Voucher bill stalls in Tennessee House

At judgment time, voucher supporters didn't have the votes they needed to pass the controversial education bill through the Tennessee House of Representatives Thursday morning.

Supporters said the measure, House Bill 1049, would provide public-funded scholarships so that high-risk students attending failing public schools could instead go to private schools. Opponents argued the vouchers would divert desperately needed funds from public schools without showing enough proof vouchers actually help students.

Bill sponsor Rep. Bill Dunn, R-Knoxville, told colleagues he was disappointed he lacked enough support before asking for the bill to lay on the clerks desk, meaning it can be scheduled at a different time. Tabling the bill effectively stalls the bill indefinitely.

It's a procedural move that makes it difficult, although not impossible, for the House to reconsider the measure this session.

"I'm not confident I have the votes to pass this bill ... I'm not going to go forward with it," Dunn said.

After the floor meeting, Dunn said he didn't want to have four hours of debate on a bill when he didn't have the votes needed for passage. He seemed to indicate he didn't have immediate plans to try and resurrect the bill later this year.

“Obviously, if suddenly 50-something people came and said we’re ready to take it back up, then I would reconsider it. I think we kinda hit a high watermark today, and people are going to move on to other issues," Dunn told reporters.

Looking to next session, he said: "Next year there will still be failing schools and children on the path to failure, and I am not going to stop."

The move comes after vouchers received more support in the House than during any previous session. However, prospects for the bill looked bleak earlier this week, when Dunn asked to delay a vote previously scheduled for Monday.

And its prospects for passage didn't change on Thursday. Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, R-Blountville, said at an 8:30 a.m. meeting with reporters he did not believe the school voucher bill had enough votes to pass.

Voucher bill change could create Shelby County program

Democrats, teachers organizations and others continued to advocate against the bill as late as Thursday morning. They argued that proposed changes would still allow for the spread of vouchers outside of Shelby County.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Dunn and other pro-voucher supporters were shopping amendments that would significantly change the bill, in hopes of finding a few more supporters. Dunn accused the Tennessee Education Association, the state's largest teachers organization, of lying about the intent of a proposal that he said would create a voucher pilot program in Shelby County.

"Truth didn't win out today. I think Mark Twain said a lie is halfway around the world while the truth is still tying its shoes. And today that happened," Dunn said.

But TEA lobbyist Jim Wrye said pro-voucher lawmakers have a different interpretation of the amendment's language. He also added it's tough to legislate at the last minute, and the TEA was diligent in watching for possible consequences.

"It's very difficult to bring a 15-page amendment to the floor, filing up to deadline, and have a full vetting and full understanding of the language," Wrye said.

And he criticized out-of-state interest groups for using robocalls to bash lawmakers for standing against vouchers, especially in the Knoxville area.

"We don't pull that stuff, and a lot of the ugliness that come out of national groups are quite something," he said, "We love our communities and love them for standing up for public education in Tennessee."

House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rep. Mike Stewart also said the amendment's language was clear.

"There is no interpretation of the actual language that could limit it to Shelby County," Stewart said. "That is simply a misreading of what that amendment says."

After the bill stalled, voucher supporters the Beacon Center, a conservative think tank, also blasted voucher opponents for what they deemed lying to the public.

"The teachers union and other pro-union groups have intentionally deceived the public and legislature so that they can maintain their monopoly on the education system," said Beacon Center CEO Justin Owen in an emailed statement.

Pro-voucher school choice group StudentsFirst Tennessee also chimed in on the bill's tabling.

"While this bill was deferred today, StudentsFirst Tennessee will continue to advocate for every student to have access to a high-quality education," said Brent Easley, state director. "There are families across this state that have demonstrated their support for additional quality school choice options, and StudentsFirst Tennessee remains committed to that mission.”

Others celebrated a victory, including Rep. John Ray Clemmons, D-Nashville, who targeted Haslam for supporting the bill. Haslam has said he would sign the bill as it was written

"Our public schools are safe for another day with the action that was taken today by the bill sponsor, but this is another failure by the governor to pass a key piece of his legislation," he said.

Reporter Joel Ebert contributed to this report.

Reach Jason Gonzales at 615-259-8047 and on Twitter @ByJasonGonzales. Reach Dave Boucher at 615-259-8892 and on Twitter @Dave_Boucher1.