Advocacy Committee Agenda #6 Friday, March 13, 2026
Education —Lance McCold and MaKenzie Mosby [League member(s) reporting]
HB793 (Lamberth) [Bill sponsor(s)] This bill passed the Senate last year and then was held up on the House side over the question of whether or not passage of the bill would jeopardize federal education funds for the state. As passed in committee, it is a mandated data-collection activity for every LEA to identify the citizenship/immigration status of students and report the aggregated information.Status: passed in House Finance Comm., 3/10/26 and recommended for passage.
LWVTN Position: oppose
Action: Action alert (3/3/26)
HB2532/SB2247 (Lamberth/Johnson): Increases from 25,000 to 40,000, the maximum number of Education Freedom Scholarships (a.k.a. vouchers) that may be awarded to eligible students in the 2026-27 school year; directs the governor to elect for this state to participate in the federal education tax credit program created in The One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act and to comply with any and all requirements to maintain the state’s participation in the program in the future. Status: HB2532 calendared for House Ed. Comm., 3/17/26 SB2247 recommended for passage; referred to Finance Comm., 3/17/26
LWVTN Position: oppose
Immigration Policies — Nancy James and Ramsey McGowen [League member(s) reporting]
HB1711/SB2108 (Davis/White) This bill requires reporting by law enforcement agencies, local governmental entities and officials regarding persons not lawfully present in the United States; requires the department of finance and administration to report the annual cost incurred by this state for public schools, including public higher education institutions, prisons, hospitals, and social services agencies to provide benefits and services to persons not lawfully present in the United States. This has been amended to be a “trigger” bill that would be activated if and when the Supreme Court reverses Plyler v. Doe and ends the concept of public education for all children in the U.S. Status: deferred in House State & Local Gov’t Comm., 3/18/26
LWVTN Position: opposed
HB1710/SB1915 (Powers/Jackson) This bill adds local governments to the entities that must verify that each applicant for public benefits is a United States citizen or lawfully present in the United States; authorizes the attorney general and reporter to investigate violations of requirements for verification of citizenship or presence for public benefits; requires reporting related to verification for benefits to DHS. This bill specifically targets students who apply for higher ed. benefits. Status: deferred in House State & Local Gov’t Comm., 3/18/26
LWVTN Position: opposed
Open and Transparent Government —Marian Ott and Robert Walker [League member(s) reporting]
HB1640/SB1881 (Lamberth/Johnson) This bill would allow the Office of Homeland Security to keep records of its investigations confidential forever including the evidence gather and, potentially, judicial records. TCOG is working with legislators on a possible amendment to hold Homeland Security to the same confidentiality standards as other state law enforcement. Status: HB 1640 calendared for Public Service sub-comm., 3/18/26
LWVTN position: oppose
Action: action alert
HB 2506/SB1464 (Sexton/Johnson) This bill exempts certain records regarding immigration enforcement actions from open records and creates a Class E Felony for “criminally negligent public release of these records.” Status: HB2506 calendared for House Gov. Ops. Comm., 3/16/26 SB1464 recommended for passage in Senate State & Local, 3/3/26
LWVTN Position: oppose
HB1544/SB1643 (Walley/Barrett) — This bill would require the Dept. of Education to provide basic information about the Education Freedom Scholarships (a.k.a. vouchers) that have been awarded. It would provide a level of transparency by identifying basic information such as whether students were already attendees at a private school, their county of residence, etc. It would not include personal identifying information about the recipients. Status: HB1544 is deferred for House K-12 Comm., 3/17/26 SB1643 is deferred for Senate Ed Comm., 3/18/26
LWVTN Position: support
Environmental Policies — Marilyn Finley, Candace Tanner, Joyce Feld, Robin Graham [League member(s) reporting]
