Tennessee Republicans are bucking for a Supreme Court showdown to end the constitutional requirement for public schools to teach every child regardless of their immigration status.
But at least one member of the majority party says lawmakers are operating out of “fear” that they’ll run into primary opposition next year if they don’t vote for a bill allowing school districts to opt out of serving immigrant children without permanent legal status.
“There’s an old saying on Wall Street: When the ducks are quacking, you feed ’em,” said Sen. Todd Gardenhire, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. “And the hysteria of anti-Hispanics is running rampant right now, and the ducks are quacking, so this bill is designed to satisfy the ducks and feed ’em what they want to eat.”
House Bill 793, which is sponsored by House Majority Leader William Lamberth of Portland and Sen. Bo Watson of Hixson, is being sold as a method to challenge Plyler v. Doe, a precedent-setting 1982 U.S. Supreme Court case. Lamberth and Watson also say passing it is important to keep local school boards from taking on the burden of educating immigrant students.
Watson said the bill is designed to build on action taken during the legislature’s recent special session at the request of President Donald Trump.
Sen. Bo Watson, a Hixson Republican, said his bill is designed to build on action taken to tighten immigration measures during a recent special legislative session. (Photo: John Partipilo)
Lawmakers approved $5.5 million two weeks ago to set up a bureau within the Department of Safety and Homeland Security that would work with federal and local law enforcement on deportation of immigrants without permanent legal status. Nearly all of the money will go toward grants to train local law enforcement agencies on handling immigrants without legal status.
Lamberth defended the bill by saying the nation has been inundated with immigrants compared with the early 1980s when the Supreme Court case was decided.
“Those illegal immigrants are not going to be able to benefit from the services reserved for legal immigrants or U.S. citizens, period,” he said. “If they don’t like that, they can go to some state that’s a sanctuary state.”
House Speaker Cameron Sexton supports the bill, saying local school districts are having trouble handling a large number of immigrant students who either speak English as a second language or leave school during different times of the year based on their parents’ jobs.
“It’s detrimental to everything we’re trying to achieve in the school system,” Sexton said.
In addition to creating the immigration enforcement bureau, which will be able to operate confidentially, lawmakers excluded students without permanent legal status from the governor’s private-school voucher bill during the special session.
Those illegal immigrants are not going to be able to benefit from the services reserved for legal immigrants or U.S. citizens, period.
– House Majority Leader William Lamberth
The move drew opposition from first-term Rep. Gabby Salinas of Memphis, who migrated to America from Bolivia when she was 7. She said the bill is unconstitutional and goes against the “international standard” for educating all children, putting Tennessee on par with countries that engage in child labor and child abuse.
“For us to be leaders at the global stage and to be engaging in such practices, it’s cruel, it’s inhumane, and it’s heartless,” Salinas said.
Even though the bill targets children without permanent legal status, Salinas said it could affect other children who are friends, classmates and neighbors. She predicted a “catastrophic” loss of revenue if the measure passes and eventually becomes law.
“If the human cost is not enough, look at the numbers and financial cost,” she said, noting immigrants contribute heavily to the state and national economy.
The American Immigration Council reported that 383,800 immigrant residents in Tennessee had more than $11 billion in spending power in 2022 and paid $3.2 billion in taxes. It didn’t delineate immigrants without permanent legal status.
The Migration Policy Institute estimated 128,000 immigrants without legal status live in Tennessee, and 10,000 of those are enrolled in public schools, according to a House Republican Caucus release.
“For us to be leaders at the global stage and to be engaging in such practices, it’s cruel, it’s inhumane, and it’s heartless,” said Rep. Gabby Salinas, a Memphis Democrat.
Lamberth said communities across the state shouldn’t be forced to pay for the federal government’s failure to secure the country’s borders.
“Our obligation is to ensure a high-quality education for legal residents first,” Lamberth said.
Despite the claims that immigrant children put a burden on local school districts, J.C. Bowman, executive director of Professional Educators of Tennessee, said he doesn’t hear complaints from teachers.
The main problem, he said, is that immigrant children are required to be tested as soon as they transfer into a school district.
“The major issue was technology,” Bowman said. He added that the state has a shortage of teachers for English as a second language.
House Bill 793 has not been scheduled to be heard in a House or Senate committee.
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Tennessee Lookout is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Tennessee Lookout maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Holly McCall for questions: info@tennesseelookout.com.
SUMMARY: Desmond Mills Jr., a former Memphis officer who pleaded guilty, testified during the trial of Tadarrius Bean and others charged in Tyre Nichols’ 2023 death. Nichols was beaten after fleeing a traffic stop; footage showed officers laughing while Nichols struggled. Mills admitted hitting Nichols out of anger after accidentally pepper-spraying himself and regretted failing to stop the beating. Nichols died three days later from blunt force trauma. Defense argued Nichols resisted arrest, while prosecutors said officers were “overcome by the moment” and failed to intervene. The trial, moved from Memphis due to publicity, addresses charges including second-degree murder amid scrutiny of MPD’s conduct.
www.thecentersquare.com – By Kim Jarrett | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-30 12:15:00
(The Center Square) – Democrats and Republicans from three states are supporting a 287-mile trail that would include Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina.
