The Worst 2025 RINO Votes On Illegal Immigration (Update & Correction 3.26.25)

***Update 3.26.25 – The Tennessee Conservative previously had Rep. Greg Martin pictured as one of the elected officials that “Refused to Vote on Illegal Immigration” due to his participation during the discussion of HB0010 but no vote being cast on the bill. However, we have since learned that Martin left that meeting early before votes were cast to present an unrelated bill (HB0302) in the Transportation Committee during the same time slot. The article image and article text has been updated to reflect this new information.***

Image Credit: TN General Assembly & Canva

The Tennessee Conservative Staff –

As Tennessee’s 2025 legislative session continues to unfold, several pieces of preventative illegal immigration legislation have been killed by state lawmakers. 

Others are still making their way through the committee process. 

Here’s the rundown at the time of this article’s publication.

Illegal Immigration Bills Killed:

House Bill 10 (HB0010)/Senate Bill 6 (SB0006) sponsored by Rep. Todd Warner (R-Chapel Hill-District 92) and Sen. Joey Hensley (R-Hohenwald-District 28).

• Originally would have required that any illegal aliens in state or local custody not picked up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) be transported up to 700 miles away, to the nearest sanctuary city.
• As amended in subcommittee, any illegal aliens in state or local custody not picked up by ICE within the 48-hour detainer timeframe would have been turned over to the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security. The department would then keep illegal individuals off the streets until ICE picked them up.

This bill was killed by a 3-0 vote in the House Departments and Agencies Subcommittee on March 18^th.

Republican Rep. John Crawford and Democrat Representatives Jesse Chism and Larry Miller voted against HB0010/SB0006.

Republican Rep. Dennis Powers marked himself as “present and not voting.”

Republican Representatives Rick Eldridge, Jeff Burkhart, and Greg Martin were present and participated in the discussion but did not cast a vote or mark themselves as “present and not voting.”

***Update 3.26.25 – Representative Martin left the meeting early to present an unrelated bill (HB0302) in the Transportation Committee during the same time slot.***

Republican Representative Michele Carringer was not present in subcommittee that day.

Tennessee Bill To Transport Illegal Aliens To Sanctuary Cities Killed In House Subcommittee

House Bill 746 (HB0746)/Senate Bill 1044 (SB1044) sponsored by Rep. Monty Fritts (R-Kingston-District 32) and Sen. Janice Bowling (R-Tullahoma-District 16).

• Would have required illegal immigrants to pay tuition in order to attend public school in Tennessee.

On March 19^th, the Senate Education Committee killed this legislation by a 5-3 vote in favor of a similar bill, HB0793/SB0836 (see below), which is still in play.

Republican Senators Rusty Crowe, Joey Hensley, and Dawn White voted in favor of HB0746/SB1044.

Republican Senators Ferrell Haile, Adam Lowe, Mark Pody, Bill Powers, and Kerry Roberts voted it down.

Democrat Sen. Raumesh Akbari did not appear to be present in committee that day.

Conservative Senator’s Bill Requiring Illegal Immigrants To Pay Tuition At Local Public Schools Fails In Tennessee Senate Committee

House Bill 556 (HB0556) /Senate Bill 1373 (SB1373) sponsored by Rep. Kip Capley (R-Summertown-District 71) and Sen. Bo Watson (R-Hixson-District 11).

• Would have required all written driver’s license testing in Tennessee to be administered in English.

This bill was killed by a 5-3 vote in the House Transportation Subcommittee on March 18^th.

Republican Representatives Fred Atchley, Ed Butler, and Jake McCalmon voted in favor of the legislation.

Republican Representatives David Hawk, Dan Howell, Lowell Russell and Dave Wright joined Democrat Aftyn Behn in voting against it.

Republican Representative Michele Reneau marked herself as “present and not voting.”

Democrat Representative Justin J. Pearson did not appear to be present in subcommittee that day.

Tennessee Republicans Kill Bill Requiring Driving Test Be Administered In English Only

House Bill 202 (HB0202)/Senate Bill 348 (SB0348) by Rep. Kelly Keisling (R- Byrdstown-District 38) and Sen. Joey Hensley.

• Would have required any person registering to vote in Tennessee after July 1^st, 2025, to submit proof of U.S. citizenship.
• Would have required the state coordinator of elections to compare the voter registration database with other state and federal agency databases each month and report discrepancies to the state and county election commissions to ensure non-citizens are not registered voters.
• If a potentially illegal voter was identified under this legislation, county election commissions would have had 5 days to notify the voter. The voter would then be required to provide proof of citizenship to the county. If proof was not received within 30 days, the county administrator of elections would then be required to purge the voter from the registration database.
• An appeals process would be put in place for citizens to prove citizenship.

This bill was taken off notice in the House on March 4^th.

Illegal Immigration Bills Still in Play:

House Bill 69 (HB0069)/Senate Bill 133 (SB0133) sponsored by Rep. William Lamberth (R-Portland-District 44) and Sen. Jack Johnson (R-Franklin-District 27).

