NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee General Assembly adjourned sine die on Thursday, ending the regular 2024 legislative session. It ended after several weeks of debate and conflict over guns, abortion, taxes, universal school vouchers and more.
Leading up to the legislative session, Governor Bill Lee said he would pursue a universal school voucher program. It would have effectively used public funds to pay for nonpublic school expenses and could be used to cover tuition at private schools, faith-based schools or most other types of schools.
The proposal immediately sparked controversy, which lingered throughout the session. Lawmakers also faced criticism over work to grant about $400 million annually in tax breaks and $1.5 billion in refunds for businesses.
Old bills on arming teachers also returned this year — causing some intense condemnations from the public. Bills that also restricted abortion access to minors and curtailed some access to gender-affirming healthcare for transgender youth also passed.
More about the highs and the lows of the legislative session is available below.
Gov. Lee began the legislative session with promises to pass the "Education Freedom Scholarship Act," a proposal that would have effectively expanded the state's school voucher program statewide. The program would have allowed families to use public funds to pay for nonpublic education expenses.
The proposal immediately faced criticism from Democratic lawmakers, saying it effectively diverted funds away from public schools and saying the vouchers likely wouldn't cover the full cost of attending nonpublic schools. Supporters said the program was meant to give families more choices over where their children go to school.
Three competing bills on the voucher program were proposed this session by the Senate, House and Gov. Lee. The bills each had different scopes and goals — indicating divisions in the legislature's Republican supermajority.
Several Republican lawmakers joined with Democrats to voice opposition to the plan, such as Rep. Bryan Richey (R - Maryville). The House version was estimated to cost $400 million, but only $144 million was allocated for the program in the state's budget proposal.
School districts across East Tennessee and the state passed resolutions formally opposing the plan, including schools in Blount County. Superintendents and board members also spoke out against the plan, urging leaders to use public funds for public schools.
Without a formal program in the state's code, parents have no way to access the $144 million. The state's existing voucher program continues on, available only in Memphis, Nashville or in Hamilton County.
The governor said he was "extremely disappointed" the program failed. It can return in the next legislative session.
Tennessee lawmakers decided to grant about $400 million annually in tax breaks and $1.5 billion in refunds for businesses this legislative session after Republican leaders said a law firm representing a group of businesses contacted the state to ask about the legality of its 90-year-old franchise tax. The group demanded a refund.
Information about which specific businesses contacted the state was hidden during the session. The original number of the group of businesses that reached out to lawmakers last fall was originally disclosed to be at around 80, but at least one lawmaker stated that the law firm represented “hundreds” of individuals.
House leaders pushed for additional restrictions to the tax breaks and wanted the businesses to be disclosed. Senators did not want businesses to be disclosed and wanted lengthier tax breaks.
They eventually agreed to release the names of businesses who get tax refunds, and their refund amounts, but only in a 30-day window. To file a refund, businesses also need to agree not to sue the state.
The Tennessee Department of Revenue is expected to disclose the businesses for 30 days in June 2025.
The Republican supermajority passed a bill that allows teachers who go through special training to bring handguns to school. The proposal was staunchly opposed by Democratic lawmakers, as well as activists who condemned lawmakers from the House's public gallery after it was approved.
The bill was originally going to be considered in the House in 2023, but the bill was shelved after major demonstrations calling for gun reform and for lawmakers to act on gun violence. The demonstrations turned into condemnations that year as lawmakers failed to pass bills that would have restricted access to guns.
They reignited this year when the bill was revived and passed along party lines. Some parents of children who attended the Covenant School and activists from Moms Demand Action denounced the legislature following its passing.
It lets school faculty and staff have concealed handguns at the schools they are assigned to. Educators would need to have a handgun carry permit and have written permission from their director of schools, as well as from the school's principal.
Educators who want to have guns on school grounds would also need to be fingerprinted, and be certified by mental healthcare workers to not have any diagnosable mental health issues. They would also need to complete 40 hours of basic training in school policing. People with prior law enforcement experience, or who are law enforcement officers with the same training, would also be able to have guns on school grounds.
A small amendment adopted in the Senate specified that the training must include hands-on instruction with the authorizing law enforcement agency, and the person who wants to bring a gun on school property would need to pay for it.
The bill restricts people from openly carrying guns, and would not let guns be brought into stadiums, gymnasiums and auditoriums during school events. Guns also would not be allowed into meetings on tenure issues, disciplinary matters, or areas where medical and mental health services are provided.
It also protects schools and law enforcement agencies from lawsuits related to educators' use of guns if they were legally allowed to bring them to schools. Supporters of the bill said it was meant to guarantee a quick response during active shooter situations, especially in counties that have small law enforcement agencies.
Several leaders with East Tennessee school districts said they did not plan to change their policies on guns in schools, including Knox County Schools.
Republicans passed a bill that makes it a Class-A misdemeanor if people commit "abortion trafficking." It's described as the act of helping take minors outside of Tennessee for abortion care. Adults could also face prosecution or civil lawsuits for helping minors get abortion care drugs, or hide abortion care from a child's parents or guardians.
