In Wake of Antioch High Shooting, Students Rally for Change at Tennessee Capitol
‘What is next? There is nothing to be done. The thing that happened to us happened to an elementary school. What are we supposed to do when we are that vulnerable?’
by Connor DaryaniJanuary 28, 2025
Hundreds of high school and college students — including multiple young men and women who survived the Antioch High School shooting Wednesday — gathered outside the Tennessee Capitol building Monday to protest the state legislature’s refusal to pass gun laws.
Less than two years after the Covenant School shooting, an Antioch High School student killed 16-year-old Josselin Corea Escalante with a pistol before turning the gun on himself Wednesday. In the time since Covenant, the state legislature has not passed any gun laws that experts say could prevent mass shootings, and on Monday, students once again took to the capitol steps for a scene that has become all too familiar.
“For years, I’ve done nothing but try to prevent such a thing from happening to me,” said an Antioch High School senior who said she had been to the Capitol twice before the shooting at her school to protest. “Once again, on Jan. 22, an unruly gunman entered another school with an illegal firearm. Not only was it just another school, it was my school, my safe place. To those in charge of keeping my safe space safe, I do not forgive you.”
Students called for gun control, but they also called for more security measures, expressing an inability to feel safe at school.
“What happens next?” said another student tearfully. “What is next? There is nothing to be done. The thing that happened to us happened to an elementary school. What are we supposed to do when we are that vulnerable?”
As the students were speaking, multiple Republican legislators, including Rep. Jeremy Faison, Rep. Johnny Garrett and Rep. Todd Warner, chose to walk through the protest to get to the Cordell Hull building. They were met with loud boos, chants of “coward,” and multiple students who ran after them, yelling at them for not doing more.
The rally was organized by The State of the Students, a student-organized political advocacy group. In addition to the Antioch students, Rep. Gloria Johnson, Rep. Jason Powell, Covenant mom Sarah Shoop Neumann and organizer Jermaine Cole spoke. Singer Margo Price, various community activists and leaders and more than a dozen Democratic state legislators were in attendance.
Judging from the attendance, the 'biggest' bill dealt with yesterday was the Education Freedom Act bill.
SB 6001 by *Johnson – HB 6004 by *Lamberth
Education - As introduced, enacts the "Education Freedom Act of 2025." - Amends TCA Title 4, Chapter 49; Title 8 and Title 49.
HB 6004 was presented in a SPECIAL House Education Committee, not what is be the regular House Education Committee.
I came in the room pretty early and could hardly find a seat. Finally saw one on the end of a row, where I prefer to sit so I can see and felt blessed. Then a very nice person took the seat in front of me. Oh well!
Most of the OPPONENTS were sitting on the left side - facing the podium, and the SUPPORTERS were sitting on the right.
An 11 page amendment was added.
You can watch the debate HERE.
The meeting lasted from 1:00pm to just after three when the final note was taken. The nice new electronic voting device didn't work, and a roll call had to be taken. HB6004 passed 17-7.
Then it went to Government Ops, Finance, Calendar and Rules and is now scheduled for the House Floor vote on Thursday at 9:30.
SB 6001 was in Senate Education at 2:30pm. The 11 page amendment was added. Two and a half hours later the vote was 8-1.Senators voting aye were: Crowe, Haile, Hensley, Lowe, Pody, Powers, Roberts, White -- 8.
Senators voting no were: Akbari -- 1.
The bill is in Finance Ways and Means this morning at 11:00am.
THE IMMIGRATION BILL WAS ANOTHER POPULAR BILL:
SB 6002 by *Johnson - HB 6001 by *Lamberth
Immigration - As introduced, creates within the department of safety the centralized immigration enforcement division, to be administered by the chief immigration enforcement officer; establishes a grant program for purposes of promoting the enforcement of federal immigration laws; creates criminal penalties for officials who adopt sanctuary policies and subsequently requires their removal from office upon conviction; requires department of safety to issue lawful permanent residents a temporary driver license, instead of a standard license, to aid in determining voter eligibility for someone who presents a Tennessee driver license as identification. - Amends TCA Title 2; Title 4; Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 8 and Title 55.
