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House passes FY2026 appropriations; debate flares over $8 million for primaries
Summary
The Tennessee House approved its annual appropriations bill after hours of debate over late-filed amendments, including an $8 million amendment to reimburse counties for primary-election costs. Lawmakers clashed over process and whether the funding was tied to recently passed primary rules.
The Tennessee House approved its fiscal year 2026 appropriations bill, including a late-filed amendment that would provide $8 million in recurring funds meant to reimburse counties for the cost of holding primary elections. Chairman Curtis Hicks led passage of the measure after a day of committee consideration and floor amendments.
The appropriation passed after opponents pressed for more time and questioned whether the $8 million was intended to fund a separate change to primary rules. "This amendment simply gives monies back to our counties to pay for elections," House Finance Chair Jerry Williams said on the floor, describing the change as a one-year appropriation. Opponents including Representative Leigh Camper and Representative Warner said members were told in committee that related legislation carried no fiscal note and that the late addition appeared to make the expenditure a done deal without full review.
The amendment drew sharp debate. Rep. Camper urged a slower process so members could review changes to the base budget, saying last-minute additions caused confusion. Rep. Mitchell and Rep. Warner described the $8 million as a significant amount that could fund other priorities and said members were misled about whether the amendment funded a bill passed earlier on primaries.
Other amendments to the bill were debated and voted on throughout the session, including proposals to direct funding to a Memphis crime lab and to various local projects. Representative Salinas moved an amendment to fund the Memphis crime lab by reallocating money but that amendment failed. Several other high-profile, member-filed amendments were considered and either adopted or rejected under procedural rules governing timely filing.
After the final roll call the chamber recorded the bill's passage. The chair directed the bill and the agreed amendments be sent to the Senate as approved by the House.
Details of votes and several contentious floor exchanges highlighted ongoing tensions about the pace of budget work and the balance between the chamber's calendar rules and member requests to amend the spending plan.
The bill includes recurring and nonrecurring allocations across K–12, higher education, health, and transportation; members highlighted teacher bonuses, disaster relief for northeast Tennessee, and funding for behavioral health and long-term workforce supports. Debate on Wednesday focused on the process by which amendments were accepted after committee deadlines and on the policy priorities behind several high-dollar additions.
