(The Center Square) – The final day of the Tennessee General Assembly included debates over school choice and artificial intelligence.
An effort to expand eligibility requirements for Education Savings Accounts was thwarted by the Senate on Wednesday. The original bill’s testing provision passed.
Education Savings Accounts are available to students in Shelby, Hamilton and Davidson counties and are the predecessor to the Education Freedom Accounts, the statewide school choice program passed in 2025.
An amendment from the House of Representatives would have relaxed eligibility requirements and expanded the program to more students.
Lawmakers passed the original version of the bill, which removes a state testing requirement for students receiving Education Savings Accounts.
Americans for Prosperity called the bill’s passage a win.
“These reforms remove barriers to school choice by removing unaligned, high-stakes testing from the ESA program that kept families from applying and schools from accepting Education Savings Accounts,” said Tori Venable, Tennessee state director for Americans for Prosperity. “Families and schools don’t want or need more testing, just a shot to receive and deliver a quality education in whatever form suits the needs of the child.”
Lawmakers agreed on April 16 to expand the Education Freedom Scholarships from 20,000 to 35,000.
The General Assembly passed a bill allowing drivers from other countries to obtain a three-year temporary driver’s license if they pass the test in their own language. After the license expires, the person must pass the test in English.
The bill was one of several immigration-related bills that passed both chambers. A bill that creates a misdemeanor offense for any person with a final deportation order who does not leave the state within 90 days was signed by second-term Republican Gov. Bill Lee this week.
House Bill 1704 creates a class A misdemeanor punishable by up to 12 months in jail if a person with a final deportation order doesn’t leave the state within 90 days.
The House and Senate exchanged barbs in the last hour of the session over House Bill 1455/Senate Bill 1493. Its original form would have created a felony for training artificial intelligence to encourage suicide or homicide. The bill was amended to authorize a study of the issue.Rep. Jason Zachary, R-Knoxville, accused the Senate of giving in to lobbyists.
“I can’t imagine leaving here, sine die, and us not taking a step to protect children, and God forbid, something terrible happens to a child because of AI,” Zachary said.
Sen. Adam Lowe, R-Calhoun, said he objected to the notion that the bill was “lobbied out of place.”
Sen. Debbie Massey, R-Knoxville, said she believed the original bill was better, but felt like the current bill would “keep the conversation going.”
“I’m going to vote to concur because I want to keep this moving,” Massey said.
It was Lee’s final session as governor.
“When I first became governor, I was hopeful about what we could accomplish in partnership with the General Assembly to serve Tennesseans,” Lee said. “Over eight legislative sessions, we’ve passed strategic measures to invest in education, strengthen our workforce, improve infrastructure, and secure our state’s position as a leader in next-generation nuclear energy.”
