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News & Press: Policy Update

TICUA: 113th Tennessee General Assembly Begins

Friday, January 13, 2023  
Posted by: TICUA

113th General Assembly
Policy Update

January 12, 2023

113th Tennessee General Assembly Begins

On Tuesday, January 11, 2023, legislators gathered to gavel in the first session of the 113th Tennessee General Assembly. Senator Randy McNally was re-elected by his peers to remain Lt. Governor and Speaker of the Senate, and the house members re-elected Rep. Cameron Sexton as the Speaker of the House.

Two of the three Tennessee Constitutional officers stood for election this cycle. David Lillard was re-elected State Treasurer, and Jason Mumpower was re-elected as Comptroller of the Treasury. Tre Hargett remains in his post as Secretary of State since his position did not stand for election this year.

The General Assembly completed their organization week on Thursday and will return for the inauguration of Governor Bill Lee on Saturday, January 21st. They will then break and return on Tuesday, January 24th, to begin work on legislative issues.

The bill filing deadline has been set for the end of January, with the State of State Address slated for Monday, February 6th. It is during the State of the State address that Governor Lee will outline his priorities for the session and propose his budget. Both House Speaker Sexton and Lt. Governor McNally are targeting the end of April for adjournment.


Education Committees Announced

The Tennessee House and Senate have announced the members of their respective education committees. Senator Jon Lundberg will return to serve as Chair of the Senate Education Committee. Members of the committee include Jon Lundberg, Chair; Bill Powers, 1st Vice Chair; Raumesh Akbari, 2nd Vice Chair; Rusty Crowe; Todd Gardenhire; Ferrell Haile; Joey Hensley; Mark Pody; and Dawn White.

The House Education Committee structure remains the same as during the previous General Assembly. There are two main education committees, each with subcommittees. The two main committees consist of the Education Administration Committee, chaired by Rep. Mark White, and the Education Instruction Committee, chaired by Rep. Debra Moody. As during the previous general assembly, it is anticipated that all higher education bills will go through the Higher Education Subcommittee and then to the Education Administration Committee.

The Education Administration Committee has two subcommittees: Higher Education and K-12. The Higher Education Subcommittee is chaired by Rep. Justin Lafferty, with the following Representatives as members: Charlie Baum, Ed Butler, Monty Fritts, John Gillespie, Kirk Haston, Harold Love, Antonio Parkinson, and Mark White. The K-12 Subcommittee is chaired by Kirk Haston, with members Gino Bulso, Chris Hurt, Sam McKenzie, Bryan Richey, William Slater, Robert Stevens, Todd Warner, and Mark White. All subcommittee members serve on the main Education Administration Committee.

The Education Instruction Committee is chaired by Debra Moody with Vice Chair Kevin Raper. Members include Scott Cepicky, Jesse Chism, Mark Cochran, Tandy Darby, Vincent Dixie, Ronnie Glynn, Yusuf Hakeem, Tim Hicks, Gloria Johnson, Tom Leatherwood, Jake McCalmon, John Ragan, Chris Todd, Todd Warner, and Mark White. The Education Instruction Subcommittee is chaired by Scott Cepicky, with the following members: Jesse Chism, Ronnie Glynn, Yusuf Hakeem, Tim Hicks, Gloria Johnson, Tom Leatherwood, Jake McCalmon, Debra Moody, John Ragan, Kevin Raper, Todd Warner, and Mark White.


Western Governors University Seeks Hope Scholarship

Senator Bo Watson and Representative Chris Hurt have revived efforts to allow Western Governors University (WGU) access to the Hope Scholarship program (SB 112/HB116). If passed, the bill would change the definition of an eligible institution for Hope Scholarships. The bill would make an exception to the Tennessee domiciled requirement for eligibility. WGU is a regionally accredited university, but is headquartered in Utah, thus currently making it an ineligible university.

Last year the bill carried a $1.3M fiscal note, but more concerning is that it would open the door to other non-Tennessee domiciled regionally accredited institutions operating in Tennessee to request access to the scholarship program. At last count, there are more than 50 regionally accredited colleges and universities operating in Tennessee with on-ground and/or online programs. Some of these include the University of Arkansas, Troy State University, Lindsay Wilson College, BIOLA University, and Bellarmine University.

TICUA has remained opposed to altering the definition of eligible institutions.


TICUA Annual Meeting

REGISTRATION IS OPEN for the upcoming 67th TICUA Annual Meeting to be held on Tuesday and Wednesday, February 21 and 22, 2023 in Nashville! This year’s theme is Improving Lives and Anchoring Communities, which reflects the value of what TICUA member institutions bring to Tennessee. This year’s meeting provides you with an opportunity to discuss key policy issues facing TICUA member institutions with a focus on affordability and student access.

This year's agenda features conversations with many legislative leaders of the 113th Tennessee General Assembly. Also, we have invited key policy leaders to visit with us concerning the future of higher education in Tennessee. Invitations have been extended to Governor Bill Lee’s Office, Lt. Governor Randy McNally, House Speaker Cameron Sexton, House and Senate Education Chairs as well as the House and Senate Finance Chairs. We look forward to seeing member presidents in February!

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