School Choice, Immigration Bills, Preempted Local Control Mark Session's Last day

by Kim Jarrett, The Center Square,  Apr 25, 2026 - The final day of the Tennessee General Assembly included debates over school choice and artificial intelligence.

An effort to expand eligibility requirements for Education Savings Accounts was thwarted by the Senate on Wednesday. The original bill's testing provision passed.

Education Savings Accounts are available to students in Shelby, Hamilton and Davidson counties and are the predecessor to the Education Freedom Accounts, the statewide school choice program passed in 2025. 

An amendment from the House of Representatives would have relaxed eligibility requirements and expanded the program to more students. 

Lawmakers passed the original version of the bill, which removes a state testing requirement for students receiving Education Savings Accounts. 

Americans for Prosperity called the bill's passage a win.

“These reforms remove barriers to school choice by removing unaligned, high-stakes testing from the ESA program that kept families from applying and schools from accepting Education Savings Accounts," said Tori Venable, Tennessee state director for Americans for Prosperity. "Families and schools don’t want or need more testing, just a shot to receive and deliver a quality education in whatever form suits the needs of the child.”

Lawmakers agreed on April 16 to expand the Education Freedom Scholarships from 20,000 to 35,000.

The General Assembly passed a bill allowing drivers from other countries to obtain a three-year temporary driver's license if they pass the test in their own language. After the license expires, the person must pass the test in English. 

The bill was one of several immigration-related bills that passed both chambers. A bill that creates a misdemeanor offense for any person with a final deportation order who does not leave the state within 90 days was signed by second-term Republican Gov. Bill Lee this week. 

House Bill 1704 creates a class A misdemeanor punishable by up to 12 months in jail if a person with a final deportation order doesn't leave the state within 90 days.

The House and Senate exchanged barbs in the last hour of the session over House Bill 1455/Senate Bill 1493. Its original form would have created a felony for training artificial intelligence to encourage suicide or homicide. The bill was amended to authorize a study of the issue.

Rep. Jason Zachary, R-Knoxville, accused the Senate of giving in to lobbyists.

"I can't imagine leaving here, sine die, and us not taking a step to protect children, and God forbid, something terrible happens to a child because of AI," Zachary said. 

Sen. Adam Lowe, R-Calhoun, said he objected to the notion that the bill was "lobbied out of place."

Sen. Debbie Massey, R-Knoxville, said she believed the original bill was better, but felt like the current bill would "keep the conversation going."

"I'm going to vote to concur because I want to keep this moving," Massey said. 

It was Lee's final session as governor. 

“When I first became governor, I was hopeful about what we could accomplish in partnership with the General Assembly to serve Tennesseans,” Lee said. “Over eight legislative sessions, we’ve passed strategic measures to invest in education, strengthen our workforce, improve infrastructure, and secure our state’s position as a leader in next-generation nuclear energy."

#

Tennessee lawmakers pass deadly force, immigration and voucher bills on the final day of the session

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) - ... One of the final pieces of legislation passed includes a bill sponsored by State Rep. Kip Capley (R-Summertown) that allows Tennesseans to use deadly force to protect their property. ... 

287-G

A slew of immigration bills also generated controversy, including one that requires every sheriff in the state to enter into agreements with immigration officials by 2027.

The 287-g program allows sheriff's offices to partner with ICE to detain migrants at local jails. Dozens of counties currently participate voluntarily, but the new bill makes it a requirement. Departments could lose funding if they do not comply. (read more)

Bill to overhaul Nashville Electric Service board passes House, Senate A bill to overhaul the governing board of Nashville Electric Service, sponsored by Republicans from Memphis and Lebanon, was approved by both the House and Senate on April 20.

House Bill 2592 would require NES to add board members from each county it operates in with 3,500 or more ratepayers. If board members from surrounding counties grow to outnumber the home county, more board members from Davidson County could be appointed to make a majority. Counties are not required to appoint a member if they don’t want to.

