Tennessee legislature adjourns after passing $1.9 billion tax cut

Tennessee’s GOP-controlled General Assembly on Thursday adjourned for the year, concluding months of tense political infighting that doomed Republican Gov. Bill Lee’s universal school voucher push. But a bill allowing some teachers to carry firearms in public schools and one adding a nearly $2 billion tax cut and refund for businesses received last-minute approval.

For months, Lee declared enacting universal school vouchers his top priority for the legislative session. At the same time, he warned that lawmakers must pass the major tax cut and refund for businesses to prevent a potential lawsuit as critics alleged the state violated the U.S. Constitution.

The ambitious pitches were made to a legislative body still harboring deep resentments from the past year, where inaction on gun control and safety measures had left deep divides between the Senate and House. 

While Lee was unable to find consensus on his voucher pitch — an initiative that he vowed to renew next year — he was able to secure a last-minute deal on the eye-popping $1.9 billion tax cut and refund for businesses. The amount is almost 4% of the state’s $52.8 billion budget.

The final week of Tennessee’s nearly four-month long legislative session also saw emotionally-charged debates over the arming of public school teachers and staff, with hundreds of protesters flocking to the Capitol.




(AP Photo George Walker IV)