SB6002 was heard and amended in Gov Ops, the toTransportation, then Judiciary where it passed 6-1: Senators voting aye were: Harshbarger, Roberts, Rose, Stevens, Taylor, White -- 6.
Senators voting no were: Gardenhire, Kyle, Lamar -- 3.
HB6001 is scheduled in the Immigration Committee of Extraordinary Session today.
East Tennessee Republican feels heat to vote for vouchers
By: Sam Stockard - January 28, 2025
An East Tennessee Republican admitted Monday to being pressured to vote for the governor’s private school voucher bill as the legislature speeds the measure toward a vote.
“Oh, you wouldn’t believe,” Rep. Kevin Raper, a second-term House Republican member from Cleveland, told the Lookout after lawmakers convened Monday. He declined to identify who was pressuring him to support vouchers but voted against the bill when it passed the House Education Committee on a 17-7 vote Tuesday.
Similarly to other rural Republicans, he is feeling the heat from school and government leaders in his district, as well as from the general public.
The Bradley County School Board, Cleveland City Schools Board of Education and the Bradley County Commission have publicly opposed Gov. Bill Lee’s $450 million private school voucher program. The government bodies, whose districts are at least partially located in Raper’s district, have stated publicly they are worried vouchers will negatively impact public schools.
The state Republican-controlled legislature is expediting the voucher measure through committees in hopes of wrapping the governor’s special session by the end of the week, despite lawmakers considering other measures related to immigration enforcement, hurricane relief funds and the authority over future toll roads.
Rep. Jody Barrett, another House Republican from Dickson, said Monday that if the legislature approves the governor’s voucher plan, the state will create an “entitlement” program and eventually will run off a “fiscal cliff.”
Republican critics of the plan predict the state will take funds from public schools as soon as private school voucher funding runs dry. The measure also includes a “hold harmless” provision to keep school districts from losing state funds when students transfer to private schools.
Lee and supporters say passing the legislation is critical to give parents “school choice.”
Governor gives out rural grants ahead of special session
Democrats fighting to stop the measure said Monday that the governor’s office doled out two sets of grants within the past week that could be considered incentives for rural Republicans to vote for the voucher bill.
Rural lawmakers netted $7.4 million worth of infrastructure grants for utilities last week, and the governor and Economic and Community Development Commissioner Stuart McWhorter announced $17 million for 11 site development grants on Monday. Most of the grants were for rural districts, including $2.9 million for Spring Branch Industrial Park in Bradley County.
Rep. John Ray Clemmons, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, said the grants “just happen to pair up with a lot of swing votes in the House.”
On the heels of the legislature’s franchise and excise tax break last year, which totaled $700 million in rebates and $400 million in annual cuts for the next few years, Democrats said the legislature continues to cater to the state’s most affluent people.
An East Tennessee Republican admitted Monday to being pressured to vote for the governor’s private school voucher bill as the legislature speeds the measure toward a vote.
“Oh, you wouldn’t believe,” Rep. Kevin Raper, a second-term House Republican member from Cleveland, told the Lookout after lawmakers convened Monday. He declined to identify who was pressuring him to support vouchers but voted against the bill when it passed the House Education Committee on a 17-7 vote Tuesday.
Similarly to other rural Republicans, he is feeling the heat from school and government leaders in his district, as well as from the general public.
The Bradley County School Board, Cleveland City Schools Board of Education and the Bradley County Commission have publicly opposed Gov. Bill Lee’s $450 million private school voucher program. The government bodies, whose districts are at least partially located in Raper’s district, have stated publicly they are worried vouchers will negatively impact public schools.
The state Republican-controlled legislature is expediting the voucher measure through committees in hopes of wrapping the governor’s special session by the end of the week, despite lawmakers considering other measures related to immigration enforcement, hurricane relief funds and the authority over future toll roads.
Rep. Jody Barrett, another House Republican from Dickson, said Monday that if the legislature approves the governor’s voucher plan, the state will create an “entitlement” program and eventually will run off a “fiscal cliff.”