• Requires the Secretary of State to work with local and state election officials to create a secure electronic portal for county election administrators to verify U.S. citizenship and voter eligibility by January of 2028.
• Requires the Secretary of State to work with local and state election officials to create a secure electronic portal for county election administrators to verify U.S. citizenship and voter eligibility by January of 2028.
• Requires the coordinator of elections, in collaboration with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, to create a similar portal to verify whether someone is ineligible to vote because of a felony conviction by January of 2028.
• Requires a visual distinction, such as a color or font on the face of a photo identification license, to differentiate the class designation for the purpose of voting.

This bill passed by a 16-2 vote in the House State and Local Government Committee on March 19^th.

Republican Representatives Rush Bricken, Jeff Burkhart, John Crawford, Rick Eldridge, Dan Howell, Tom Leatherwood, Mary Littleton, Greg Martin, Jake McCalmon, Jerome Moon, Tim Rudd, Iris Rudder, Todd Warner, and Daver Wright voted in favor of the legislation.

So did Democrat Representatives Larry Miller and Bo Mitchell.

Democrat Representatives Vincent Dixie and Gabby Salinas were the only no votes.

HB0069/SB0133 previously passed in the House Elections and Campaign Finance Subcommittee by a 6-1 vote.

The only no vote came from Democrat Representative Jason Powell.

Republican Representatives Rush Bricken, Dan Howell, Tom Leatherwood, Jerome Moon, Tim Rudd, and Dave Wright voted in favor of the bill.

House Bill 811 (HB0811) /Senate Bill 227 (SB0227) sponsored by Rep. Rusty Grills (R-Newbern-District 77) and Sen. Brent Taylor (R-Memphis-District 31).

• Would hold charitable organizations liable for damages of any criminal offense committed by an illegal immigrant who is receiving housing from that charitable organization.
• A “charitable organization” is defined as “a charitable unit of a religious or civic group that is exempt from taxation under 26 U.S.C. § 501, including those supported wholly or partially by private donations and registered with the secretary of state.”

This bill has been assigned to the Senate Judiciary Committee and the House Civil Justice Subcommittee but has not yet been heard in either chamber of the legislature.

House Bill 219 (HB0219)/Senate Bill 519 (SB0519) sponsored by Rep. Jay Reedy (R-Erin-District 74) and Sen. Kerry Roberts (R-Springfield-District 23).

• Requires that foreign purchases of Tennessee land be reported to the Commissioner of Agriculture under the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978.
• Failure to report would require the Department of Agriculture to inform the Attorney General of the noncompliance, resulting in a civil penalty of up to 25% of the property’s value.
• Clarifies that along with filing a report of a purchase with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, “foreign persons” who purchase land in the state must also file with the Tennessee Commissioner of Agriculture within 90 days of acquisition or transfer.

This bill is scheduled for a vote on the House floor on Thursday, March 27^th.

It most recently passed in the House Government Operations Committee by a 10-1 vote.

Democrat Representatives John Ray Clemmons and Antonio Parkinson joined Republican Representatives Monty Fritts, Esther Helton-Haynes, Justin Lafferty, Aron Maberry, Jay Reedy, Michele Reneau, Iris Rudder, and Paul Sherrell in voting for the legislation.

The only no vote was Democrat Rep. G.A. Hardaway.

HB0219/SB0519 previously passed by a 20-3 vote in the House State and Local Government Committee and by a unanimous vote in the House Cities and Counties Subcommittee.

House Bill 793 (HB0793)/Senate Bill 836 (SB0836) sponsored by Rep. William Lamberth and Sen. Bo Watson.

• Gives Tennessee public school districts the option to unenroll or refuse enrollment of a student if it cannot be proven that the student is in the state and country lawfully.
• As amended in the Senate, also gives public school districts the option to charge illegal students tuition.

This bill recently passed by a 5-4 vote in the Senate Education Committee on March 5^th.

Republican Senators Rusty Crowe, Joey Hensley, Adam Lowe, Bill Powers, and Dawn White voted in favor of it.

Democrat Sen. Akbari and Republican Senators Ferrell Haile, Mark Pody, and Kerry Roberts voted against it.

HB0793/SB0836 also passed in the House K-12 Subcommittee by a 5-3 vote on March 11^th.

Republican Representatives Gino Bulso, Kirk Haston, Aron Maberry, Lee Reeves, and William Slater voted in favor.

Republican Mark White joined Democrat Representatives Yusuf Hakeem and Sam McKenzie in voting no.

House Bill 833 (HB0833)/Senate Bill 750 (SB0750) sponsored by Rep. Kelly Keisling and Sen. Ken Yager (R-Kingston-District 12).

