Please contact your legislators on several important items coming up this week.

Are you still on the fence about school choice (vouchers)? This is a great conversation to listen to and send to family and friends who are trying to discern where they stand on the issue. Here are a few key takeaways.

1. Contrary to the message being put out by organizations like Americans for Prosperity (they may have knocked on your door), the House plan for school choice is NOT universal. Meaning, the money will NOT be available to “all” Tennesseans.

2. As a baseline, if you are a family of (4) and your annual household income is over $156,000 per year, you will never see this money. 

3. This program is a new budget item for Tennessee meaning that money is not “following the student” or being moved out of the public school system. Taxpayers will not only fund these scholarships, but will continue to fully fund a failing public school system.

4. This program will only be accessible to 2% of our state’s student population.

5. The Governor’s “Education Freedom Act” is just another entitlement program, plain and simple. An entitlement program that will also fund private education for illegal aliens.

Take action in opposition to the Governor’s school choice plan and education omnibus. WE NEED YOU TO ACT ON THIS!

OPPOSE Education – As introduced, enacts the “Education Freedom Act,” which establishes a new program extending public funds to students for private education (K-12) structured to address applications for an initial 20,000 students with income limitations.

HB1183 SB503 / Governor’s school choice plan and education omnibus.

Education – As introduced, extends from October to November, the time within which a public institution of higher education that receives funds from the distribution of credit cards to students or any percentage from the use of cards bearing the college or university name or logo must report the amount of such funds or percentage received as well as how the funds were expended during the previous fiscal year to the education committee of the senate and the education administration committee of the house of representatives.

CAPTION BILL – This bill is awaiting the official amendment that will address the Governor’s plan for Education Freedom Scholarships (school choice) along with other education initiatives included in the omnibus bill.

Amends TCA Title 4; Title 8 and Title 49.

TRACK THE BILL: HB 1183 / SB 503

DOWNLOAD THE SENATE BILL

DOWNLOAD THE HOUSE BILL

Take Action To Keep Private Education Free From Government Entanglements.

Make your opposition known to members of the committee and ask them to vote NO on this bill. 

Click on the button to Take Action now.

HB 1183 passed K-12 Subcommittee. (2,367 emails sent in opposition)
HB 1183 passed Education Committee. (3,765 emails sent in opposition)
SB 503 passed committee. (5,436 emails sent in opposition)
TAKE ACTION ON HB 1183TAKE ACTION ON SB 503

Bill Sponsors

REP. WILLIAM LAMBERTH

HOUSE DISTRICT 44

SEN. JACK JOHNSON

SENATE DISTRICT 27