House Government Operations advances charter changes, school-enrollment ID rule and farmland preservation fund; omnibus rules bill includes bare‑knuckle boxing

NASHVILLE — The House Government Operations Committee on April 7 advanced multiple bills affecting education, land conservation and administrative rules, voting to send the measures to calendar, rules or finance committees for further consideration.

The committee sent the controversial charter‑school bill (HB 1322) and a separate proposal that would let local school systems require proof of U.S. citizenship or pay tuition for unenrolled children (HB 793) to later committees after hours of debate. Lawmakers also approved a $25 million, one‑time proposal to create a Tennessee Farmland Preservation Fund (HB 1325) and a rules omnibus (HB 285) that includes a newly disputed state rule to regulate ungloved combat sports commonly called “bare‑knuckle” boxing.

Why it matters: The votes advance measures with statewide impact on school authorization and local control, enrollment and funding policy, agricultural land protection and the compilation of agency rules the legislature reviews annually.

Charter schools: HB 1322 Representative Mark White, sponsor of HB 1322, told the committee the bill creates “renewal flexibility” for the state Charter School Commission, allows public colleges and universities to sponsor charters, and creates a narrower replication process for established charters. "A charter school ... is a public — a fully public school, but it can be closed down if there's low performance," Representative White said, adding the bill shifts some oversight duties from the Department of Education to the Charter Commission.

Opponents raised concerns about removing local school‑board authority. Representative McClements said the state commission has overridden locally elected boards and warned the change would “steer more money out of public schools into others” and reduce local budgetary oversight. Representative Clemens and others criticized the state commission’s composition and the risk that replication rules would allow approved charters to expand without local consent.

The committee voted to advance HB 1322 with a positive recommendation; the clerk recorded 8 ayes, 6 noes and 1 present not voting, and the measure moves out to calendar and rules.

School enrollment and ID: HB 793 Leader Larry Lambert presented HB 793 as a measure to permit local education agencies (LEAs) to require proof of U.S. citizenship for school enrollment and to allow districts to charge tuition for students who cannot or will not provide such documentation. Lambert said the bill includes an appeal process to the Tennessee Department of Education for families who cannot immediately present documents.

The proposal prompted extended debate and public testimony. Representative Clemens and other members warned of legal and fiscal risks if districts deny enrollment; they cited federal court precedent and state constitutional provisions protecting education access. Attorney Johnny Epstein told the committee that Plyler v. Doe and related authority treat K‑12 public education as a right and urged members not to “use kids as political pawns.” Education workers also testified: Bedford County educator Tiffany Anderson said the bill “is an attack on our children” and warned it would worsen truancy and long‑term outcomes for affected students.

The committee recorded an 8–7 vote to send HB 793 forward to finance and ways and means, with the clerk announcing the final tally as 8 ayes and 7 noes.

Rules omnibus and the “bare‑knuckle” item: HB 285 Chairman Lafferty presented the rules omnibus bill as the annual package to make permanent many state agency rules adopted during the prior 12 months. A rule to regulate ungloved combat sports drew earlier scrutiny from the joint review committee; the house portion of the joint committee had issued a negative recommendation while the Senate issued a positive one.

Chairman Lafferty explained the item before the panel was an amendment tied to that earlier negative recommendation. After discussion and a brief motion to table the amendment, the committee returned to the omnibus measure. Office of Legal Services attorney Alexander Greenberg advised members that the omnibus before the committee "has all of the state agency rules passed in the past year" and that as the amendment had been tabled, the bare‑knuckle regulation remained in the omnibus. The committee approved the omnibus with a positive recommendation; the clerk announced 10 ayes and 6 noes.

Farmland preservation: HB 1325 Representative Vital presented HB 1325 to create a Tennessee Farmland Preservation Fund and requested a one‑time $25 million appropriation to support conservation easements, with an emphasis on helping landowners with transaction costs such as surveys, appraisals and legal fees. Alex Lewis, representing the governor’s office, said the fund would be a competitive grant program administered by the Department of Agriculture and that the department will return to committee with rulemaking to define eligibility and procedures.