#

TN legislature adjourns after vote-a-rama on local preemption bills

by Vivian Jones, The Tennessean,  April 24, 2026 - After four days of marathon session meetings during which lawmakers preempted local control of airports, the state’s two largest public utilities, its largest school district and all 95 sheriff’s departments, the Tennessee legislature is adjourned for 2026.

#

Top Stories

Moderate Democratic Group Backs New Candidates in Key Congressional Races, Including Chaz Molder

by Tyler Spence, NOTAS, April 25, 2026 -The New Democrat Coalition is backing a slate of congressional candidates that it believes are primed to win in some of the most difficult races across the country in November’s midterms.

On Friday, the coalition of moderates announced a slate of six new endorsements for candidates whom it says are critical to Democrats winning a majority in the House of Representatives. ... 

Stanton said the caucus is looking for trusted community leaders regardless of whether they have political experience, which means they end up with candidates who have a diverse set of experiences. Some are doctors, armed service members, sheriffs, ministers or former TV broadcasters.

... The New Democrat Coalition looked for candidates in districts that expand the map for Democrats. According to a list shared with NOTUS, the new candidates getting endorsements are Chaz Molder, Sean McCann, Jamie Ager, Jessica Killin, Donna Miller and Johnny Garcia.

“It was not an easy decision,” Molder, a Democrat running in Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District who received one of the new endorsements, told NOTUS of his decision to run. “We need to put forward leaders who are willing to be solutions-oriented and pragmatic and bring people together and build coalitions instead of drive people apart.” (link)

Top Stories

Democrat House Majority PAC Makes $1.6 Media Buy to Target Ogles and Dem Primary Contenders Out Fundraise Ogles.

by David Nir and Jeff Singer, Down Ballot, April 25, 2026 - ... In Tennessee, for instance, HMP [House Majority PAC} has booked close to $1.6 million in the Nashville market, which includes the 5th District. While Republican Rep. Andy Ogles easily won a second term in 2024 as Trump carried his district by a wide 58-40 margin, this year’s race is looking considerably more eventful.

Ogles is not only plagued by a litany of scandals, but he’s also struggled to raise money to defend himself. On top of that, he faces opposition in the August GOP primary from former state Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher. Ogles ended the first quarter of the year with a woeful $85,000 in his campaign coffers, though he has Trump’s endorsement as he tries to secure renomination.

Meanwhile, both of the Democrats vying to take on Ogles, Columbia Mayor Chaz Molder and Nashville Metro Councilor Mike Cortese, have managed to outraise the incumbent. Molder has been the standout, banking $1.3 million as of March 31. (link)

Top Stories

The Phony Moral Exhibitionism on Display at the Metro Arts Commission

by Rod Williams, April 22, 2026- Wokeism really galls me. Sometimes, I think that is the point. It is intended to trigger normal people. It is an in-your-face, ostentatious display of virtue signaling and holier-than-thou phony piety. As an example of what I am talking about, for years, I would get fundraising emails from Dakota Galban, Chair of the Davidson County Democratic Party. He would always follow his name with a "he/him" tag.  He stopped that about a year ago or more. Maybe some consultant told him it alienated some people and the Democratic Party should attempt to appear more normal, or maybe attaching a preferred pronoun to your name simply fell out of fashion. I don't know.

An example much more offensive than attaching a preferred pronoun tag to your name is the Land Acknowledgement ceremonies that some woke organizations engage in before conducting business. To see what I am talking about, watch the first minute and a half of the video of the last meeting of the Metro Arts Commission. They start every meeting with this recitation that says they are occupying stolen land.  As far as I know, the Metro Arts Commission is the only metro commission that engages in this little ritual.

If you look at the history of the world and want to think of it that way, aren't all, or almost all, people everywhere, living on "stolen land?" The country known as England has been inhabited for 800,000 years. Prior to the arrival of the Germanic tribes from the continent, it was inhabited by hunter-gatherers. The Germanic tribes settled there, followed by the Romans; after they departed, the Anglo-Saxon migrations began. That is kind of the way things work. 