The lawmakers are asking for a feasibility study on the Benton MacKaye National Scenic Trail. U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn., said Wednesday the trail deserves a national scenic designation.
“The Benton MacKaye Trail is an invaluable part of my district in East Tennessee that thousands of Tennesseans and Americans hike each year, and the trail connects some of the most beautiful and pristine parts of Tennessee with Georgia and North Carolina,” Fleischmann said.
The trail that winds through the Southern Appalachian Mountains was completed in 2005, according to Bob Cowdrick, president of the Benton MacKaye Trail Association, which has supported its development since 1980, according to the bill.
“This study would help protect our storied outdoor heritage for future generations, support local economies, and provide a wide array of recreation opportunities for everyone from day hikers to thru-hikers and solo trekkers to families,” Cowdrick said.
The trail’s path is made up of 95% of federal land. It passes through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Chattahoochee-Oconee, Cherokee and Nantahala National Forests. It begins at North Georgia’s Springer Mountain and ends at North Carolina’s Mount Sterling, according to the Benton MacKaye Trail Association.
The bill is cosponsored in the House by Democrats Steve Cohen of Tennessee and Lucy McBath of Georgia. Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., is also a cosponsor. Republican North Carolina Sens. Thom Tillis and Ted Budd are cosponsoring it in the Senate with Rep. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga. The bill is currently in the House Natural Resources Committee.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Centrist
The article reports on bipartisan support for a feasibility study on the Benton MacKaye National Scenic Trail, without advocating for a particular ideological stance. The language used is factual and neutral, primarily focusing on the collaboration between Democrats and Republicans from three states. The article does not show a clear bias in favor of one political party or the other. It simply highlights the specifics of the bill, its sponsors, and the potential benefits of the trail, such as supporting local economies and outdoor recreation. Therefore, it adheres to neutral, factual reporting without promoting a specific viewpoint.
The trio charged in a Tennessee political corruption case shared text messages in early 2020 complaining about the state’s failure to pay a mysterious vendor for work on lawmakers’ constituent mailers, at one point cursing the administrator in charge of handling invoices.
One text message from former Rep. Robin Smith of Hixson to ex-Speaker of the House Glen Casada said, “Connie’s a bi—.” Casada responded, “Agreed!”
Smith, who pleaded guilty in the fraud and kickback case and is cooperating with federal prosecutors, was referring to now-retired Legislative Administration Director Connie Ridley, who handled payments for the state’s postage and printing program for lawmakers. Ridley held up payments because of problems with W-9 tax forms by the vendor, Phoenix Solutions, which was run by former legislative aide Cade Cothren, and Casada, testimony showed.
Smith testified she was “highly frustrated” because Ridley approved work without having the federal tax documents on hand. Eventually, Cothren sent the state a W-9 signed as “Matthew Phoenix,” one of the key documents prosecutors are using in the case to show deception by Smith, Casada and Cothren to direct business to Phoenix Solutions without state officials or lawmakers knowing who was behind the company.
Casada and Cothren had stepped down from their posts at different points in 2019 because of a racist and sexist texting scandal. Casada remained in the General Assembly but not as House speaker.
Connie Ridley, former director of legislative administration, shown leaving Nashville’s federal courthouse on April 25, 2025. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)
Another text displayed for the jury Tuesday showed the state had paid for work on a lawmaker’s constituent mailer but didn’t include taxes.
Smith and Cothren sent each other “incredulous” text messages and Smith added another one saying, “Quite the bullsh–.”
Smith, former chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party, met with Ridley to speed up payments in February 2020 when the state owed Phoenix Solutions $34,000 for work on several Republican lawmakers’ constituent mailers, including now-former Rep. Patsy Hazlewood of Signal Mountain, Rep. Dan Howell of Cleveland, Rep. Esther Helton-Haynes of East Ridge, Rep. Dennis Powers of Jacksboro, Rep. Susan Lynn of Mt. Juliet, Rep. Bud Hulsey of Bristol, Rep. Chris Hurt of Halls, Rep. Andrew Farmer of Sevierville and Smith and Casada.
Ridley testified earlier this week she didn’t find out Phoenix Solutions was run by Cothren until May 2020 when federal authorities told her to continue processing the New Mexico-based company’s invoices.
Earlier Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge Eli Richardson ruled that prosecutors can present evidence showing the trio wanted to expand from constituent mailers, which are paid for with tax money, to House Republican Caucus work. Defense attorneys argued that the prosecutors should be limited to evidence about the postage and printing program because it is outlined in the indictment, not an effort to tap into caucus funds.
Tennessee Lookout is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Tennessee Lookout maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Holly McCall for questions: info@tennesseelookout.com.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Center-Right
The content highlights a political corruption case involving Republican lawmakers in Tennessee, presenting factual details about legal proceedings, text communications, and testimonies. While it exposes misconduct within a specific party, the reporting style remains largely neutral and focused on the facts without overt editorializing or broad partisan critique. This aligns with a center-right bias, as it scrutinizes members of a right-leaning party but in a relatively balanced and fact-based manner typical of moderate conservative or center-right news coverage.
