Tennessee House

Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s budget proposal allocates $735,000 to the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition. GOP leaders, including Sen. Marsha Blackburn and House Speaker Cameron Sexton, oppose the funding, citing potential violations of state law and sanctuary city concerns. The mayor’s office and TIRRC defend the funding as necessary to support lawful immigration processes.

Tennessee House Majority Leader William Lamberth and Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson were named the most effective lawmakers by the Center for Effective Lawmaking based on their bill introduction and passage records. The report highlights their legislative productivity amid a Republican supermajority, though critics note this dominance may prioritize party goals over broader needs.

Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton suspended all 24 House Democrats from committees, citing violations of decorum during a protest against a GOP redistricting vote. Democrats locked arms on the House floor to oppose a map that split the state's only majority-Black congressional district around Memphis into three.

Tennessee lawmakers passed a GOP-friendly map that carves up the state's only majority-Black House seat and threatens the lone Democrat in the state's congressional delegation. The new map was approved after the repeal of the state's 56-year prohibition on mid-decade redistricting. This change may impact the state's political representation.