• Requires increased reporting of law enforcement run-ins with illegal aliens to the Department of Safety and Homeland Security on a monthly basis.
• Requires reports to include the date of the interaction, the number of illegal aliens encountered, and a description of identification documents, if any, in their possession.
• Requires the Department of Safety and Homeland Security to provide an annual report to the General Assembly containing “an assessment of the population of illegal aliens residing in this state and any associated criminal enterprises” as well as a threat analysis for the state.

This bill passed by a unanimous 8-0 vote in the House Departments and Agencies Subcommittee on March 18^th. 

Democrat Representatives Jesse Chism and Larry Miller, as well as Republican Representatives Jeff Burkhart, Michele Carringer, John Crawford, Rick Eldridge, Greg Martin, and Dennis Powers all voted in favor of this legislation.

HB0833/SB0750 has been deferred to the final calendar in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

House Bill 1037 (HB1037)/Senate Bill 791 (SB0791) sponsored by Rep. Johnny Garrett (R-Goodlettsville-District 45) and Sen. Paul Bailey (R-Sparta-District 15).

• Specifies that “an unauthorized alien does not have standing to commence or appear as a plaintiff in a civil action brought under title 29.”

This bill has been assigned to the House Civil Justice Subcommittee and the Senate Judiciary Committee but has not been calendared for a hearing.

House Bill 145 (HB0145)/Senate Bill 268 (SB0268) or the “Tennessee Reduction of Unlawful Migrant Placement (TRUMP) Act” sponsored by Rep. Gino Bulso (R-Brentwood-District 61) and Sen. Joey Hensley.

Demagnetizes Tennessee as a desirable location to illegal aliens by:

• Providing a solid definition for the term “resident of the state” within Tennessee statute. This term would be defined as “a United States citizen or a noncitizen who is lawfully residing in Tennessee.”
• Requiring verification of the lawful immigration status of individuals seeking to send, wire, or otherwise transfer funds out of the United States.
• Charging parents or guardians tuition for enrolling non-citizen children whose immigration status is unlawful in a Tennessee public school.

The TRUMP Act has been assigned to committees in both chambers of the legislature. However, the legislation has yet to receive any votes due to being repeatedly deferred for months.

It is likely that lawmakers are waiting to see what other illegal immigration bills pass before considering or tweaking this one.

Illegal Immigration Bills Passed:

House Bill 6001 (HB6001)/Senate Bill 6002 (SB6002) sponsored by Rep. William Lamberth and Sen. Jack Johnson during the special legislative session in January.

• Establishes a new “Centralized Immigration Enforcement Division” within the Department of Safety and Homeland Security.
• Establishes a grant program to promote the enforcement of federal immigration laws.
• Places felony-level consequences on elected officials who adopt sanctuary city policies and requires removal of an elected official upon conviction.
• Requires the Department of Safety to issue lawful permanent residents temporary driver’s licenses instead of standard ones for the purposes of aiding in voter eligibility determination.

This “omnibus illegal immigration bill” passed along party lines by a 72-22 vote on the House floor.

Representatives voting in favor of this bill were Republicans Alexander, Atchley, Barrett, Baum, Boyd, Bricken, Bulso, Burkhart, Butler, Capley, Carringer, Cepicky, Cochran, Crawford, Darby, Davis, Doggett, Eldridge, Faison, Farmer, Fritts, Gant, Garrett, Gillespie, Grills, Hale, Helton-Haynes, Hicks G, Hicks T, Hill, Howell, Hulsey, Hurt, Jones R, Keisling, Kumar, Lafferty, Lamberth, Leatherwood, Littleton, Lynn, Maberry, Marsh, Martin B, Martin G, McCalmon, Moody, Moon, Powers, Raper, Reedy, Reeves, Reneau, Rudd, Rudder, Scarbrough, Sherrell, Slater, Sparks, Stevens, Stinnett, Terry, Todd, Travis, Vaughan, Vital, Warner, White, Williams, Wright, Zachary and Speaker Sexton.

Representatives voting no were Democrats Behn, Brooks, Camper, Chism, Clemmons, Dixie, Freeman, Glynn, Hakeem, Hardaway, Harris, Johnson, Jones J, McKenzie, Miller, Mitchell, Parkinson, Pearson, Powell, Salinas, Shaw and Towns.

Republicans Kirk Haston, David Hawk, and Lowell Russell and Democrats Caleb Hemmer and Harold Love did not appear to be present for this vote. 

The bill also passed on the Senate floor by a 26-7 vote.

Republican Senators Bailey, Bowling, Briggs, Crowe, Haile, Harshbarger, Hatcher, Hensley, Jackson, Johnson, Lowe, Massey, Pody, Powers, Reeves, Roberts, Rose, Seal, Southerland, Stevens, Taylor, Walley, Watson, White, Yager and Lt. Gov. McNally voted in favor of the bill.

Republican Sen. Todd Gardenhire joined Democrat Senators Akbari, Campbell, Kyle, Lamar, Oliver, and Yarbro in voting against it.