TBA Law Blog

TBA Law Blog

School Voucher, Disaster Aid Bills Clear State House and Senate

Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Jan 30, 2025

The state House and Senate today voted in favor of a statewide school voucher bill that had previously eluded Gov. Bill Lee through his first six years in office, the Tennessean reports. Under the bill (SB6001/HB6004), 20,000 students would receive $7,300 subsidies to help pay for private school tuition. Half of the Education Freedom Scholarships would be income-limited to those from families earning less than 300% of the federal reduced-rate income limit, or about $175,000. A second bill (SB6005/HB6005) funding Education Freedom Scholarships, teacher bonuses and school infrastructure also passed. Last night, the House approved millions in relief funds for Eastern Tennessee, which saw flooding from Hurricane Helene in September. The bills approved allow the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency to provide assistance at the request of local governments, suspend certain unemployment eligibility requirements for residents in the disaster area, establish two funds to assist with disaster relief and give 2024 property tax breaks to those whose homes were destroyed or damaged as a result of the hurricane. An amendment to use $50 million from the state’s rainy-day fund for grants to those who lost homes during the disaster was rejected, the Nashville Post reports. WKRN provides additional details about the recovery funds and the Tennessee Transportation Financing Authority (TTFA). The Senate approved SB6003/HB6003, SB6004/HB6002 and HB6007/SB6007 on Wednesday and SB6005/HB6005 today.

Law-Related Blogs AND PODCASTS

Check out other law-related blogs and podcasts generated from the Tennessee legal community or of interest to the Tennessee lawyers.