NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Gov. Bill Lee will call a special session of the Tennessee General Assembly to address school vouchers and disaster relief, among other topics.
The governor announced on social media he would call for the special session on Jan. 27 to pass his "Education Freedom Act," which would expand school voucher programs in specific counties statewide, and to approve further disaster relief for those affected by Hurricane Helene last November.
The special session will also "address illegal immigration public safety measures to ensure TN stands ready to support the Trump Admin on Day One," he said in his announcement.
Lee and lawmakers have been pushing to expand vouchers statewide recently, though the effort to expand the Education Savings Account program outside of just Davidson, Shelby and Hamilton counties last year failed.
The 114th General Assembly only just gaveled in for the year on Tuesday, Jan. 14. The session will last for two years. Lawmakers said they intended to make the "Education Freedom Act of 2025" a major priority.
In a joint statement, Gov. Lee, Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, House Speaker Cameron Sexton, Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, and House Majority Leader William Lamberth called the Education Freedom Act of 2025 and Hurricane Helene relief "the most pressing legislative priorities."
"I think that it is very timely for us to go ahead and dive into those issues right here in the beginning of the session with a special session ahead of the regular session so that we can address those extremely important issues first," Lamberth said after the special session was announced.
In addition, the special session will address illegal immigration and ensure the state has the resources to help the administration deport illegal immigrants before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
Gov. Lee previously signed a letter with other Republican governors promising to use every tool, including the National Guard if necessary, to help the administration deport illegal immigrants. However, Leader Lamberth told reporters he hasn't had any discussions about appropriating funds to do that during the special session, and Lt. Gov. Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) said he hasn't heard of any proposals for that portion of the special session.
"I would hope they would concentrate on the people with criminal records and get them out because they're the ones causing trouble," Lt. Gov. McNally said.
Lawmakers will also work to provide relief to Hurricane Helene survivors during the special session. Gov. Lee is proposing a Hurricane Helene disaster relief legislative and budget package, which includes $450 million in direct disaster relief.
Democrats lambasted the governor for combining hurricane relief and the voucher push in the special session, however, Republicans promise none of the issues will be tied together.
"The people in northeast Tennessee have continued to suffer without vital funds and relief while their governor was trying to destroy their public schools and line up enough votes for a voucher scam which he is now pairing with that relief as political leverage," House Democratic Caucus Chair, Rep. John Ray Clemmons (D-Nashville) said.
"Each of these are separate and stand alone," Lamberth said. "We just happen to be doing them at the same time."
Senate Democratic Chairwoman London Lamar (D-Memphis) issued a statement calling the decision a "disservice."
"Gov. Bill Lee's decision to tie urgent storm recovery efforts to his deeply unpopular voucher scam and Donald Trump's deportation force is a great disservice to Tennessee families. Communities devastated by Hurricane Helene three months ago are counting on us to provide swift and focused relief—not political gamesmanship," she said.
"It is shameful that Gov. Lee is using the cover of a natural disaster to push an extreme agenda. Private school vouchers have already proven to be a failure, diverting public funds away from our neighborhood schools while delivering worse outcomes for students. Likewise, using Tennessee resources to enable Trump's deportation force will only stoke feat in our communities and potentially remove workers who would help East Tennessee rebuild," Lamar added.
"Neither of these controversial policies belong in the same conversation as storm recovery assistance. The Senate Democratic Caucus stands united against this cynical approach. We will fight to ensure that any special session prioritizes the needs of storm survivors over the demands of special interests and partisan politics. Tennesseans deserve better," she said.
House Democratic Caucus Chair John Ray Clemmons (D-Nashville) also criticized the move, calling it an "affront" to those affected by Hurricane Helene.
"Using long-overdue relief for the Northeast Tennessee families who were impacted by flooding from Hurricane Helene as cover and political leverage for Lee's voucher scam is an affront to Tennessee families. The reality is that if the Governor really cared about Tennessee families, he could have and should have taken this necessary action months ago. While North Carolina has approved three rounds of aid and provided over one billion dollars in aid for the disaster victims in our neighboring state, Bill Lee clearly and purposefully waited almost four months to provide much-needed aid to that he could try and line up votes to pass his voucher scam," the lawmaker said in a statement.
"Vouchers are a very complex issue that requires thorough debate and public input. To try and rush this substantive and highly controversial policy through in a 3-day session, along with disaster relief and immigration policies, is an unconscionable attempt to keep the general public in the dark and prevent sunlight from shining on our legislative process," he added. "I trust that many of my colleagues across the aisle are as incensed as we are and that they will continue to oppose the governor's scheme that will destroy public education, blow up our state budget and raise property tax increases in every county."