Tennessee to expedite passage of Trump's agenda on immigration, school choice, and disaster relief.

Gov. Bill Lee of Tennessee is holding a special legislative session to discuss his school choice bill and other priorities of President-elect Trump's administration, including immigration law and disaster relief in the Volunteer State.

The governor announced that he will call for a special session of the Tennessee General Assembly on Monday, Jan. 27, to pass the Education Freedom Act. He also stated that he will introduce a disaster relief legislative package addressing recovery needs for Hurricane Helene, as well as future natural disasters. Additionally, the session will tackle public safety measures regarding immigration, as the incoming Trump Administration has called on states to prepare for policy implementation.

After Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced a special session to coordinate Trump's planned illegal immigration crackdown in the Sunshine State, Tennessee made a similar announcement.

The joint statement was issued by Lee, Tennessee Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, state House Speaker Cameron Sexton, state Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, and state House Majority Leader William Lamberth.

"The majority of Tennesseans, regardless of political affiliation, have made it clear that they support empowering parents with school choice, and the best thing we can do for Tennessee students is deliver choices and public school resources without delay."

Hurricane Helene caused significant damage to rural, at-risk, and distressed communities, making it an unprecedented disaster. The state has an opportunity and obligation to work with these impacted counties to develop innovative solutions for natural disasters in the future.

On Day One, Tennessee must be prepared to support President Trump in enforcing immigration laws and protecting our communities, as he was elected with a mandate to do so by the American people.

"Gov. Lee instructed state agencies to prepare for federal immigration policy implementation last year, according to Elizabeth Lane Johnson, his press secretary. During the upcoming special session, the state will work to coordinate with federal, state, and local law enforcement to implement the Trump Administration's plan to enforce federal immigration laws."

"President Trump has emphasized the importance of states working with his Administration to enhance community safety. Tennessee is responding to this call," she stated.

In November, Lee, whose initial school choice proposal was rejected by the state legislature the previous year, spoke to Planet Chronicle Digital about a new package aimed at enhancing parental rights.

The governor argued that the political environment in Tennessee has changed since the first school choice proposal failed, citing the election of pro-school choice candidates and Trump's victory. Lee agreed with Trump's promise to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education and shared the president-elect's concern about the federal bureaucracy becoming entrenched with gender and race ideology rather than learning.

"In this case, states are the best equipped to determine what is best for their children's education. As a resident of Tennessee, I know what our kids need and how to educate them effectively. Parents in this state should have more influence over their children's education, and this can be achieved by dismantling the federal Department of Education and delivering its funds directly to the states to be used more efficiently and effectively. President Trump has long advocated for school choice and education freedom, and he has talked about it extensively during his campaign."

The Education Freedom Act of 2025, sponsored by Lee, would utilize existing state legislature funding to provide up to 20,000 scholarships worth approximately $7,000 each for the upcoming school year. The first 10,000 scholarships would be reserved for low-income students whose families may not have the financial means to send their children to schools other than those in their districts.

The governor and the General Assembly will maintain their commitment to public schools by investing hundreds of millions of state dollars in the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) formula and raising starting teacher pay, in addition to establishing Education Freedom Scholarships, providing teacher bonuses, increasing K-12 facilities funding, and ensuring state funding to school districts will never decrease due to disenrollment.

The governor intends to invest over $450 million in direct disaster relief in addition to his plans.

The hurricane caused significant damage to at-risk and distressed counties, with estimated costs of $1.2 billion, according to Lee's office.

The Disaster Relief Grants (DRG) Fund provides $240 million to enhance Tennessee's disaster relief fund, reduce the local cost-share burden from 12.5% to 5%, and fund the state match requirement to access federal funds and cover administrative costs. Additionally, Lee's package creates the Hurricane Helene Interest Payment Fund, which allocates $110 million to assist local governments in managing loan interest for recovery costs by covering interest costs at 5% per year for three years on loans for recovery expenses.

The Governor’s Response and Recovery Fund has allocated $100 million to establish a new program that will offer flexible financial resources for future emergencies, including agricultural recovery, unemployment assistance, and business recovery initiatives. Additionally, the package has set aside $20 million for the rebuilding of Hampton High School in Carter County, which was damaged by Hurricane Helene.