As Tennessee's legislative session hurtles toward its conclusion later this month, several high-profile bills are nearing their final hurdles.

Why it matters: This is when things heat up. A flurry of last-minute deals, changes and debates are all taking place as lawmakers move closer to the finish line for the year.

Immigration emerged as a dominant topic early on this year, with top Republicans collaborating with the White House to craft policies that complemented President Trump's immigration crackdown.

The latest: Multiple bills faced pivotal moments this week, including one that would require all Tennessee sheriffs to cooperate with federal immigration agents. When House Republicans cut off debate on the bill during a Tuesday committee meeting, enraged Democrats shouted and cursed in disapproval.

• Another measure that would have required public schools to track students' immigration status seemingly faltered, but House Republicans are looking to revive it by attaching it to the voucher expansion plan.

School vouchers, which allow students to use public money to pay private school tuition, have been one of Gov. Bill Lee's top priorities for years. This year, he called on lawmakers to double the number of students who could participate from 20,000 to 40,000.

Yes, but: The House version of the plan was amended this week to shave 5,000 off that total, setting a 35,000-student cap instead. Another piece of that amendment adds the requirement that public schools track student immigration status in order to maintain their funding levels.

• That version of the bill won approval from a key House panel yesterday. But it is at odds with the Senate version.
• The House and Senate will have to agree on a single version before the expansion can become law.

Abortion is already illegal in Tennessee, but lawmakers have repeatedly revisited the issue. This year, a bill that would have allowed women who sought abortions to be charged with murder, and potentially eligible for the death penalty, failed last month.

LGBTQ+ issues are another perennial focus at the Capitol. This year was no different, with bills targeting same-sex marriage and LGBTQ+ job protections, among other things.

Zoom in: Some of those high-profile efforts fizzled, including a measure that sought to ban Pride flags in government buildings.

• The Senate shelved the effort to allow residents and companies to refuse to acknowledge same-sex marriages. The push against job protections also died.

A bill that would create a public list of transgender medical patients' personal information continues to advance, and is headed to the Senate floor.

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Also in the legislature, Republicans are pushing a plan to force Metro and other local governments to hold their elections in even-numbered years to coincide with presidential or gubernatorial cycles.

Why it matters: The plan, from state Rep. Scott Cepicky and Sen. Joey Hensley, stands to stir up more political chaos in Nashville.

• Metro currently holds elections for mayor and council in odd years.

The big picture: If this new law is adopted, the current terms of Mayor Freddie O'Connell and Metro Council members would apparently be extended until 2028 instead of 2027, when they are currently supposed to expire.

What he's saying: Cepicky argues his plan would increase voter turnout in local elections and save the cost of holding off-cycle contests.

• The legislation has cleared committees in the Senate and House. It needs additional committee approvals in both chambers before advancing to floor votes.

The other side: State Rep. Jason Powell, a Nashville Democrat, called the proposal "one of the most consequential threats to the Metro Nashville charter."

• "Nashvillians did not elect a mayor or council to serve five-plus years in office," Powell tells Axios. "I have heard very little from Metro opposing these bills, but I can assure you the people of Nashville do not want to extend terms past 2027 or change the date of our elections."

Zoom in: Powell also worried about ballot fatigue. Under the plan, local offices would be placed below federal and state positions on the ballot, requiring voters to scroll down to several pages to make their selection for mayor.

• In presidential election years, voters already drop off and don't vote in down-ballot races.
• Under current Metro law, runoff elections are held about six weeks after the general election. Under Cepicky's bill, the general election would be held in August and the runoff in November.

What we're watching: The city is already bracing for the size of the Metro Council to be reduced from 40 to no more than 20. A state Supreme Court ruling on a law to cap the size of council is expected any day now.

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🗳 State legislation would force voters to pick a party affiliation in order to vote in primary elections in Tennessee. (Tennessean)

⚖️ President Trump made a historic visit to the Supreme Court to watch arguments in the lawsuit challenging birthright citizenship. (Axios)

❌ Tech giant Oracle began laying workers off worldwide shortly after announcing a large office expansion in Nashville. (Nashville Business Journal, subscription)

Nearly two-thirds of Americans now use AI regularly and want stronger oversight, but are conflicted on how far regulation should go, according to a new national survey from AI governance nonprofit Fathom shared exclusively with Axios.

State of play: People say they want policymakers to deliver guardrails while also keeping the U.S. dominant in AI.

• That mirrors the results of a recent Vanderbilt poll.

Respondents also strongly back workforce transition policies with support from the government, and say they trust independent experts and nonprofits more than politicians or tech companies to set guardrails.

Methodology: The Fathom survey of 2,036 people was conducted online by Forbes Tate Partners from Jan. 29-Feb. 4.

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