One of the last days of session, the 2025 Junior Knox County Commissioners visited the State Capitol. they are photographed with Senator Massey and Lt. Governor Randy McNally (both the Lt. Governor and Sen. Massey represent parts of Knox County as does Senator Dr. Richard Briggs as well)
2025 Legislative Highlights
Education FreedomĀ
- Established statewide school choice through education freedom scholarships to put power in the hands of parents to choose the best education for their child
Strong Public Schools
- Increased investments in K-12 education by $439 million, including teacher pay raises and infrastructure improvements
Illegal Immigration
- Ā Created the Centralized Immigration Enforcement Division within the Dept. of Safety to coordinate with federal and local governments to implement immigration policies
- Established the Immigration Enforcement Grant Program to aid local law enforcement
- Created a felony offense for smuggling and trafficking illegal immigrantsĀ
- Increased accountability for organizations housing criminal illegal immigrantsĀ
Agriculture
- Established $25 million Farmland Preservation Fund landowners to put property in conservation easementĀ
Dismantled DEI and Restored Merit-Based SystemsĀ
- Prohibited public and private colleges in Tennessee from using race or national origin to make admissions or scholarship decisions
- Ended race-based selection for membership of state boards
- Prohibited state and local governments and public universities from having DEI departments or hiring practices
Caring for Communities and Infrastructure
- Ā Added $1 Billion to road fund to help address $30 billion backlog
- Redirected tire sales tax revenues from General Fund to TDOT
- Provided $516 million for Hurricane Helene recovery to individuals and local governmentsĀ
Public Safety
- Protected private property rights
- Cracked down on organized retail crime
- Raised penalty for exposing children to fentanyl
- Strengthened penalties for sexual abuse
Protecting Children and Families
- Strengthened several penalties related to child abuseĀ
- Improved the adoption and foster care systemĀ
- Enhanced protections and rights for children in DCS custody
- Established a domestic violence registry
- Cracked down on AI-generated child pornography
Pro-Life
- Targeted illegal distribution of abortion pillsĀ
- Established pro-life protections for mothers facing serious pregnancy complications
Health
- Expanded prenatal screenings to protect mothers and babies
- Required medical examinations of deceased mass shooters to test for psychotropic drugs
- Removed insurance barriers for cancer patients to access recommended medications
