March 22, 2017 – Legislators were busy in Nashville.  Action was taken on several of the more controversial bills.

Here is a rundown of what happened:

The Tuition Opportunity Bill passed by a 7-to-2 vote in the Senate Education Committee.

• A bill that would let immigrant students who are in the country without documentation pay in-state college tuition has advanced in the Tennessee Legislature. Sen. Todd Gardenhire, a Republican from Chattanooga who sponsored the bill, said the state has already invested in the students by paying for their K-12 education. Under current law, immigrant students who are in the country without documentation are forced to pay out-of-state tuition because they are not considered legal residents. This means they would have to sometimes pay two or three times the amount of tuition as other students who graduated from Tennessee high schools.

Bill to shield drivers who hit protesters fails

• The House Civil Justice Subcommittee voted down a bill to shield drivers from lawsuits if they hit protesters who are blocking traffic. The bill would grant immunity from civil liability to drivers who are exercising due care and accidentally injure a protester who is blocking traffic. Rep. G.A. Hardaway, a Memphis Democrat, said the bill would be constitutionally suspect and embolden people to think they can hit protesters.

Transgender bathroom bill fails in Senate panel

• A transgender bathroom bill in Tennessee has failed in a state Senate committee. The Senate Education Committee made no motion to consider the legislation by Republican Sen. Mae Beavers of Mt. Juliet. The lack of a motion effectively kills the bill for the year. The bill sought to require students at public schools and colleges to use restrooms and locker rooms of their sex on their birth certificates. On the federal level, the U.S. Supreme Court has recently opted not to decide whether federal anti-discrimination law applied in a school transgender bathroom case.

Voucher bill fails to move forward in state Senate

• A voucher bill that would let parents use taxpayer money to spend on private schools failed to get enough votes to move forward in the state Senate. The measure would have let students in failing school districts use the vouchers. There weren’t enough votes in a Senate Education Committee to move the bill forward. The measure needed five “yes” votes to advance. Four lawmakers voted “yes.” Four others passed and one lawmaker voted “no.”

Keith Sherley – Twitter: @keithsherley Email:[email protected]