(The Center Square) – The Tennessee General Assembly is not in session this week, but lawmakers are busy filing bills, including one that would require the state to offer pre-K program to 4-year-olds.
The bill filed Friday by Rep. Aftyn Behn, D-Nashville, shoulders the cost for the program 100% on the state using a proposed data transaction privilege tax “imposed on a person’s annual gross revenues that are derived from data transactions from digital advertising services in this state.”
Sen. Charlene Oliver, D-Nashville, proposed the tax during the 2024 legislative session but withdrew her bill.
The 5½ hours program would require classes with no more than 20 students overseen by a teacher and a teacher’s assistant, according to the bill.
The program’s goals are to increase access to pre-kindergarten programs and focus on school readiness, Behn said in the bill.
Rep. John Ray Clemmons and Sen. Heidi Campbell, both Nashville Democrats, filed a bill in their chambers that would ban medical debt from credit reports. If passed by the General Assembly, it would take effect July 1.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced a final rule in early January that would banish medical debts from credit reports. ACA International sued, saying it would hide more than $49 million in money owed to health care providers.
Equifax, Experian and TransUnion have already said they would remove certain types of medical debt from credit reports, including collections under $500.
Also on Tuesday, Rep. Todd Warner, R-Chapel Hill, filed a bill that could lead to the renaming of the Nashville International Airport to Trump International Airport. The legislation requires the airport’s authority to make the changes as soon as the bill is passed.