So, if the Metro Arts Commission is going to acknowledge that they are occupying stolen land, who was it stolen from? Surely answering "the native inhabitants" does not answer the question. That is kind of vague. Which native inhabitants? I turn to my friendly Google AI looking for an answer:

Indigenous people have inhabited the Nashville area for at least 14,000 years, beginning with Paleo-Indians, followed by Archaic and Woodland peoples. The area was most notably dominated by the Mississippian culture (c. 1000–1450 AD), who built large mound cities. Later, the Shawnee, Cherokee, and Chickasaw hunted and settled in the region before European settlement.  

The Middle Cumberland area was heavily populated, with roughly 130 towns and villages existing within a day's walk of Nashville. These people were agricultural mound builders (e.g., Mound Bottom) who built significant, now-buried cities beneath modern downtown Nashville. Mississippian sites were largely abandoned by the late 15th century due to unknown reasons.

Durning the 1700s–1800s the region became a heavily used hunting ground, often contested by the Shawnee, Cherokee, Chickasaw, and Choctaw. The Shawnee were believed to have been pushed out of the area shortly before white settlement in 1779. The Cherokee remained in the region, with notable figures like Chief Black Fox maintaining camps nearby, until they were forcibly removed on the Trail of Tears in 1838. 

Throughout the centuries, this area was often a crossroads, and many tribes used the rich Cumberland River valley for hunting and trade rather than permanent habitation during the late 17th and 18th centuries. 

So, this area was not really occupied when "we" "stole" it. It was a vast contested unoccupied hunting ground. So, who did we steal it from?  The Shawnee, Cherokee, Chickasaw, or Choctaw? And who did they steal it from?

I question who the "we" is that stole it. I didn't steal it. I don't carry around with me the sins of my ancestors. I don't have any settler's guilt or White guilt or occupier's guilt. I am only responsible for the things I do. Even if I did carry around the burden of my ancestors' sins, they did not live in Nashville, so I still would not be guilty. 

I like the story of Stuart Reges, a professor at the University of Washington who taught an introductory computer science course at that school. The school had a land acknowledgement statement and Regis wrote a statement mocking the concept. The University tried to discipline him, but he fought back and won on First Amendment grounds. (link). This is what he wrote that got him in trouble:

"I acknowledge that by the labor theory of property, the Coast Salish people can claim historical ownership of almost none of the land currently occupied by the University of Washington." 

The Metro Arts Commission has been a dysfunctional mess for years. I wish there was at least one sensible person on the Commission who would speak up and ask to be recorded as not participating in the Land Acknowledgement ritual. That wouldn't solve what is wrong with the Arts Commission, but it would be something. 

Top Stories

Metro Arts: Grant Panelist Applications Now Open

by Rod Williams, April 21, 2026- Metro Arts Commission is a mess. While it has not been in the news lately, it is my understanding from people knowledgeable of the local art community that things have not substantially improved at Metro Arts. 

For a recap of some of the troubles at Metro Arts, you may recall that a couple years ago, the Director of Metro Arts took months of sick leave, ill from the effects of racism and then he was paid a lot of money to resign. You may recall that Will Cheek was appointed to the Arts Commission and then resigned after receiving death threats. Will Cheek is a liberal from a civic-minded wealthy family.  He has been a big supporter of liberal causes. Yet, he was not woke enough for the activist who held sway and influence at Metro Arts. 

You may recall that former judge Carrol McCoy, who in addition to being a respected judge, has arts credentials, was appointed to the Commission and then resigned after trumped up ethic complaint charges were filed against her. 

The above is only part of the drama that has dominated Metro Arts for years. I have posted about Metro Arts about a dozen or more times over the past years. To read some of those posts, follow this link. 

Some of my conservative friends may think that the government should not even support the arts. That is not my position. I want to live in a city that is aesthetically pleasing and where there is public art and a rich culture. Public funds can help move a city in that direction. My problem is not with public funding of the arts, but with the Metro Arts Commission.

I am posting this notice because we need a broader spectrum of points of view and artistic tastes than those currently dominant at Metro Arts. We need sane, normal people at all levels of the Commission and involved in the arts community.  If you are a lover of the arts, you may want to apply to be one of the people who determine which art projects get funded by Metro. It would be nice to have some institutionalists and traditionalists around the table when decisions are being made. 

