Tennessee House finishes session after votes on Shelby County oversight, DEI limits, smuggling, fentanyl and education task force

The Tennessee House ended its first regular session after lengthy floor debate and votes on multiple high-profile measures, including an oversight measure for Memphis-Shelby County schools, a bill restricting government diversity-equity-inclusion offices, a new human-smuggling statute, a fentanyl-focused criminal measure, and a task force to study potential federal education deregulation.

Lawmakers debated the Memphis oversight bill most extensively, with supporters calling it a targeted oversight tool and opponents calling it a state takeover of a local school system. Representative Charlie White, sponsor of the oversight bill, said the measure would create an appointed oversight board to work with the local board and “have authority, oversight authority over the budget, over contracts, and over properties,” arguing the goal was to address persistently low academic performance and deferred maintenance in the district. Opponents repeatedly objected that the measure would replace locally elected decision-making…