The Tennessee Conservative [By Olivia Lupia] –
The Tennessee General Assembly ran a slate of immigration-related initiatives this year, and while many passed and now on the way to becoming official law several others didn’t make it across the finish line, stalling or failing before ever making it to the House or Senate floor.
HB1897–Requiring counties to check Tennessee voter rolls for illegal aliens
Sponsored by Rep. Todd Warner (R-Chapel Hill-District 92), this bill would have required county election commissions to check applicants registering to vote against the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database prior to adding them to voter rolls to determine eligibility instead of just relying on state-level checks.
Existing law already requires the state’s coordinator of elections to compare the statewide voter registration database to the Tennessee Department of Safety’s database and notify county election officials of any registered voters who may not be citizens, but comparison of the rolls to any federal agencies, the SAVE database, or county records to verify citizenship is only optional.
HB1897 failed 6-1 in the House Elections & Campaign Finance Subcommittee and was never taken up by the Senate State and Local Government Committee.
Another bill, HB2185 by Rep. William Lamberth, did pass which allows, but doesn’t require, elections administrators to access information and data from the SAVE program, but only if the Department of Homeland Security ever makes that data available via a secure web service.
HB2142– “Foreign Law Nonrecognition Act”
Also sponsored by Rep. Warner, the Act was designed to ensure foreign law could not be recognized or considered in legal cases in the state if it contradicts with constitutional rights.
While current state law dictates the protection of constitutional rights to be the primary consideration in navigating cases where foreign law is applicable, this bill specifically clarified that foreign law can in no way be enforced or applied if there would be a contradiction with a person’s constitutional rights.
HB2142 did not seem to gain any traction and was never put on notice for consideration in the House Civil Justice Subcommittee while companion bill SB2488 carried by Sen. Janice Bowling was “General Subbed” in early March, officially sidelining the bill for the year.
HB2036– Bars dual citizenship holders & non-natural born citizens from holding federal office
A simple bill, HB2036 stated, “A person shall not qualify as a candidate in a primary election for federal office who 1) Holds dual citizenship; or 2) Is not a natural-born citizen of the United States.”
The bill never made it past the Elections & Campaign Finance Subcommittee in the House, being taken off notice mid-March. The Senate version, SB1825, was set to be considered by the Senate State & Local Government Committee in early March but was deferred multiple times before finally being “General Subbed” on March 25.
HB1711–Increased reporting requirement on illegal immigrants
As amended, the legislation would have required illegal aliens to be reported by various public entities including school districts, institutions of higher education, prisons, healthcare providers, and social services unless doing so conflicted with federal laws such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA).
It further mandated annual reports on the actual costs incurred by the state for educating the children of illegal aliens and other public benefits received like healthcare or law enforcement, though the last amendment excluded the requirement of agencies or providers to report any identifying information like names, instead seeking just a numerical tally.
This bill made slightly better progress than some of the others, passing through a subcommittee and full committee before being placed behind the budget and stalling before eventually being taken off notice. SB2108 in the Senate was set for consideration multiple times by the State and Local Government Committee but was repeatedly deferred and ultimately never heard.
HB0793– Originally allowed for disenrollment of illegal aliens from schools, changed to a reporting bill
Originally intended to allow school districts to deny enrolling the children of illegal aliens, HB0793 stalled at the end of the 2025 legislative session over concerns of the potentially loss of federal funding.
It was revived this year by sponsor Rep. William Lamberth, but was completely gutted and reworked to only track and report data to the state’s Department of Education to determine how many illegal alien students in Tennessee public schools are being educated at taxpayer expense.
Senate sponsor Bo Watson managed to pass the original bill, SB0836, through the Senate in a tight vote last year and rejected Lamberth’s revised version this year, letting it stall in calendar limbo and never calling for a vote to reconcile the two bills.
About the Author: Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