 
 

Top Stories

TN-05 in Play if Chaz Molder is the Dem Nominee

 

by Emily Cochrane and Reid J. Epstein, New York Times, April 20, 2026- As the mule-drawn floats and carts lined up for the annual Mule Day parade in Columbia, Tenn., Mayor Chaz Molder, a Democratic donkey in conservative country, ....

That Mr. Ogles’s seat is even in the conversation is an indication of the political shape Republicans find themselves in as they approach the midterm elections. Anger over President Trump’s war in Iran, spiking gas prices and persistent affordability concerns have led to shifts of up to 20 percentage points in recent elections compared with the 2024 election that returned Mr. Trump to the White House.

Tennessee Republicans thought they drew a safe seat during the last redistricting cycle, .... (read it all)

Rod's Comment: I hope Molder wins the nomination. Ogles can be beaten if a sane moderate Dem like Molder is the nominee. If Dems want to lose this seat, then nominate some woke nut-job like Aftyn Behn. I could not bring myself to vote for Behn, although I want Dems to win the mid-term. I voted for Van Epps. Ogles is maybe the worse most Trumpy Republican in Congress. I am contributing to the Molder campaign. 

Top Stories

Gov. Lee Did Not Sign a Resolution Changing "Pride Month" to "Nuclear Family Month."

From Wikipedia.

by Rod Williams, April 19, 2026 - There was a lot of outrage, postering, and woke virtue signaling surrounding the State legislature's passage and the Governor's signing a resolution designating June as Nuclear Family Month.

I think it is appropriate to recognize the importance of the nuclear family. Sadly, not all children are born into a nuclear family, and not all marriages survive. Sometimes things or circumstances make the situation otherwise.   Nevertheless, in general, I think it is best for children and society when children are raised in an intact home with a mother and father. Studies show this to be true. If you read the "where as" section of the resolution posted below, you will see some arguments in favor of the nuclear family. I think those are valid.  

Some of the reporting on the designation of June as "Nuclear Family Month" claimed that the resolution replaced a designation of June as "Pride Month." Here is the way WBIR in Knoxville reported it: "Gov. Lee signs joint resolution to change 'Pride Month' to 'Nuclear Family Month' in Tennessee." Many other news outlets reported the news similarly. However, the resolution did no such thing. That is simply not true. 

The resolution does not even mention Pride month.  Pride Month is not even a designated state observance in Tennessee. June became recognized as Pride Month in the United States to commemorate the Stonewall Uprising.  President Bill Clinton officially declared in a presidential proclamation that June would be "Gay and Lesbian Pride Month" in 1999.  Tennessee designating June as "Nuclear Family Month" in no way removes or replaces June as "Pride Month."  A month or day can be designated to observe or honor more than one thing. I have posted a snippet from a Wikipedia piece listing some of the official month designations. Did naming June "Nuclear Family Month" replace "African- American Music Appreciation Month" or "National Dairy Month?" I don't think so.

"Months," or "weeks," or "days" become periods of observance in different ways. Some national days, weeks, or months of observances come into being by being designated as such by Congress or by Executive order of the President. Some are designated as official in a particular state by a resolution passed by that state's legislature or by executive order of the state's governor. And then local governments may so designate a month of observance by resolution of the local governing body or an executive order of the chief executive. Most of these official designations do no more than designate. Employees do not get a paid holiday, banks don't close, and no one is forced to take part in the observance. It really is not a big deal.

In addition to days or weeks or months being officially designated by some unit of government, many, many more are established by associations, or interest groups, or commercial interests. Here are some other "days" in June as compiled by a website called "Spruce."

