While the Tennessee State House on Monday approved legislation to expand the number of Education Freedom Scholarships from 20,000 to 35,000, the version originally slated for consideration by the State Senate on Wednesday differs substantially, potentially requiring conferencing before the bill is ready for Governor Bill Lee’s signature.
The most notable difference between House Bill (HB 2532) by House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland), which was passed earlier this week, and Senate Bill (SB) 2247 by Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson (R-Franklin), which is scheduled for consideration on Wednesday, is that that lawmakers in the State Senate would create an additional 5,000 scholarships, increasing the total number offered from 20,000 to 40,000.
State House lawmakers’ version would also create a new system to support public schools that lose students to private schools due to the scholarships, require school districts to report the reasons students leave, and require those receiving scholarships to provide a Social Security number to verify citizenship.
Their legislation also contains a provision requiring the annual publication of a report containing information about the number, income, and geographical spread of applicants, and another prohibiting the use of Education Freedom Scholarships for educational instruction that “promotes or advocates for the support, adoption, or implementation of any foreign law, legal code, or system,” that violates the U.S. Constitution or Tennessee Constitution.
While the State Senate originally scheduled its bill for a full vote on Wednesday, it has since received HB 2532 from the State House, and could now decide to proceed with that version of the legislation instead.
Data published last year revealed that nearly 43,000 applications were submitted for the 20,000 available scholarships, and showed that scholarships were awarded to students in 86 of Tennessee’s 95 counties, meaning families in 91 percent of the state benefited from the program.
In January, the governor announced “record interest” in the scholarship program, revealing that more than 50,000 applications were filed this year.
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Tom Pappert is a 2025 recipient of the Dao Prize and the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star. He also reports for the Star News Network. Follow Tom on X. Email tips to [email protected].
