The Republican controlled by Tennessee’s Republican legislator approved the accounts on Thursday, with the aim of reducing unauthorized immigration and allowing families to use public funds for private school tuition, reflecting the TRUMP.
Legislative leaders left minimal space for debate, promoting millions of dollars and policy changes in a special session that lasted only four days. A bill creates a new state migration office that will work directly with the federal government to enforce the law on immigration. Another is expanding the state coupon program, which today operates only in the largest school districts of Tennessee.
The explicit support of President Trump and the full pressure campaign was enough to help overcome the resistance in the context of the democratic loudspeaker above the school’s bill. The expansion of the coupon program is also a top priority of Governor Bill Lee’s and has been closely with 54 votes in the House and 20 in the Senate.
“Now, we are ready to help the president on his further public security agenda for our state,” said a Republican, a Republican, following a special meeting that ended on Thursday afternoon. “And finally, thanks to the General Assembly and thousands of Tennesses who have worked so hard, universal school choice is now a reality for Tennessee families.”
The only provision that won the diplomatic support that was distributed millions of dollars for communities in Eastern Tennessee, which were destroyed last year by floods by Hellne. Some Democrats voted against part of it, however, because funding was wrapped in the same expenditure bill to pay for the expansion of the coupons.
“In fact, this is controlling – definitely the control of taxpayers’ dollars,” said Senator Heidi Campbell, Democrat.
Legislators expected that Mr Lee would promote the many millions of dollars’ coupons, which failed to receive enough support last year, along with the reinforcement of hurricanes. However, after Mr Trump signed a series of executive commands that harden the federal migration law, Mr Lee added a billing of about $ 6 million to be examined at the Special Summit.
At least one aspect of the bill caused the destruction between the Democrats and the Republicans: making the felony for every local employee to vote to support a “Sanctuary City” policy for unauthorized immigrants. These policies are already illegal under state law, and the US Union of Tennessee Civil Liberties said it would submit a legal challenge.
“If we put a previous one for the punishment of any elected official for voting for their conscience, whether it’s good or bad, then we put a dangerous precedent on the subject,” said Todd Gardenhire Senator, Republican from Chattanooga. He referred to as an example, a conservative legislator who is punished in support of democratic priorities, such as abortion rights or gun control.
Extensive coupons remained the most divisive issue for both democrats and Republicans, especially those who were worried about removing money from agricultural schools. The program is estimated to cost about $ 350 million over the next school year and will cost millions more in the coming years as it opens to more students. Some school areas have adopted resolutions that are opposed to expansion.
As part of the measure, about 20,000 students will be eligible for about $ 7,000 each to be used in private or charter schools in the following school year, with the number of eligible students increasing each year after that. Half of the students must come from low -income families or have disabilities.
Republicans frame the coupon plan as a way to strengthen parents and allow them to access more schools. The Democrats have questioned whether the private schools receiving the money would keep the same educational standards as public schools. They also wondered if private schools could reject some students who wanted to use the coupons money to attend.
“When we start getting from public schools, we hurt our children, we hurt our children with lower incomes,” said state spokesman Ronnie Glynn, a Democrat from Clarksville. He added that “many of your children in rural Tennessee will never see the interior of a private institution.”
Some legislators also ran into an amendment that would award a lump sum of $ 2,000 to public teachers only if their school areas voted for a “confirmation” resolution in the coupon program.
However, the Republicans rushed to underline the support of Mr Trump, who is preventively congratulated social media legislators for their work on the bill. The American chapter on Tennessee’s prosperity, a conservative defense team, welcomed that “from today, parents, not government bureaucrats, are ultimately under control” in education.
Tennessee legislators will return next month for the regular legislative session.