Committee members asked whether the new fund would duplicate existing federal and nonprofit programs. Lewis and other witnesses said the proposal is intended to complement current programs by lowering transaction barriers for landowners who would otherwise be unable to participate. The committee advanced HB 1325 with a positive recommendation; the clerk recorded 9 ayes, 3 noes and 3 present not voting.

Other measures advanced The committee also advanced a number of additional bills, including measures on animal chiropractic registration (HB 164), a state school safety alert grant fund (HB 505), an education testing and teacher‑evaluation reform package (HB 675), a school‑based childcare/underutilized‑property bill (HB 1175), a process for removing hazardous roadside encampments with memoranda of understanding with service providers (HB 197), and changes to groundwater/well‑driller board membership (HB 894). Several of these drew questions but passed on committee votes.

Public testimony and concerns Several public witnesses addressed bills before the committee. Tiffany Anderson, a Bedford County educator, urged lawmakers to reject HB 793 and argued that denying school access would damage children and communities. Attorney Johnny Epstein urged rejection of enrollment restrictions as both legally risky and counterproductive. Liz Mallard, who identified herself as a member of a local homeless planning council and a person with prior homelessness experience, urged members to oppose the campsite‑removal bill (HB 197) unless follow‑up services and housing placements are guaranteed; she said the proposed timelines for notice and removal do not reflect the time it takes to reestablish identification, medical care and housing.

Votes at a glance - HB 285 (Rules omnibus, includes regulation for ungloved boxing): positive recommendation; clerk announced 10 ayes, 6 noes; moves out to calendar and rules. - HB 1322 (Charter school amendments): positive recommendation; clerk announced 8 ayes, 6 noes, 1 present not voting; moves out to calendar and rules. - HB 1325 (Tennessee Farmland Preservation Fund): positive recommendation; clerk announced 9 ayes, 3 noes, 3 present not voting; moves out to calendar and rules. - HB 793 (Citizenship/documentation for enrollment; tuition option): positive recommendation to finance/ways & means; clerk announced 8 ayes, 7 noes. - HB 164 (Animal chiropractor registration): positive recommendation; clerk announced 13 ayes, 2 noes; moves out to calendar and rules. - HB 505 (School safety alert grant fund): positive recommendation; clerk announced 14 ayes, 0 noes; moves to finance/ways & means. - HB 675 (Testing and teacher evaluation changes): positive recommendation; clerk announced 13 ayes, 0 noes, 1 present not voting; moves to finance/ways & means. - HB 1175 (Childcare/underutilized property): positive recommendation; clerk announced 10 ayes, 3 noes; moves out to calendar and rules. - HB 197 (Removal of hazardous highway encampments): positive recommendation; clerk announced 8 ayes, 5 noes; moves out to calendar and rules. - HB 979 (Rural physician employment exceptions): positive recommendation; clerk announced 11 ayes, 1 no; moves to finance/ways & means. - HB 894 (Groundwater board reconstitution): positive recommendation; clerk announced 11 ayes, 1 no; moves to finance/ways & means. - HB 1359 (Foster child bill of rights): positive recommendation; clerk announced 11 ayes, 0 noes; moves out to calendar and rules. - HB 372 (TennCare payment schedule changes): positive recommendation; clerk announced 11 ayes, 1 no; moves to finance/ways & means. - HB 581 (Online campaign contribution vendor registration / CVV verification): positive recommendation to calendar/rules; clerk announced 6 ayes, 4 noes, 1 present not voting.

What’s next Bills that received positive committee recommendations will appear on the House calendar or move to the listed follow‑up committees (calendar and rules or finance/ways and means) for additional consideration by the full House or for budget review, as appropriate.

Sources and attribution This story is based on the April 7, 2025 transcript of the Tennessee House Government Operations Committee meeting. Quotes are from committee members and witnesses recorded in that transcript, including Representative Mark White, Leader Larry Lambert, Alexander Greenberg (Office of Legal Services), Alex Lewis (representing the governor), Tiffany Anderson (Bedford County educator), Johnny Epstein (attorney), and Liz Mallard (homeless planning council).