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The Tennessee Conservative [By Adelia Kirchner] –
Thursday, Feb. 6th, was the bill filing deadline for Tennessee’s 2025 legislative session.
This week, state lawmakers filed four new bills on illegal immigration and foreign entities.
Preventing Taxpayer-Funded Education for Illegal Immigrants
House Bill 746 (HB0746)/Senate Bill 1044 (SB1044) is being sponsored by Rep. Monty Fritts (R-Kingston-District 32) in the House and Sen. Janice Bowling (R-Tullahoma-District 16) in the Senate.
As introduced, the legislation requires “a parent or guardian who wishes to enroll the parent’s or guardian’s student into an LEA or public charter school to submit one of the listed documents to the LEA or public charter school upon enrollment of the student unless the parent or guardian pays an amount equal to the amount representing the per pupil state and local funds generated and required through the Tennessee investment in student achievement formula for the LEA in which the participating student resides.”
The documents that a parent or guardian may submit include:
- A copy of the student’s birth certificate that lists a place of birth within the U.S. or legal territories.
- A copy of a current voter registration issued to the parent or guardian along with the parent or guardian’s valid photo ID.
- A copy of a U.S. passport issued to the student, parent, or guardian.
- A copy of a Veterans Affairs ID card, a U.S. military ID, or a DD-214 issued to the parent or guardian.
Increased Reporting on Illegal Immigrant Run-Ins
House Bill 833 (HB0833)/Senate Bill 750 (SB0750) is being sponsored by Rep. Kelly Keisling (R-Byrdstown-District 38) in the House and Sen. Ken Yager (R-Kingston-District 12) in the Senate.
As introduced, HB0833/SB0750 “requires each law enforcement agency, except for the Tennessee bureau of investigation, to report monthly to the department of safety each interaction that the law enforcement agency had with illegal aliens over the previous month.”
The bill further “requires that such report include the date of the interaction, the number of illegal aliens encountered, and a description of identification documents, if any, in their possession.”
Under this legislation, the Department of Safety would be required to provide a report to the General Assembly by Dec. 1st of each year or at the request of the Senate or House speakers.
This report would include “an assessment of the population of illegal aliens residing in this state and any associated criminal enterprises. The report must also include a threat analysis for this state.”
Blocks Illegal Immigrants from Civil Suits
House Bill 1037 (HB1037)/Senate Bill 791 (SB0791) is being sponsored by Rep. Johnny Garrett (R-Goodlettsville-District 45) in the House and Sen. Paul Bailey (R-Sparta-District 15) in the Senate.
As introduced, this bill specifies that “an unauthorized alien does not have standing to commence or appear as a plaintiff in a civil action brought under title 29.”
Requires Public Colleges to Report Foreign Gifts to General Assembly
House Bill 998 (HB0998)/Senate Bill 1021 (SB1021) is being sponsored by Rep. Robert Stevens (R-Smyrna-District 13) in the House and Sen. Dawn White (R-Murfreesboro-District 13) in the Senate.
Currently, state law requires that public institutions of higher education submit this information to the comptroller of the treasury and the department of safety for review.
HB0998/SB1021, as introduced, “adds the general assembly to the list of entities that each public institution of higher education must submit its annual foreign gifts and contracts disclosure report.”
At the time of this article’s publication, none of the above bills have been assigned to any committees.
About the Author: Adelia Kirchner is a Tennessee resident and reporter for the Tennessee Conservative. Currently the host of Subtle Rampage Podcast, she has also worked for the South Dakota State Legislature and interned for Senator Bill Hagerty’s Office in Nashville, Tennessee. Adelia is The Tennessee Conservative’s on-site reporter for the Tennessee General Assembly. You can reach Adelia at adelia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