Republican critics of the plan predict the state will take funds from public schools as soon as private school voucher funding runs dry. The measure also includes a “hold harmless” provision to keep school districts from losing state funds when students transfer to private schools.
Lee and supporters say passing the legislation is critical to give parents “school choice.”
Governor gives out rural grants ahead of special session
Democrats fighting to stop the measure said Monday that the governor’s office doled out two sets of grants within the past week that could be considered incentives for rural Republicans to vote for the voucher bill.
Rural lawmakers netted $7.4 million worth of infrastructure grants for utilities last week, and the governor and Economic and Community Development Commissioner Stuart McWhorter announced $17 million for 11 site development grants on Monday. Most of the grants were for rural districts, including $2.9 million for Spring Branch Industrial Park in Bradley County.
Rep. John Ray Clemmons, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, said the grants “just happen to pair up with a lot of swing votes in the House.”
On the heels of the legislature’s franchise and excise tax break last year, which totaled $700 million in rebates and $400 million in annual cuts for the next few years, Democrats said the legislature continues to cater to the state’s most affluent people.
State Senators Debate Bill that Could Jail Local Elected Officials
Republican Todd Gardenhire split from his party on Tuesday, challenging a portion of Gov. Bill Lee’s immigration bill that would charge local elected officials with a felony if they support sanctuary city laws
Amid a hectic special session, Tennessee senators debated a “constitutionally suspect” clause in committee Tuesday, which could result in elected officials facing felony charges for how they vote.
In Gov. Bill Lee’s last-minute immigration special session, lawmakers will consider a bill this week urging local law enforcement to enter into agreements with the federal government for stricter immigration enforcement and create a statewide division to oversee the execution of President Donald Trump’s immigration platform.
Tucked into the bill is a provision that would charge local elected officials who support sanctuary cities with a Class E felony, punishable by up to six years in prison and a $3,000 fine. That sparked a bipartisan debate about the rights of elected officials in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.
Most of the lengthy argument centered on a proposed amendment by Sen. Todd Gardenhire (R-Chattanooga) that would have removed the threat of a felony charge and ouster from elected office for those who vote in favor of sanctuary city laws, which are already prohibited under state law.
Echoing concerns by Democratic Senators Heidi Campbell and London Lamar, Gardenhire called the provision a slippery slope and argued that elected officials should not be punished for taking a political stance.
Budget for Gov. Bill Lee’s Immigration Enforcement Grants Drops from $20 million to $5 million
An updated fiscal note emphasizes transparency issues in the aggressive special session
The carrot being dangled for local governments that agree to crack down on immigrants is much smaller than it first appeared, with the governor offering a one-time $5 million investment rather than the $20 million investment estimated initially in the bill’s fiscal note.
While Gov. Bill Lee’s plan to address hurricane relief and school vouchers in a special session were unsurprising, the inclusion of aggressive immigration policy after a push from President Donald Trump has resulted in the hurried construction of a grant program for local governments that up their enforcement of Trump’s immigration policies.
The resulting bill could jail local elected officials who support sanctuary cities and would incentivize them to participate in the contended 287(g) enforcement program, with unknown grant criteria. The fiscal impact of those grants is also, apparently, nebulous.
A corrected fiscal note, published after business hours on Monday, dramatically reduced the original estimate and left the program’s future unclear, undermining the widely reported original figures.
According to Bojan Savic, executive director of the state’s Fiscal Review Committee, the confusion resulted from the governor’s office providing actual estimates for the bill on Monday, less than 48 hours before it was to be considered in committee.
“Initially, when the fiscal analysis was being conducted, we tried to get a sense of what the intent [was] from the administration. How much are they trying to fund this program? And we didn’t have that information,” Savic told the Banner Tuesday.
In the original fiscal note published Saturday, the committee estimated that the grant would be $20 million annually, though Senate Republican staff anticipated the $5 million budget on Friday. The far-off estimation resulted from researching other grants, though parallels of the governor’s proposed sweetener for local immigration enforcement were hard to find
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