June 1: Dare Day, Flip a Coin Day, International Dinosaur Day, Global Day of Parents, National Olive Day, Hazelnut Cake Day, Oscar the Grouch Day, National Trails Day* (first Saturday)

June 2: National Rocky Road Ice Cream Day, National Bubba Day, American Indian Citizenship Day, National Cancer Survivors Day

June 3: Repeat Day, World Bicycle Day, World Cider Day, National Egg Day, National Leave the Office Early Day* (unless falling on a weekend, in which case it is the closest working day)

June 4: Hug Your Cat Day, National Cheese Day, International Corgi Day

June 5: World Environment Day, Hot Air Balloon Day, Global Running Day, National Moonshine Day

June 6: World War II D-Day Anniversary, National Yo-Yo Day, Applesauce Cake Day, National Drive-In Movie Day

June 7: Daniel Boone Day, National Chocolate Ice Cream Day, National VCR Day, National Donut Day* (first Friday)

June 8: World Ocean Day, National Best Friends Day, National Rosé Day

June 9: Donald Duck Day, National Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Day

June 10: Ball Point Pen Day, Herbs and Spices Day, National Iced Tea Day, National Egg Roll Day

June 11: National Corn on the Cob Day, Making Life Beautiful Day

June 12: National Red Rose Day, National Peanut Butter Cookie Day, National Loving Day

June 13: National Sewing Machine Day, National Weed Your Garden Day, National Jerky Day, National Career Nurse Assistants Day

June 14: The U.S. Army Birthday, Flag Day, Monkey Around Day, International Bath Day, National New Mexico Day, World Blood Donor Day

June 15: Nature Photography Day, National Smile Power Day

June 16: Father's Day, Fresh Veggies Day, National Fudge Day, National Turkey Lovers' Day* (third Sunday)

June 17: Eat Your Vegetables Day, National Apple Strudel Day, Global Garbage Man Day, American Bald Eagle Day

June 18: International Picnic Day, National Go Fishing Day, National Splurge Day, International Sushi Day

June 19: Juneteenth, National Watch Day, National Martini Day, World Sauntering Day

June 20: Summer Solstice/Summer Begins* (varies), Ice Cream Soda Day, World Refugee Day, Ugliest Dog Day, National Hike With a Geek Day, National Seashell Day

June 21: Go Skateboarding Day, International Day of Yoga, National Selfie Day, Make Music Day. National Flip Flop Day* (third Friday), Take Your Dog to Work Day* (Friday after Father's Day)

June 22: World Rainforest Day, National Chocolate Eclair Day, National Onion Rings Day, National Kissing Day. Great American Backyard Campout* (fourth Saturday)

June 23: International Widows' Day, Let It Go Day, National Pink Day, Typewriter Day, National Porridge Day

June 24: Celebration of the Senses, Swim a Lap Day, International Fairy Day, National Pralines Day

June 25: National Catfish Day, Bourdain Day, Global Beatles Day

June 26: National Chocolate Pudding Day, Cooking with Parchment Day

June 27: National Onion Day, National Sunglasses Day, Bingo Day, Ice Cream Cake Day, Orange Blossom Day, Helen Keller Day, National Handshake Day

June 28: Insurance Awareness Day, International Body Piercing Day, Tau Day, National Paul Bunyan Day, Alaska Day, Constitution Day (Ukraine)

June 29: Hug Holiday, International Mud Day, National Camera Day, Waffle Iron Day, National Almond Buttercrunch Day

June 30: Descendants' Day* (last Sunday), National Meteor Watch Day, Blink 182 Day, National Corvette Day, International Asteroid Day, Log Cabin Day* (last Sunday)

I would like to give my readers advance notice that May is "Rod Williams Appreciation Month." I so designated it.  

Below is the resolution that has caused liberals to clutch their pearls. The vote in the State legislature was mostly along party lines, with the Republicans supporting it and the Democrats opposing it. To see how your legislator voted, follow this link. 

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 182 

By Hulsey 

A RESOLUTION to designate June 2025 as "Nuclear Family Month" in Tennessee. 

