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The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –
Both House Bill 0793 (HB0793), sponsored by Representative William Lamberth (R-Portland-District 44), and House Bill 0746 (HB0746), sponsored by Representative Monty Fritts (R-Kingston-District 32) will be heard on Tuesday, March 11th, 2025.
Lamberth’s bill will give public school districts the option to charge students tuition if they cannot prove they are in the country and state legally.
The companion bill, sponsored by Senator Bo Watson (R-Hixson-District 11), was amended in the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday and has been referred to the Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee.
If HB0793 becomes law, all public schools, including public charter schools, in Tennessee would be required to verify a student’s legal status before being enrolled. Documentation proving that students are either citizens of the United States or in the process of obtaining citizenship or legal immigration status would have to be provided to schools. If such documentation cannot be produced, LEAs and public charter schools would have the option to charge tuition for a student’s enrollment.
According to the legislation, the tuition could not be less than the TISA-based funding amount for the respective year, and would not be more than the total average per pupil funding amount for any specific LEA.
In the case that a school chooses to charge tuition – required to be paid in full – and it is not paid, the school could deny the student enrollment.
An appeals process would be created for students who may have a lawful presence in the U.S. and would be overseen by the Tennessee Department of Education.
Fritts’ similar bill 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.”
One of the following documents could be submitted:
- A copy of the student’s birth certificate listing the place of birth as within the U.S. or legal territories
- A copy of a current voter registration issued to the parent or guardian along with a valid photo ID
- A copy of a United States passport issued to the student, the parent, or the guardian
- A copy of a Veteran’s Affairs ID card, a U.S. military ID, or a DD-2214 issued to the parent or guardian
Contact information for the members of the House K-12 Subcommittee can be found below.
rep.kirk.haston@capitol.tn.gov, rep.gino.bulso@capitol.tn.gov, rep.yusuf.hakeem@capitol.tn.gov, rep.aron.maberry@capitol.tn.gov, rep.sam.mckenzie@capitol.tn.gov, rep.lee.reeves@capitol.tn.gov, rep.william.slater@capitol.tn.gov, rep.mark.white@capitol.tn.gov
About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
