Back in Nash
The Tennessee General Assembly opened its 2026 session this week during a time of growing economic anxiety. Poll results released last month from Vanderbilt University show that 87% of respondents describe their cost of living as “very” or “somewhat” expensive, and 51% are “very” or “moderately” concerned about being able to pay for basic necessities such as housing, food, and transportation. During this session, bills around cutting taxes including the grocery tax are top of mind for legislators to alleviate the financial burdens families face. Some other issues we will see them address include:
Child Care:
The increased child care cost is another financial burden that legislators will likely prioritize this session. Tennessee’s 2025 State of the Child Report shows that the 2025 infant center-based child care cost of $13,926 increased by 25% compared to 2021’s $11,511. Additionally, this cost is more than the 2025 in-state tuition at all of Tennessee’s four-year public universities. Next Tuesday, January 20th, we will add our voice to First 8 Memphis’ and TQEE’s Rock the Hill 2026 advocacy event to improve investment in early learning interventions including better access to affordable and high quality child care.
School Vouchers:
On the K-12 front, expanding the school voucher program is another priority for legislators, as there is a demand for this program. Applications for the 2026-2027 school year surpassed the number of applications from the previous school year. The Comptroller’s released findings from last week indicate that most of the participating students from public schools did not attend low performing priority public schools. As lawmakers pursue expansion, a critical factor to keep in mind is accountability and ensuring that the students that the program is meant to support are benefitting from this resource.
District Transformation Bill:
Efforts continue to reconcile House and Senate versions of a state intervention bill targeting MSCS. The two versions, HB0662 and SB0714, both passed their respective chambers and now will be moved to a conference committee. Despite disagreements between the House and Senate sponsors last year over the best possible course of action, Senator Brent Taylor said this week that he now prefers the House version of the bill rather than his own. This version would place a nine-member board of managers over the existing MSCS board and give them ultimate authority on all major decisions.
Immigration:
In a press conference in Nashville this week, Republican Party leaders announced a slate of immigration reform bills to be introduced during the new General Assembly session, according to reporting from the Daily Memphian. Among proposals are bills that would require drivers license tests to be exclusively administered in English, creating a misdemeanor offense for staying in Tennessee past a deportation date, and cracking down on “sanctuary cities.” The group of party leaders boasted that they worked in tandem with Stephen Miller, President Trump’s Homeland Security adviser, to draft this slate of reforms.
