in Tennessee, including trips to the grocery store and where kids go to school.
Here are some of the issues we'll be watching.
School vouchers
Gov. Bill Lee's plan to expand vouchers statewide remains the elephant in the room this year. His proposal would allow families in every corner of the state to use taxpayer money to pay for private school tuition.
There are two ways Lee could try to pass his plan.
- He could pursue passage as part of the regular session, which would give lawmakers plenty of time to debate and tweak the measure while they're also working on other bills. This gives Lee more time to win votes from skeptical lawmakers.
- Or he could call a special session on vouchers that would fast-track the approval process. This would allow him to push the measure through without a protracted debate, but it could pose a risk if the votes aren't there.
State of play: If Lee opts for a special session, insiders expect it would be in late January, during downtime between the organizational session that starts this week and the regular session that starts soon afterward.
- Lee was noncommittal while talking to reporters last week.
Helene relief
If Lee calls a special session, he indicated it would also include a relief package for northeast Tennessee communities recovering from historic flooding caused by Hurricane Helene.
Grocery tax
State Rep. Aftyn Behn, a Nashville Democrat, pushed legislation last year to cut the state's portion of the sales tax on groceries.
- She revived that effort for the upcoming session. There is also a Republican proposal to cut the grocery tax.
- House Speaker Cameron Sexton told the Tennessean he supported a more tailored tax cut that would apply to some staples like milk and eggs.
Scrutinizing federal funds
Sexton also told the Tennessean he would sponsor legislation that would require state departments to get legislative approval before they could apply for federal grants.
- The Republican majority has shown a broad distaste for some of the rules that come with federal funding. They briefly debated rejecting federal education funding in 2023.
Cellphones in schools
School cellphone bans have been a buzzy topic nationwide, and the debate will return to the Tennessee legislature.
- Rep. Scott Cepicky (R-Culleoka) introduced a bill that would require school boards to stop students from using phones in class, with some exceptions.