What to watch as Tennessee lawmakers return to Nashville
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Tennessee's new legislative session begins Tuesday, kickstarting months of debates, deals and new laws.
Why it matters: Republican lawmakers, who hold a supermajority in the General Assembly, plan to use the session to expand school vouchers, trim some taxes and support President Trump's immigration crackdown.
Zoom in: Gov. Bill Lee has embraced vouchers that give families public money to pay for private school tuition. Lawmakers passed his statewide voucher program last year, and they are expected to double down on it during the session.
- The statewide Education Freedom Scholarship program provides funding for up to 20,000 students. More than 42,000 applied to participate last year.
What he's saying: House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) tells Axios "if the budget is looking good," he'd like to see the state expand the program to totally meet demand.
- If budget constraints make that impossible, he says "we can at least get 5,000" additional slots.
Top Republican lawmakers have already filed bills tied to Trump's immigration enforcement.
- Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson (R-Franklin) introduced legislation this summer that would seek to remove elected officials from office, and subject them to felony charges, if they release confidential information about immigration operations.
Flashback: Johnson's bill is a direct rebuke of Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell and his executive order that requires city officials to report interactions with ICE.
Zoom out: Sexton tells Axios he expects Republican leadership to back a series of several immigration bills, some of which are being crafted with input from the White House.
Tax cuts are on the agenda for lawmakers from both parties.
- In an op-ed this week for the Tennessean, House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland) endorsed ending the state grocery tax and proposed a sales tax holiday on guns and ammunition.
- Rep. Aftyn Behn (D-Nashville), who has pushed for years to eliminate the state grocery tax, is likely to revive her efforts during the session.
Reality check: The scope of any tax cut or spending plan will be dictated by the scale of the new budget.
- A panel of economists set modest expectations for state revenue growth during a meeting last year.
- University of Tennessee economist Don Bruce told state leaders "we're certainly not in a position to start large-scale new investments."
What's next: Lee will unveil his budget proposal as well as his top legislative priorities next month in his State of the State speech.