NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The state of Tennessee just wrapped up the 2025 legislative session. The regular session ended this week.
Lawmakers began the year with a special session to tackle three main topics: school vouchers, Hurricane Helene relief, and illegal immigration. All three issues passed during the special session.
Here's what they accomplished between the two.
Vouchers
Gov. Bill Lee's biggest priority — his Education Freedom Scholarships bill — passed easily back in January.
The bill gives students $7,295 a year in taxpayer-funded scholarships to attend a private school.
The legislature approved 20,000 of these scholarships. Half of them are meant for students whose families make less than 300% of the amount required to qualify for free and reduced lunch. A family of four making less than $170,000 per year would qualify. The remaining 10,000 vouchers will be distributed to eligible students, regardless of income.
More: How will school vouchers work in Tennessee? We finally have insight
Legislative analysts predict roughly 65% of students who will receive the vouchers already attend private schools. That means about 7,000 public school students are expected to use the scholarships to move from public to private schools.
The House passed the bill 54-44, with some Republicans breaking from the supermajority on this issue. State senators approved the measure by a vote of 20-13, also with a few Republicans voting against it.
It's important to note that a similar voucher bill failed in 2024. The program is expected to cost $347 million over the next three years.
Illegal Immigration
During the special session, the Republican supermajority also passed an immigration bill that would create a border czar, an enforcement division, and require new state IDs for non-citizens.
The bill essentially created a Tennessee border czar to serve as a federal liaison with the Trump administration and U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement. It would allow an agreement between the state and the United States Attorney General concerning the enforcement of federal immigration laws, detention and removals, and investigations in the state. That is known as the 287 G agreement.
The department would only last during the Trump administration. Per the bill, it would “sunset” or stop at the end of the Trump administration. Legislators would have to renew the department if they want it to continue after 2028.
Hurricane Helene relief
Also during the special session, lawmakers approved millions of dollars in aid for East Tennessee following the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene last year.
The bill provided $240 million to bolster Tennessee’s existing disaster relief fund, $110 million to establish a new fund that will help local governments manage interest costs on any disaster-related loans, $100 million to create a new program similar to the HEAL program that will provide flexible financial resources for future emergencies, including agricultural recovery, unemployment assistance, and business recovery efforts. The HEAL program provided impacted counties $65 million for debris removal and $35 million for clean water recovery efforts. The no-interest loans will be given to any county that is declared a federal disaster area.
The bill also provided $20 million for the rebuilding of Hampton High School in Carter County, which was destroyed in Hurricane Helene.
Immigration and schools
One of the most controversial bills during the regular session would have required school systems to ask about the immigration status of all students. That bill was pulled before it made it to the House floor for a final vote.
HB 793/SB836 was controversial from the beginning and provoked protests in nearly every committee hearing. On several occasions, protesters had to be removed from the legislature by the Tennessee Highway Patrol. In one case, the THP had to carry an 80-year-old grandmother out of a committee meeting.
More: Lawmakers now asking Trump administration about bill to deny undocumented students enrollment
In the last week of the session, House Majority Leader William Lamberth said he was pulling the bill for the rest of the year until the state gets confirmation from the U.S. Department of Education that the bill won't jeopardize federal funding for Tennessee.
Tennessee receives $1.1 billion in federal funding for public schools.
Republicans are expected to bring the bill back with the legislature reconvenes in January.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusive Ban
A pair of DEI — or diversity, equity and inclusion bills — also caused controversy in the House this session.
Republicans blocked Democrats from debating the bill, which created outrage in the minority party.
Look back: Tenn. House passes 'Dismantle DEI' bill after a controversial procedural move blocks room for debate
The "Dismantle DEI" bill prohibits state and local governments from promoting or requiring diversity in hiring practices.
The bill passed both the House and Senate along party lines.
State nans THC-A
After years of debate, lawmakers finally decided to update the state's guidelines on hemp products, which will include Delta 9 and non-Delta 9 hemp products.
Proposals HB 1376 and SB 1413 were on this year's docket for the matter.
Both Republicans and Democrats took issue with portions of the bills — some arguing that it would adversely affect hemp growers, while others touted that Tennessee was behind schedule when it came to regulating these products, considering neighboring states sell marijuana legally.
Ultimately, hemp legislation passed and is heading to the governor for his signature.
The law basically bans all THC-A products.
It also puts limits on the products in terms of age and driving under the influence.
Those purchasing must now be 21 or older to buy and cannot drive under the influence of hemp-derived cannabis products.
The bill also transfers regulatory authority over hemp-derived products from the Tennessee Department of Agriculture to the Alcoholic Beverage Commission.
Farmland easement and the Duck River
HB 1325 and SB207 focused on addressing the loss of farmland in Tennessee.
Tennessee has already lost 1.5 million acres of farmland to development - that loss equates to six counties' worth of pasture and forest land. By 2027, the amount of land lost to development is expected to hit 2 million acres, according to a University of Tennessee-Knoxville study.
The bipartisan bill passed easily and will give $25 million in an effort to save Tennessee farms.
Farmers who want to take part in the program must prove they are still using the land for agriculture or forestry. They also cannot sell the land for any reason other than agricultural once they receive the money.
From education to farmland: Here's Gov. Lee's priorities for Tennessee in 2025
The governor has also said he wants to protect more water sources in the state, specifically the Duck River, and the legislature agreed.
The Duck River was hit hard by drought last summer. An extreme drought lowered water levels and several water utility companies drew more water out of the river to try and keep up with the demand of their growing communities.
The result — a shoreline usually teaming with life became a graveyard of dead organisms.
To better conserve water and the Duck River watershed, the governor requested $100 million to protect that state resource. The legislature dolled out $65 million.
Add that to the farmland efforts, that's $90 million of the state's budget.
Grocery tax bills failed
Both the Republican and Democratic versions of a bill to repeal the tax on groceries bill failed this year.
This happened after the governor failed to include the tax cut it in his budget.
Groceries are taxed at 4% in Tennessee. The state is one of just 10 in the U.S. that still charges sales tax on groceries.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at emily.west@newschannel5.com.
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