UPDATE: A Tennessee bill that would expand a school voucher program, allowing families to use public funds for private school tuition, has been rescheduled for a Senate vote on Thursday, April 16.
State lawmakers in the Tennessee House voted to approve the expansion earlier this week.
The measure was originally set for a vote Wednesday, but was placed on the Senate Reset Calendar, delaying consideration.
If approved, the bill would also expand the Education Freedom Scholarship program to 35,000 scholarships for the 2026-27 school year.
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A Tennessee bill that would expand a school voucher program that allows families to use public funds for private school tuition is advancing to the Senate on Wednesday, April 15.
The Tennessee House has passed HB2532 following a lengthy floor session marked by multiple amendment votes and procedural changes.
Lawmakers approved the bill Monday in a 52-43 vote, passing it as amended after adopting several proposed changes and rejecting or tabling others.
Tennesse Valley area representatives were quite divided when it came to voting on the measure.
Voting YES: Esther Helton-Haynes (R-East Ridge), Greg Martin (R-Hixson) and Greg Vital (R-Harrison). Voting NO: Yusuf Hakeem (D- Chattanooga), Dan Howell (R-Cleveland), Mark Cochran (R- Englewood), Kevin Raper (R-Cleveland), Michele Reneau (R-Signal Mtn), and Ron Travis (R-Dayton)
During floor consideration, the House adopted multiple amendments, including Amendment 2 (HA1065), Amendment 3 (HA1066), Amendment 8 (HA1122), and Amendment 9 (HA1123). Lawmakers also rejected Amendment 10 (HA1128) by a vote of 21-72, while several other amendments were either tabled or withdrawn.
The bill would also expand the Education Freedom Scholarship program to 35,000 scholarships for the 2026-27 school year. The program is currently limited to 25,000 scholarships.
The bill was ultimately approved in its amended form and now advances in the legislative process for further consideration in the Senate.
A companion measure in the Senate, SB2247, is currently scheduled for consideration on the Senate Regular Calendar for Wednesday, April 15.
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Another Tennessee House of Representatives committee recommended expanding the state's Education Freedom Scholarship program. However, the bill no longer includes an immigration tracking requirement.
House Bill 2532 still seeks to expand the state's school vouchers from 20,000 to 35,000, while Senate Bill 2247 seeks to expand that number to 40,000.
The House Finance, Ways, and Means Committee recommended the bill for passage on April 7 in an 18-10 vote.
On April 9, the House Calendar and Rules Committee placed the bill on the House's regular calendar for consideration on April 13.
The school vouchers allow families to use public funds for private education, and the bill seeks to expand that program.
In 2025, lawmakers included a provision in the Education Freedom Scholarship that allowed public schools to continue receiving public funds if they experienced disenrollment. The House's previous amendment would only provide the funding to schools based on the students' citizenship status. The new version has removed that amendment.
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Tennessee lawmakers are still moving forward with a bill that would increase the size of the state's Education Freedom Scholarship. However, the House's recent amendment to the bill would factor in immigration status.
The House recommended the passage of House Bill 2532 if amended.
The school vouchers allow families to use public funds for private education, and the bill seeks to expand that program.
In 2025, lawmakers included a provision in the Education Freedom Scholarship that allowed public schools to continue receiving public funds if they experienced disenrollment.
The House's amendment states that, going forward, public schools would only receive that funding if their disenrolled students are in one of the following categories:
- A citizen of the United States
- In the process of obtaining U.S. citizenship
- Holds a valid legal immigration or visa status
- Subject to pending immigration proceedings in which a final order of removal has not been issued
In the 2027-2028 school year, the amendment will only apply to public school systems that had previously received funding under this provision.
HB 2532 aims to expand the school voucher program from 20,000 to 40,000. However, a House amendment seeks to drop that expansion down to 35,000.
NBC affiliate WSMV reports that the lawmakers want to reduce the expansion to lower the program's cost to taxpayers.
While both versions of the bill have passed in committees, the two chambers now have different versions of the bill. The Senate's version still increases the number of vouchers to 40,000 and does not include this amendment.
The bill has been placed on the House's Finance, Ways, and Means Committee for April 7, 2026.
If passed, the changes would go into effect for the 2026-2027 school year.