WHEREAS, the nuclear family, consisting of one husband, one wife, and any biological, 

adopted, or fostered children, is God's design for familial structure and has been the bedrock of society since the creation of the world; and 

WHEREAS, the nuclear family was the basic building block of Tennessee's society throughout her formative years; and 

WHEREAS, the nuclear family built the United States of America and created prosperity within our nation; and 

WHEREAS, fatherless families are four times more likely to live in poverty than married couple families; children without fathers are ten times more likely to abuse chemical substances; children from fatherless homes are more likely to have mental health and behavioral issues; sixty percent of youth suicides are from fatherless homes; seventy-one percent of high school dropouts are from fatherless homes; fatherless youths are twenty times more likely to be incarcerated; eighty-five percent of youths in prison come from fatherless homes; and in a 2016 study by Peter Langman on the psychology behind fifty-six school shooters, eighty-two percent of the shooters were raised in an unstable family environment or without both biological parents together; and 

WHEREAS, Tennessee's values do not align with the humanistic, globalist ideologies of the World Health Organization, the United Nations, and like-minded organizations that fight for population control through the means of promoting sterilization and abortion practices; and 

WHEREAS, the nuclear family is God's perfect design for humanity and is aligned with the long-held traditional values of Tennessee; and 

WHEREAS, the nuclear family is under attack in our beloved State and nation, and it is our responsibility to uplift, protect, and support values that help Tennessee prosper; now, 

therefore, 

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED 

FOURTEENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE, THE SENATE 

CONCURRING, that we join with the citizens of Tennessee in designating the month of June 

2025 as "Nuclear Family Month" and commend the noble endeavors of those who seek to protect and strengthen the traditional values of our State and country.

Top Stories

‘Not Our Job': Principals Decry a Proposal to Track Student Immigration Status

by Ileana Najarro, Education Week, April 18, 2026 - Educators at Eastside Elementary in Chattanooga, Tenn., have spent years building trust with immigrant students and their families.

That trust was tested last year when fears of immigration enforcement led some families to leave the community, and the school saw its enrollment decline, according to Greg Wilkey, the school’s principal.

Now, that trust could be further tested, if not derailed, Wilkey said, if Tennessee lawmakers succeed in passing legislation this year that would require schools to defy federal law and collect students’ immigration status information.

“If we start tracking and recording and asking these questions, I just don’t think the parents are going to be as open or always willing to trust us on other things,” he said.

Tennessee is one of three states where policymakers are currently proposing action to limit undocumented students’ access to a free, public education by challenging tenets of the 1982 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Plyler v. Doe, which granted these students that right. Four other state efforts launched since President Donald Trump’s re-election win failed, according to an EdWeek analysis. Influential entities such as the Heritage Foundation, and Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff, have supported such legislative challenges to undocumented students’ rights. ....

... Earlier versions of the legislation would have allowed public schools to charge tuition or even deny enrollment to undocumented students—actions that conflict with federal law under Plyler.

The current version of legislation up for debate is narrower. It would require schools to collect immigration status information of all students enrolled in or seeking to enroll in public schools in the 2026-27 school year. That data would then be reported to the state in the aggregate. The current bill does not appear to specify what documents can be used to determine immigration status.

Schools do not already collect such information from families, as doing so could discourage undocumented families from enrolling in school, potentially undermining their children’s right to access a free, public education, experts say. That information is also irrelevant, they add, as under federal law, enrollment does not hinge on immigration status.

It would also be a logistical nightmare for schools, educators say.

“I have almost 800 students, so going through asking this question about citizenship, and then the review of all that documentation as students register, I can’t even imagine how many hours that would take, and we’re not set up for that right now. We don’t have the people to do it,” said Jill Levine, vice president of the Hamilton County Schools Principals Association and principal of Chattanooga High Center for Creative Arts.

There are also concerns about how parents would be able to fulfill the proposed documentation requirements, whether citizens or not. Wilkey, for instance, said he doesn’t have his own birth certificate on hand as a U.S. citizen.

Immigration advocates pushing back against Tennessee’s proposed legislation have also cautioned that any school staff in charge of reviewing immigration documents would have to be trained to work as though they were immigration judges to understand the nuances of various visa and refugee programs so they could determine whether students have legal status.

“We are not immigration officers. That’s not our job,” Wilkey said. “We are educators. We are here to teach children academic and social skills.” (read it all)

Top Stories

 

Top Stories

April Breakfast Club with Rep. John Rose

U.S. Congressman John Rose will be the guest speaker of Nashville Conservatives next Saturday, April 25th at 8:30am at Golden Corral (315 Old Lebanon Dirt Rd, Hermitage). Rep. Rose is running for Governor of Tennessee. This is a chance to hear directly from someone who could be leading our state next year.