The misdemeanor carries a maximum penalty of around a year in prison. It also would not matter if minors want abortion care, and the bill would not apply to parents or legal guardians of unemancipated minors.
Amendments were introduced in the House and Senate that would have expanded the immunity to other members of children's families, such as grandparents, siblings, uncles and aunts. However, those amendments were voted down by the Republican supermajority.
The House adopted an amendment that also excludes people who have written and notarized consent from children's parents or guardians from facing penalties. Ambulance drivers and "common carriers" taking people out of state in the scope of their business also could not face penalties.
Tennessee has some of the country's most restrictive laws against abortion care. It is a felony to provide abortion care, except in some narrow circumstances like ectopic or molar pregnancies. Healthcare providers need to explain to a court why they thought abortion care was necessary, or else face losing voting rights, prison time or a fine.
The Republican supermajority also killed bills this session that would have let children under 13 years old access abortion care and would have allowed abortion care for pregnancies resulting from rape and incest. Another bill aimed at protecting access to contraception and family planning healthcare failed too.
Tennessee lawmakers passed a bill that requires public school employees to notify parents and guardians if a student asks them to go by a different name or use different pronouns.
The bill comes after Tennessee Republican lawmakers have established the state as one of the most eager to pass policies aimed at the LGBTQ+ community, as Republicans pursue legislation nationwide.
Democratic lawmakers accused Republicans of finding new ways to bully LGBTQ+ kids during a House debate. Its sponsor, Rep. Mary Littleton (R - Dickson), said the bill was a way to notify parents if their children needed therapy.
“These are the most vulnerable kids in our state who are just trying to make it out of middle school alive,” said Rep. Aftyn Behn (D - Nashville). “And we are weaponizing their identities instead of actually passing bills that help Tennesseans.”
Littleton also confirmed she did not speak to any transgender students before introducing the proposal but said some teachers had told her that they did not want the responsibility of having such information.
Tennessee lawmakers have killed a bipartisan bill for the year that would have let residents convicted of felonies apply to vote again without also restoring their gun rights. the bill was sent to a summer study before next year's legislative session.
The proposal sought to undo restrictions established in July. At the time, election officials interpreted a state Supreme Court ruling as requiring people convicted of felonies to get their full citizenship rights restored by a judge, or show they were pardoned, before they could apply for reinstated voting rights. In January, the elections office confirmed that voting rights restoration would also require getting back gun rights
The bill would have allowed a judge to restore someone’s right to vote separate from other rights, including those regarding guns, serving on a jury, holding public office and having certain fiduciary powers. The other rights would have similarly been eligible to be restored individually, except for gun rights, which would have required restoring the other rights too, in alignment with current legal standards.
Notable Proposals
HB 2074: The Tennessee legislature passed a bill on Tuesday meant to help people in Sunbright repair and replace items damaged by an early April tornado, giving them the opportunity to file for a tax refund on large items that may have been damaged by the storm.
HB 2310: The Republican supermajority passed a bill that criminalizes adults who help minors receive gender-affirming care without parental consent, clearing the way for the first-in-the-nation proposal to become law. It mirrors language from the so-called abortion trafficking bill.
SB 1692: Lawmakers passed new restrictions to when commercial parking lots can boot or tow cars across the state. The bill lets local governments give licenses to parking lot attendants so they can boot or tow vehicles from specific lots. The licenses would be required for parking lots to legally boot or tow cars, and employees authorized to boot cars need to wear uniforms and have photo IDs.
SB 1792: A bill changing how people in the state access "adult-oriented" websites passed with bipartisan support. Sen. Becky Duncan Massey (R - Knoxville) introduced the bill. It is otherwise named the "Protect Tennessee Minors Act," and would require adult websites to implement a way to verify users' ages, such as by uploading photo ID.
SB 1738: The Republican supermajority passed a law that allows the Department of Children's Services to place foster LGBTQ+ youth into homes that don't support their identities. Specifically, it restricts the department from adopting language about gender identity or sexual orientation.
HB 1640: Tennessee's Republican-led Legislature unanimously passed a bill that would involuntarily commit certain criminal defendants for inpatient treatment and temporarily remove their gun rights if they are ruled incompetent to stand trial due to intellectual disability or mental illness. It's otherwise known as "Jillian's Law."
SB 1834: Tennessee lawmakers passed a bill that would allow prosecutors to pursue the death penalty against people charged and convicted of child rape. It was introduced by Sen. Jack Johnson (R - Franklin) and would specifically allow the death penalty for cases involving the aggravated rape of a child.
SJR 0919 and HJR 0859: Tennessee lawmakers decided to ask state voters whether they wanted to change the state's constitution, allowing judges to deny bail for people charged with some crimes as their cases go through the courts. If it passes, people facing some charges may not be allowed to post bail in Tennessee and leave custody as their case goes through the court system.
SB 2116: Otherwise known as the "Ben Kredich Act," was introduced by Sen Massey and is meant to prevent people from getting behind the wheel after using illegal opioids. It says that evidence showing a person used controlled substances within 24 hours before a violation can specifically be used to show that a person broke laws about driving under the influence.
This is not an exhaustive list and will be updated as WBIR examines proposals passed during the legislative session. The Associated Press also contributed to this story.