NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV / WVLT) – A controversial bill that would allow Tennessee public schools to keep illegal immigrants out of classrooms died this legislative session.
As the session wrapped up, HB0793/SB0836 sat in a House subcommittee for more than a week. The proposal passed in the Senate but was moved behind the budget over concerns of its financial impact.
Sponsor Rep. William Lamberth (R-Sumner County) said he was waiting for a response after reaching out to federal officials to ask if the state would lose more than $1.2 billion annually for violating Title IX by discriminating against undocumented students.
“I am going to spend a couple of days trying to figure that out and make sure that there isn’t a danger of that with this administration,” Lamberth said during a Thursday press conference. “With the (Biden) administration, I guarantee there would’ve been a risk of that. But under a Trump administration, we are just trying to figure that out.”
The bill has not been brought up for another hearing since then and Lamberth’s spokesperson said Tuesday the House Director of Fiscal Review is confirming the status of federal funding.
A controversial bill that would allow Tennessee public schools to keep illegal immigrants out of classrooms appears to be dead this legislative session.
Hundreds of students, parents and education advocates protested at committee meetings and even marched across downtown Nashville before the bill was moved down. They were concerned that a child’s right to a free education was at risk under the proposal that allows schools to unenroll or charge tuition to students who can’t prove they are U.S. citizens.
The Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition is preparing to celebrate the bill’s death as soon as the legislative session is gavelled to a close. Executive Director Lisa Sherman Luna said the legislation would open the door for lawmakers to target other groups in the future.
“This really is an extreme idea to kick children out of school based on where they were born or how they got here,” Sherman Luna said. “Tennesseans from all walks of life and across the political spectrum know that education is a fundamental human right. It is something that we should uphold and be proud of.”
She said TIRRC is preparing to work on the local level this summer to get school boards to pass resolutions against the proposal to get enough support that the bill would be dead on arrival at the start of the 2026 legislative session.
Story courtesy of WVLT