HB 1846/SB1824 (Butler, Lowe) Greenbelt Rollback Tax Elimination This bill seeks to reduce the tax penalty developers must pay when converting agricultural greenbelt property to residential/commercial property. Owners would need to reapply for greenbelt status. Why it matters: Farmlands are rapidly disappearing and this bill would remove one of the true safeguards against rapacious developers. Status: Senate State and Local Government Committee, 3/17/26
LWVTN Position: OPPOSE
Action: Action Alert to Senate Committee
HB2392/SB2653 (Reneau/Taylor) “Tennessee Data Center Input Review” Creates a review process for the environmental and community impact of new data centers — covering water use, energy demand, and local infrastructure strain — before facilities are approved. Why it matters: Data centers consume significant water and electricity. A review process gives communities and regulators the information needed to make informed decisions.Status: HB2392 deferred for House Agriculture & Natural Resources Sub-comm., 3/18/26 SB2653 deferred for Senate Commerce & Labor Comm., 3/17/26
LWVTN Position: support
Action: Urge constituents to contact Reps. Tom Stinnett, Rebecca Alexander, Aftyn Behn, Bud Hulsey, Justin Jones, Greg Martin, Jay Reedy, Greg Vital (3/2/26)
Elections/Voting Rights — Debby Gould and Terri Love [League member(s) reporting]
HB1639/SB1880 (Lamberth/Johnson) — This bill creates the Office of Homeland Security within the TN Dept. of Safety. An amendment will be introduced in committee next week that includes in their responsibilities: “upon request of the secretary of state’s office, assist with securing the state’s election infrastructure.” We need to understand what that means. Status: HB1639 calendared for House State & Local Comm., 3/18/26 SB1880 is recommended for passage; referred to Calendar Comm., 3/11/26
LWVTN Position: grave concerns
Action: Raise questions for committee members
HB2036/SB1825 (Garrett/Taylor) — This bill prohibits naturalized citizens and citizens with dual citizenship from qualifying for federal office. Status: SB1630 is deferred for Senate State & Local Comm., 3/17/26
LWVTN Position: monitoring this caption bill. As written, it would create two classes of citizens —native born and naturalized.
HB1497/SB1630 (Cepicky/Hensley) — This bill mandates that all municipalities standardize their election cycle for municipal elections to coincide with the August primary or November general election. As amended, the partisan elections component that was originally part of the bill has been removed. Status: HB1497 is calendared for House State & Local Comm., 3/18/26 SB1630 is calendared for Senate State & Local Comm., 3/17/26
LWVTN Position: monitoring
Public Health Policies —Clare Sullivan, Patti Scott, Harper-Grace Rice, Pat Post [League member(s) reporting]
HB387/SB474 (Butler/ Bowling) This bill would prohibit a healthcare provider from inquiring about a patient’s ownership or access to firearms. It would subject the provider to disciplinary action and a fine 0f $1,000. Status: HB387 “action deferred in House Health Comm. to the Special Calendar published with the final calendar. SB 474 calendared for Sen. Health & Welfare Comm., 3/17/26.
LWVTN Position: oppose
HB1866 (J Jones)/SB2010 (Kyle) —Regulating Artificial Intelligence in Health Care Act.
Prohibits insurers to solely rely on AI to screen or deny claims for service exemptions due to medical necessity. Requires a qualified healthcare professional to review requests for coverage related to medical necessity. Status: HB1866 taken off notice for House Insurance Sub-Comm., 3/11/26SB2010 deferred to Senate Commerce Comm., 3/17/26.
LWVTN Position: support
Action: letters to House Insurance Sub-comm. & Senate Health & Welfare Comm., 3/2/26
HB 1443 (R. Jones)/ SB 1777 (Crowe) Caring for Caregivers Bill. Would establish a 3-year pilot program to reimburse low-income families for expenses related to caring for a loved one in their home that were not otherwise covered by health insurance.
Status: HB1443 calendared for House Finance Comm., 3/18/26 SB1777 calendared for Sen. Health & Welfare Comm., 3/17/26.
LWVTN Position: support
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LWVTN Advocacy Committee will meet every Friday at noon CST/1:00 p.m. EST for the duration of the legislative session. Use the same zoom link each week: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83572470804?pwd=juPSxs26WbcWREVi6u9MeDMdwpkgsb.1
