‘Not a good sign for it’: School voucher bill in jeopardy of failing this session
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — ‘On life support.’ At least that’s what folks behind the scenes are saying about Governor Bill Lee’s school voucher bill.
But Senate leadership says to pump the brakes on that talk.
“Well, I’m the Senate sponsor of the bill, and I haven’t taken it off notice,” Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson (R-Franklin) said. “So, the bill is very much still alive in the state Senate.”
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One staffer said the bill was nearly dead but an emergency meeting “did some CPR” on it and that it “has a pulse.”
“Negotiations never really stop up here, and that’s good,” Johnson said. “Good productive conversations, I know there has been some reporting that the bill is dead for the year, but not as far as I’m concerned.”
But the House and Senate still remain a distance apart, mainly around testing. The Senate has no issue with how schools currently administer tests. The House wants to see a pullback from end-of-course exams and other tests to increase instruction time.
News 2 asked Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) if the bill is ‘on life support.’
“Well, I mean, you know, the testing’s a big part. It’s just two different thoughts,” he said. “So, we’ll see.”
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The bill has been rolled every week for the last month, a clear indicator of its dwindling likelihood to pass.
The House is set to pass its budget Tuesday, without setting aside money for its plan for the voucher bill, which is another clear indicator of its dwindling chances.
“What we’re wanting to put in the budget for finance is not in there,” Sexton said. “So once the budget passes, it’s not a good sign for it.”
When asked if he thought the bill would pass, Johnson said yes. But when asked if he felt good about it, he hemmed and hawed a bit. “Ahh, you know, it’s a complicated issue,” Johnson said. “It’s a complicated issue, and people have strong feelings about school choice, for and against it.”
Both the House and Senate are taking up bills to pass the budget Tuesday. Once those pass, it’s going to be extremely difficult to go back.
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“It becomes hard to fix,” Sexton said.
Plus, time is of the essence.
“Clock’s ticking,” Sexton said. “Yeah.”
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