Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee quickly signed a bill redrawing the state’s congressional district lines on Thursday, but bills passed in the General Assembly’s regular session are still awaiting transmittal to his office.
The governor has signed a few bills since the regular session ended on April 23. A bill that expands the Education Freedom Scholarship program by 15,000 to 35,000 students was signed on Thursday.
The Tennessee Department of Education said all of the 35,000 scholarships are reserved. Students will receive $7,530 to attend the school of their choice.
More than 56,000 applied, according to the department. The other 17,735 applicants are on a waiting list.
The governor also signed a bill that would allow school systems to display the Ten Commandments, the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, the Tennessee Constitution and the Bill of Rights. House Bill 0047/Senate Bill 303 does not require them to be displayed.
Two immigration bills were signed, while others are awaiting transmission to Lee.
House Bill 1705/Senate Bill 1922 requires local entities to use the federal E-Verify program to ensure applicants are eligible to work in the United States.
The attorney general will investigate complaints that school districts or governments have violated the law. If the attorney general determines the complaints are credible, the entity could lose grants and state-shared taxes, according to the bill.
Gov. Bill Lee signed the bill on April 21. It takes effect July 1.
