NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A Tennessee bill that would require public schools to collect and report data on a students' immigration status advanced out of a House subcommittee Wednesday, drawing large crowds of protesters and sparking heated debate inside and outside the committee room.
House Bill 793, sponsored by House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland) passed the House Finance Subcommittee and now heads to the full Finance Committee after getting a major amendment attached.
The bill requires public school districts to request documentation of a child's legal status when they enroll, then report to the Tennessee Department of Education how many students in Tennessee schools are in the country without legal status. The bill does not require schools to report the names or addresses of children in those reports.
The measure is an amended version of legislation Rep. Lamberth introduced in 2025 that would have allowed public school districts to charge tuition to undocumented students. That version stalled after concerns arose that it could jeopardize federal funding. "There's no way I want to bring a bill forward that would endanger 1.1 billion when we are trying to add additional funds in for K-12 public education," Lamberth said.
With no assurances from the Trump administration on the funding question, Lamberth said the focus of the legislation shifted. "At the core of this, this is about data and information, that's it," Lamberth said. "Without that data, it's hard to really identify the scope of the issue that we're dealing with."
State Rep. Jason Zachary (R-Knoxville) echoed that sentiment during debate. "Right now, we simply do not know what the attendance is in our school systems across the state regarding children who are here illegally," Zachary said.
Opponents of the bill packed the committee room, with so many people attempting to attend that some were turned away at the door. Protesters sang outside and inside the room before and after the vote.
Several people signed up to speak against the bill during the public comment period. Immigration attorney Johnny Epstein argued the data would be difficult to track accurately. "A child's immigration status can be a rollercoaster due to waiting times, backlogs, court reversals and executive memos," Epstein said.
After the bill passed, subcommittee Chair Rep. Ryan Williams (R-Cookeville) ordered the room cleared due to vocal outbursts.
After the vote, Democrats raised concerns that the data collected could ultimately be shared with federal immigration enforcement agencies. "Those children can get targeted, so many bad things can happen," said State Rep. Jesse Chism (D-Memphis.) "With any list, names can get leaked. Those names could get distributed under the table. It's just a dangerous thing."
Rep. Lamberth pushed back on those concerns. "The federal government does all of those programs, and they do that separate from what this is. This is literally just about macro-data so we can know generalized numbers," Lamberth said.
State Rep. Justin Pearson (D-Memphis) was critical of how the vote unfolded, as he addressed a crowd of demonstrators outside of the committee room. "I hate to see what happened up there. I hate to see the cowardice of some of my colleagues," Pearson said.
The Senate version of the bill, that passed last year, is different from the House version from this year. It means both chambers will have to agree on language before it could be passed and signed by the Governor into law.
Lamberth acknowledged that if the bill ultimately passes, it will likely face a legal challenge. He said the Tennessee Attorney General is prepared to defend it.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at Chris.Davis@NewsChannel5.com.
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