Free and open to everyone. Bring a friend or two! RSVP FOR BREAKFAST

About John Rose

U.S. Representative John Rose is serving his fourth term in Congress – representing Tennessee's Sixth Congressional District on the House Agriculture Committee and House Financial Services Committee. A lifelong Tennessean, he was raised in Cookeville and lives there with his wife Chelsea and sons Guy and Sam. He grew up working with his father on their more than 230-year-old family farm in the Temperance Hall and Lancaster communities of DeKalb and Smith Counties – a proud legacy that he continues today.

As a farmer, attorney and small business owner, Representative Rose’s life experiences as a political outsider have led him to become one of the most conservative members of Congress. That conservative perspective is front and center as he works to reduce the National debt and rein in government spending in an effort to leave America better for the next generation. He also believes in reducing burdensome federal regulations on individuals, families, businesses, and community banks, which is a regular part of his work on the prestigious House Financial Services Committee.

While elected office is a new chapter in his life, Representative Rose got his start in business as a successful young entrepreneur and remains the owner and president of Boson Software, LLC, an I.T. training enterprise. Prior to serving in Congress, he served as Commissioner of Agriculture for the State of Tennessee. With a lifelong passion for farming and rural Tennessee, he recently finished a twelve-year stint as a volunteer for the Tennessee State Fair Association where he served as Chairman. The group is credited with having saved the more than 100-year-old State Fair, which was abandoned by Nashville’s Metro Fair Board in 2010. Today, the State Fair is proudly held in the Sixth Congressional District in Lebanon on the thriving Wilson County-State Fairgrounds.

 John graduated from Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville with a bachelor’s degree in agribusiness economics. He went on to complete his Master of Science in agricultural economics at Purdue University and his Juris Doctorate at Vanderbilt University. 

The Rose Family are active members in the Cookeville community and attend Jefferson Avenue Church of Christ. (link)

Top Stories

With Ten GOP Defections, US House passes Bill Extending Legal Status for 350,000 Haitians

by Shauneen Miranda, Tennessee Outlook, April 17, 2026 - The U.S. House on Thursday passed a measure that would extend Temporary Protected Status for Haiti for three years, in a rare rebuke by the GOP-led Congress to President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign.

Ten Republicans defected, including Reps. Maria Salazar, Mario Díaz-Balart and Carlos Giménez of Florida, Rich McCormick of Georgia, Don Bacon of Nebraska, Mike Lawler and Nicole Malliotakis of New York, Mike Turner and Mike Carey of Ohio and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania. 

Rep. Kevin Kiley, a California independent who caucuses with the GOP, also voted for the bill. 

The bill, which succeeded 224-204, came as Trump’s administration has sought to revoke legal protections for immigrants with Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, including Haitian nationals, amid his crackdown on immigrants without legal status.  

The bill now heads to the GOP-led Senate, and should that chamber pass the measure, would almost certainly be vetoed by Trump. 

The Democratic-led effort came to the floor under a discharge petition, which allows a bill to skirt Republican leadership and be brought to the House floor once it gains the signatures of a majority of House members.

U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley — a Massachusetts Democrat and co-chair of the House Haiti Caucus — brought forth the petition in January and it reached the 218-signature threshold in late March.

Pressley’s petition forced a floor vote on a bill from New York Democratic Rep. Laura Gillen. The version voted on by the House would require the secretary of Homeland Security to designate Haiti for TPS until April 2029. 

Lawler, a New York Republican, was an original co-sponsor of Gillen’s measure. Lawler, Salazar, Fitzpatrick and Bacon had also signed on to Pressley’s discharge petition.

The bill’s passage in the House came just days before the U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear arguments over Trump’s efforts to revoke TPS for 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians. 

A federal judge in February blocked the termination of TPS for Haiti from going into effect — shortly before the designation was slated to end. 

TPS is provided by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security secretary to nationals who cannot safely return home. The deportation protection lets individuals legally work in the United States, with renewal cycles that range from six to 18 months.  

