Lee’s Lousy Week

Losses for TN Gov are wins for workers, schools

Andy Spears
2 min readApr 22, 2024
Photo by Brandon Hooper on Unsplash

As the 2024 session of the Tennessee General Assembly comes to a close, Gov. Bill Lee is facing a pair of devastating losses.

First, Lee’s signature legislative initiative, school vouchers, will not advance this year. Lee’s advocacy for universal school vouchers dates back to well before he was a candidate for Governor.

The plan would have cost $144 million this year and would have meant universal access to vouchers by the 2025–26 school year.

Now, Lee will have to wait until next year to push again for a school voucher scheme.

Outside the legislature, Lee also lost in his attempt to trample workers.

Lee was outspoken in opposition to the UAW organizing a union at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga.

Despite previous setbacks in attempts to organize at VW, this time, the UAW was successful.

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Andy Spears

Writer and policy advocate living in Nashville, TN —Public Policy Ph.D. — writes on education policy, consumer affairs, and more . . .