Rep. Sam McKenzie reports from Nashville on the voucher bill and the budget.

Sam McKenzie

HB2532 successfully passed both the House and Senate last week. The legislation will expand the universal voucher program to 35,000 students next school year. The House passed the bill with a slim margin as 52 members approved and 43 disapproved. The Senate version of the legislation sought to expand the program to 40,000, but they conformed to the House version of the bill. The legislation will end up costing the state $112 million per year (and is expected to grow). …

A new amendment appeared that would require schools to collect immigration information about students attending public schools. Ultimately this amendment was not attached to the legislation. Instead, the legislation will require public schools to collect student Social Security numbers to maintain “hold harmless” funding over the next several years. Currently, schools cannot legally require students to provide their Social Security numbers.

Note: Rep. McKenzie’s position on vouchers has not changed since the legislation was introduced last year as he has voted against it every time it was introduced in the Education committee. His main opposition is that it is not being used for its intended purpose of providing scholarships to children who are in poor-performing schools.

He says: Now, two-thirds of the money goes to the six wealthiest counties in Tennessee. The Governor’s office and the state Dept. of Education have seemingly gone out of their way to conceal any data about the program that they believe will make them look bad.

On Thursday, the House and the Senate passed the $58 billion state budget for fiscal year 2026-27. Here is a brief overview of what the budget contained.

  • $42 million grant pool for local emergency and community services
  • $230 million for TennCare to address rising health care costs
  • $24.2 million for dental services pilot
  • $11 million for ALS research
  • $400 million for transportation projects
  • $165 million for rest area and welcome center upgrades
  • $30 million for workforce housing development
  • $37.5 million for additional state troopers and salary increases
  • $44.2 million for disaster response and recovery
  • $25 million for nuclear energy development
  • $81 million to create three new state parks
  • $1 million for The MUSE Knoxville
  • $5 million for Zoo Knoxville

These are just a few examples of what was included in the budget. If you would like to take a look around the budget document, you can find it here: HB2631

Additionally, the House and Senate appropriate a set sum of money to projects, non-profits, etc. To see the additional appropriations, you can find them here: HA1160

If you read both of these documents, and find yourself wanting more, McKenzie said, you can read the House and Senate’s Legislative Adjustments. This document shows the changes the House and Senate made to the Governor’s budget amendment. This document can be viewed here: HA1164

Blotter:  TBI investigating officer-involved shooting in Knox County

At the request of 6th Judicial District Attorney General Charme Allen, TBI agents are investigating the circumstances leading to an officer-involved shooting that occurred early Tuesday morning, April 14, 2026, in Knox County.

The victim has been identified as Shane L. Bryant, 33. Mynatt Fountain City Chapel served the Bryant family.

TBI agents work independently of the Sheriff’s Office to collect evidence and conduct interviews. Their work is then turned over to DA Allen who will decide whether to bring charges.

The narrative from officer reports: Just before 2:30 a.m., KCSO deputies stopped a small motorcycle in the 4000 block of Clinton Highway. The driver was not wearing a helmet and the vehicle lacked headlights and a license plate. The report continues: “Preliminary information indicates that during the stop, the driver presented a knife, resulting in one deputy firing shots, striking the man. He was transported to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead. No deputies were injured.” Available updates will be posted online here. (Scroll down to April 14)

Notes & Quotes

Importers can start applying today (4/20/26) for tariff refunds, pursuant to court orders. The best info I could find is here. And if you are not an importer, don’t be spending that money. Your likelihood of ever seeing a penny is remote.

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