‘A death sentence’

“Let us be clear about what deportation would mean — we would be sending parents back into danger, ripping our seniors away from their caregivers, faith leaders back into instability, and essential workers back into insecurity,” Pressley said at a Wednesday press conference she and Gillen held with colleagues and advocates regarding the effort. 

“To deport anyone to a country that is grappling with layered political, humanitarian and economic crises is unconscionable, it is dangerous and it is preventable,” Pressley added. 

“To deport anyone to Haiti right now is unlawful, and it would be a death sentence.” 

Top Stories

Tennessee General Assembly Passes $58B Budget, Snatching Diapers Out of the Mouths of Babes.

by Kim Jarrett, The Center Square, April 17, 2026-   Tennessee's $58 billion budget for fiscal year 2027 includes an increase in starting teacher pay to $50,000 and $112 million for 35,000 school choice scholarships.

The budget includes $30 billion in state general funds and dedicated state appropriations and $19 billion of federal funding, said Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, R-Franklin, who made the presentation in the Senate. The rest of the budget is from fees, tuitions and bonds.

The budget is 9% below the fiscal year 2026 budget, said Rep. Gary Hicks, chairman of the House Finance, Ways and Means Committee, who presented it to the House.

"This is primarily due to a decline in federal funds, specifically COVID-related dollars, but also slowing growth and state tax revenue from what it was in recent years," Hicks said. "The budget recognizes an estimated growth of about 2.35% in state revenue, which equates to about $450 million in recurring revenue and funding, which is programmed and spent."

The largest allocations include $400 million for new and existing transportation projects and $339 million in public education funding, including the increase in starting teacher pay.

An amendment approved by lawmakers includes the sunset of the state's TennCare Diaper Benefit on Jun 30, 2027, which provided 100 free diapers a month to TennCare and CoverKids members ages 2 and under. Second-term Republican Gov. Bill Lee introduced the program with bipartisan support in 2023, and it began in August 2024.

The ending of the diaper programs is part of $137 million from the general fund for what is known as the hospital buyback program, which funds uncompensated care.

Money for the hospital buyback program was taken from the TennCare Shared Savings program last year. Lawmakers used $205 million from the Shared Savings fund for healthcare initiatives, including Rural Health Transformation Resiliency Grants, and $230 million to TennCare to cover medical inflation costs.

Tennessee is the only state that has a shared savings program.

According to an explanation on the state's website, "Tennessee administers its Medicaid program (TennCare) under a specified spending cap (referred to as a budget neutrality cap), which considers historical state spending, inflation and future enrollment changes. If the state can operate successfully at a lower cost than the budget neutrality cap and maintain or improve quality, the state then shares in the savings that traditionally have gone to the federal government to enhance the TennCare program and improve the health of TennCare members and Tennessee communities."

Sen. Bo Watson, R-Hixson, said the General Assembly remains committed to health care.

"This budget makes significant investments in healthcare and hospitals, ensuring providers have the resources to serve patients and strengthen care across our state," Watson said. "We remain committed to improving healthcare in Tennessee and finding innovative ways to support it."

House and Senate Democrats introduced an amendment to remove $887,000 in funding for a new subterranean transportation infrastructure coordination authority that will oversee an underground tunnel from the Nashville airport to downtown. The amendment failed.

Democrats voted against the bill, saying it did not do enough to address affordability issues affecting Tennesseans.

"I mean we are literally taking diapers away from babies by ending the diaper program we just approved like two years ago," said Sen. Charlane Oliver, D-Nashville. "We were the first in the nation to proudly give free diapers to TennCare mothers and now we are about to take them and snatch them out of the mouths of babes." [Rod inserts a comment: What? I think we should snatch diapers out of the mouths of babes.]

Republicans acknowledged that the budget is conservative. The budget includes $20 million for the state's rainy day fund.

"By balancing responsible stewardship with targeted investments, we are continuing to build a strong foundation for economic growth and opportunity in every corner of our state," Johnson said.

The budget bill goes to Lee for his approval.

Top Stories