Image Credit: Gino Bulso TN State Representative / Facebook
The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –
Conservative lawmaker Representative Gino Bulso’s (R-Brentwood-District 61) highly anticipated TRUMP Act will be heard in the House Banking and Consumer Affairs Subcommittee on Wednesday, March 12th, 2025.
House Bill 0145 (HB0145) or the “Tennessee Reduction of Unlawful Migrant Placement (TRUMP) Act” does three things according to the bill sponsor to demagnetize Tennessee as a desirable location to illegal aliens.
First, the proposed legislation gives a solid definition in state law for the term “resident of the state” which will be defined as a United States citizen or a noncitizen who is lawfully residing in Tennessee.
Second, it requires verification of lawful immigration status of individuals seeking to send, wire, or otherwise transfer funds out of the United States.
Third, parents or guardians would be charged tuition for enrolling non-citizen children whose immigration status is unlawful in a state public school.
Two other bills preventing taxpayer-funded education for illegal immigrant children are scheduled to be heard in the House K-12 Subcommittee the day before the TRUMP Act is scheduled to be heard.
All three bills could result in a challenge to a U.S. Supreme Court decision, Plyler v. Doe (1982) which interpreted the Equal Protection Clause to hold that states “cannot prevent children of undocumented immigrants from attending public school unless a substantial state interest is involved.”
Bulso believes that a “substantial state interest” can be proven by the state of Tennessee.
State law already allows for tuition and fees to be charged for students attending schools outside of their county of residence. This portion of the TRUMP Act seeks to apply the same standard of law to illegal immigrants.
“If you are not a legal resident, then you will be charged tuition at the same rate that an out of county student would be charged,” Bulso has said about HB 0145. “Who could possibly argue that we would charge less to somebody who is in the country illegally to attend a school, than we charge a lawful family in the neighboring county?”
The Tennessee Conservative has been reporting on the General Assembly’s dismal record on illegal immigration since 2021.
This year’s legislative session has seen the most bills introduced to tackle the problem and Governor Bill Lee has said that he intends to fully cooperate with President Trump’s planned mass deportations.
“It is obviously on everyone’s top of mind to go ahead and deal with illegal immigration,” Bulso has stated. “That was one of the clear mandates coming out of the election this November.”
Anyone wishing to contact members of the House Banking and Consumer Affairs Subcommittee about the TRUMP Act before Wednesday, see contact information below.
Rep.tandy.darby@capitol.tn.gov, rep.michael.hale@capitol.tn.gov, rep.caleb.hemmer@capitol.tn.gov, rep.kelly.keisling@capitol.tn.gov, rep.susan.lynn@capitol.tn.gov, rep.pat.marsh@capitol.tn.gov, rep.kevin.vaughan@capitol.tn.gov, rep.greg.vital@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.
