Tennessee lawmakers have struggled to reach agreement on a school voucher bill, with the House and Senate remaining split on what should be included in the legislation.
Each chamber of the General Assembly is proposing its own version of the school voucher bill. The House and Senate remain divided on their proposals, as a Senate committee prepares to hear their version Tuesday.
Republican Gov. Bill Lee hopes lawmakers can come together on a compromise before the end of the current legislative session, according to Fox Chattanooga.
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Each chamber of the Tennessee General Assembly is proposing its own version of a school voucher bill. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, file)
Tennessee lawmakers are trying to expand the state's existing school voucher program, which is limited to students with special needs and those who live in certain counties.
The cost of the House version of the proposal is $500 million, as the bill stands.
“We in the House believe we should do something to strengthen the $8.5 billion we invest in K-12 public schools, not just focus on the $144 million dedicated school choice,” Republican Rep. William Lamberth told Fox Chattanooga. “You can handle both in the same bill, we can focus on both, and I think we should.”
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Tennessee Governor Bill Lee is seen reading to schoolchildren during a recent classroom visit. (Tennessee Governor's Office)
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The Senate version is half the cost of the House counterpart, but it does not include House provisions to increase state payments for teachers' health insurance plans, changes to principal and teacher evaluations or changes to testing requirements.
The main goal of the Senate version is to establish Lee's Education Freedom Scholarship Act and open school enrollment across counties.
“We're focused on families first and we want to do what we need to do to improve the quality of life for every family in Tennessee,” Democratic Rep. John Ray Clemmons told Fox Chattanooga. “And that’s not happening right now with this fiscal mismanagement.”